Dirt, Mess and Danger: Liturgies & Worship Resources

Glendon Macaulay is a parish minister who, throughout the past decade, has been working in an original, grassroots way with congregations, developing and encouraging creative worship styles which are participatory and relevant to the often messy world we live in. All of the material in this collection – liturgies, meditations, reflections, prayers, poems – has been tried and tested with local congregations, often at ecumenical worship events. It covers Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and more.

Dirt, Mess and Danger celebrates the One who came to earth to live a fully human life, who as a baby suckled at his mother’s breast, and as a man suffered an all-too-human death on the cross at Calvary. He lived his life in the midst of dirt, mess and danger, and so understands what it is to be human, and yet rose to bring healing, forgiveness, justice and peace.

Dirt, Mess and Danger includes contributions by Sally Foster-Fulton, who also has a great interest in developing fresh worship styles, particularly through the use of story.

Contents include:

Advent and Christmas

• 1 song
• 1 meditation
• 6 readers' theater
• 1 DIY service
• 1 responsive reading

Epiphany

• 1 readers' theater

Lent

• 1 small group reflection
• 1 drama
• 1 readers' theater

Holy Week

• 3 reflective readings
• 1 guided writing
• 1 guided meditation
• 1 Passover Seder Service for Maundy Thursday
• 1 Good Friday worship service

Easter

• 1 reflective reading
• 3 readers' theater
• 1 dramatic reading

Pentecost

• 1 reflective reading
• 1 prayer
• 1 readers' theater

Life

• 2 meditations
• 4 reflections
• 12 readers' theaters
• 6 prayers
• 1 story
• 5 responsive readings
• 1 dramatic reading
• 1 liturgy

Death and Bereavement

• 3 meditations
• 1 prayer

Remembering

• 3 readers' theater
• 2 meditations

Eating Together

• 4 readers' theaters
• 1 ecumenical communion service

Conversations

• 6 prayers
• 8 readers' theater
• 5 responsive meditations
• 1 group reflection
• 9 guided meditations