Worship at Hand – November 2025 | Whole Month [Save 10%]

Worship at Hand

Complete Lectionary-Based Worship Services for Sundays in the Church Year

By Philip Garside

November 2025 | Whole Month

About this month's material

Pentecost 21 | 2 November 2025

Today we’ll be reflecting on readings from Habakkuk 1 and 2, and Luke 19:1–10.

Together, they speak of a faith that dares to cry out in confusion, and a curiosity bold enough to climb a tree just to catch a glimpse of hope.

In the prophet’s lament and in Zacchaeus’s encounter with Jesus, we see how faithfulness can shape how we live, even when God seems silent or our plans are disrupted.

We’re invited to be honest in prayer, open to surprise, and ready to see both God and others with fresh eyes.

 

Pentecost 22 | 9 November 2025

Today we hear from Psalm 98 and Luke 20:27–38 – two very different readings that together call us to joy and perspective.

Psalm 98 invites us to sing a new song and join creation’s chorus of praise, while Jesus, in Luke’s gospel, lifts our eyes beyond earthly limits to a deeper hope in resurrection life.

As we worship, we’re invited to imagine new ways of living with purpose, singing with joy, and trusting the God of the living.

 

Pentecost 23 | 16 November 2025

Today’s readings are from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, where the early church is urged to live responsibly and supportively, and Luke 21:5-19, where Jesus prepares his followers for disruption and challenge with words of quiet strength.

Together, these scriptures call us to faithful living – not by avoiding difficulty, but by showing up, contributing, and trusting the Spirit’s presence even in times of pressure and uncertainty.

As we worship, may we open ourselves to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a courageous, compassionate community of faith.

 

Reign of Christ | 23 November 2025

On this Christ the King Sunday we’ll hear readings from Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 23:33-43 that offer contrasting but connected visions of kingship.

In the cross of Jesus, we see not royal splendour, but outstretched arms of mercy and solidarity – a king who gathers the lost and lifts the lowly.

As we reflect on these scriptures, we are invited to imagine a different kind of kingdom, one built not on power and privilege, but on justice, grace, and hope.

 

Advent 1 | 30 November 2025

We begin the season of Advent with readings from Isaiah 2:1-5 and Matthew 24:36-44

Isaiah offers a daring vision of peace – swords turned into ploughshares, war unlearned – while Matthew calls us to keep awake for the arrival of divine disruption.

Together, these texts invite us to imagine a world reshaped by justice, mercy, and active hope.

As we light the first candle of Advent, may its flame stir in us not only anticipation, but a commitment to live as though God's peace is already taking root.

 

About Worship at Hand

You can purchase packages for individual Sundays or for a whole month:
https://philipgarsidebooks.com/collections/worship-at-hand

Use these flexible, all-in-one service scripts to:

• Prepare thoughtful, spiritually grounded worship with minimal stress
• Engage congregations with inclusive, poetic language
• Follow the Revised Common Lectionary with confidence and creativity
• Offer well-structured, theologically liberal worship experiences
• Save time with ready-made sermons and prayers, and children’s talk ideas
• Inspire participation with interactive and multi-age elements.
  

Features

A weekly worship resource based on the Revised Common Lectionary readings that comprises:

• A complete liturgy
• A 1000-word sermon included for each service
• 10 engaging “Introducing the Theme / Story Time” ideas
• 12 hymn suggestions from NZ Hymnbook Trust music books
• A royalty free image illustrating the theme to use on the cover of the Order of Service, PowerPoint slides etc.

Material for each week comprises a zipped file containing:

• The Leader’s A4 version of the Order of Service (includes the liturgy, sermon, hymn suggestions and Introducing the Theme / Story Time ideas), in Word and PDF formats
• A draft A5 Congregation version of the Order of Service, ready for you to add hymn and Bible reading texts, in Word and PDF formats
• A .jpg format image
  

You will be emailed a link to download the zipped file when you complete your purchase.

Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2025)

Praise for Worship at Hand

"Helpful Resources:
It is very helpful to have a complete service with prayers and resources all relating to the lectionary readings. I find it useful as a template which I can edit or adapt for my own congregation. I also really appreciate the graphic which I can use in a powerpoint display as a focus illustration. I used to spend hours searching for a suitable theme illustration. As a New Zealander, I enjoy resources that are culturally relevant for my parish." RAG 13 August 2025

"I used Worship at hand Pentecost 6 for the first time - when I had a service to prepare with one week's notice - at a time when life was particularly busy! It was brilliant - easy to use and follow - I used my own hymn choices - used the entire service. Good comments back re the reflection from congregation. Have recommended to others at our church who take services." DW 27 July 2025

"Worship at Hand for August: Pertinent, very useful material to read, reflect on, spark thoughts and assist with services. I find it a good resource." JH 25 June 2025

"I find the Liturgies very helpful along with the sermon preparation guide. The prayers are thoughtful and easy to follow. Always relevant to the subject theme."
PJ 19 June 2025

"I have a variety of worship resources on hand that I use to prepare liturgy and have therefore to date not sourced your Worship at Hand. Because I have had a very busy few weeks, I thought I'd give your Pentecost resources a go, thinking there might be some ideas that I could incorporate. What I have found is a very balanced and well thought out liturgy and a sermon that in my view is one of the better sermons I have come across, certainly better than I would likely have come up with. Thank you so much for offering your talent to the church in this way, it is a gift to at least this tired Presbyter!" SW 5 June 2025

"I really appreciate the new resource as it provides a very helpful resource for creating church services. I don't need to spend as much time putting the services together, especially looking for songs or creative ideas for children/young people. It also means that if we don't have a preacher available at least there is a good talk that someone can read."  HW 28 May 2025

"Great material. A wonderful resource. I have recommended it to others as well." DE 10 May 2025

 

Description

Worship at Hand is your weekly solution for creating meaningful, high-quality church services that are theologically grounded and easy to lead. Designed for clergy, lay preachers, and worship leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond, each downloadable service in this growing collection includes everything you need to lead a complete Sunday gathering.

Each service is based on the Revised Common Lectionary.

Liturgies are responsive, reflective, and action-oriented – inviting congregations to participate deeply in the rhythm of worship. 

Whether you’re preaching every week or leading occasionally, Worship at Hand gives you everything in one place. Just open, read, and adapt as needed. Services are created with beauty, care, and a deep love for the church’s task of telling the Good News.

These services are crafted with pastoral insight, theological depth, and liturgical artistry. Use them as supplied or adapt to suit your context – each service includes permission for use with attribution.

While you can present them as is, we suggest that you personalise the sermons provided by adding your own stories and messages relevant to your congregation and local community.

About the Author

Philip Garside is a Methodist lay preacher, worship leader, publisher, and singer / musician based in Aotearoa New Zealand. With over 15 years of experience leading creative, multimedia services, he brings a special blend of theological depth, pastoral sensitivity, and liturgical imagination to his work. Through Philip Garside Publishing Ltd / Philip Garside Books, he equips worship leaders with tools to inspire thoughtful, inclusive, and engaging worship grounded in the life of the Spirit and the call to justice.

Contents

Each downloadable service includes:

Opening Section

• Welcome & Introduction
• Call to Worship (responsive)
• Lighting the Candle
• Opening Prayer
• Hymn #1 [You provide the hymn text]
  

Exploring the Theme

• Prayer of Approach (responsive)
• Words of Assurance
• 10 Children’s Talk / Story Time ideas
• Hymn #2 [You provide the hymn text]
• Bible Readings (RCL-based) [You provide the Bible text(s)]
• 1000-word Sermon
• Hymn #3 [You provide the hymn text]

Community Time

• Sharing the Peace
• Notices
• Sharing Joys and Concerns
• Prayers of Intercession (responsive)
• The Lord’s Prayer in te reo Māori
• Offering Invitation and Blessing
• Hymn #4 [You provide the hymn text]

Closing

• Benediction / Sending Forth
• The Grace in te reo Māori