What's New, March 2026
The Lenten journey has begun. As Diana Butler Bass reminds us in her weekly email from The Cottage (February 18, 2026), “Lent has not always been a time of confession and penitence, of fasting and self-denial.” She recounts that the earliest Christians understood the 40 days of Lent to be a time of preparing to meet the risen Christ.
I imagine getting ready to welcome a special guest, one that I’ve longed to have come and visit. I would prepare the guest room and plan out the meals. I would dust, clean, and tidy. I would consider the possibilities for what we would do together. I would be excited and joyous, and maybe just a tiny bit anxious.
So, what would you do to prepare yourself, your home, and your congregation to meet the risen Christ? What needs to be done, physically, mentally, and spiritually, in order to fully embrace the wonder and mystery of the arrival of the resurrected Jesus? What preparations and planning are needed? What physical, mental, and spiritual dusting, cleaning, and tidying might be required? What are the possibilities for what you would do with Jesus once he stepped out of the tomb and into your presence? Would you be excited and joyous, and maybe just a tiny bit anxious and even afraid? How will you and your congregation prepare to encounter the risen Jesus?
The editors and staff of Gathering are always considering what will be most helpful to you in your worship planning. Of course, we count on you sending in your ideas, prayers, and worship services. And if you think of something that would make using GatheringWorship.ca in your worship planning easier, please suggest it to us. We love to receive your feedback and consider how we can integrate your ideas.
Helpful Hints: MUSIC-PRAYER TYPE is now near the top of the search menu, right under THEME. This should make it easier to find the kind of worship materials you are looking for. Remember to flag an item (using the ribbon icon) to your personal Favourites folder when you find something you like and may want to use for a future season. It is easier to search your Favourites folder for an item than searching the whole Gathering website. Better yet, create your own Service folder (choose My Services from the dashboard) for each Sunday or for each liturgical season and add the items (using the + icon) to particular folders.
As you move toward Holy Week, you might want to bookmark these resources from this issue and previous issues:
- Alternatives to Reading from the Gospel of John for Good Friday and Holy Week (from Matthew, Mark or Luke)
- So Much Lost: A Play for Good Friday or Holy Saturday by Nancy Painter
- Stone Stories: A Dramatic Reading for Holy Week by Dawn Garrett-Larsen
- A Week in the Life: Palm Sunday Reflections by Geoffrey Wilfong-Pritchard
- Sensing the Stations of the Cross by Debra Kigar
- Editor’s Postlude: What to Do with Good Friday? by Susan Lukey
- Exploring Antisemitism and Supersessionism (helpful for Good Friday reflections)
- The Easter Vigil: The First Service of Easter by Ivan Gregan
- Mary’s Monologue: A Story for Easter by Bob Root (could also be used on Good Friday or at an Easter vigil)
- Awesome God, as We Enter Holy Week: a prayer by Laura J. Turnbull
- Let Us Go into This Holy Week, Trusting in the Grace of God: a prayer by Taylor Croissant
- O God, on a Day Like Today, A Crowd Gathered to Greet Jesus: a prayer by Elaine Bidgood Sveet
Hymns for Holy Week exclusively on GatheringWorship.ca:
- Jesus Was Coming to Town: A Palm Sunday Rhythm
- Blessed Is the King by Joanna Mills
- The Lord’s Prayer for Ukulele Church
- From This Place of Prayer and Praising by Heidi Koschzeck
- As We Leave by Lisa Waites
- Loving God, Lead Us One by Jane Best
We can’t create Gathering without you! The more you send us, the better our resource. So, go to the "Submit Content to Gathering' button on GatheringWorship.ca or email your material to @email.
Thank you!
Susan
