Hi again,
I decided to use "Your Hands, O Lord, in Days of Old" (PsH 363) as the hymn of response following my message. May our hands be like those of Jesus, used to bring healing and life where there is pain and grief!
Beth Swagman's book, Responding to Domestic Violence: A Resource for Church Leaders (available through Faith Alive), includes some worship resources at the end, including these suggested songs:
:: "Healer of Our Every Ill" by Marty Haugen
:: "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say" by Horatius Bonar (PsH 488)
:: "Sacred the Body" by Ruth Duck
:: "Out of the Depths, O God, We Call" by Ruth Duck
Some of the other worship resources in this book appear on the "Church Resources" page noted above.
Peace,
Stan
[Q&A] What worship resources would be good for a service addressing abuse?
Stanley + Monica Groothof on Sat, 07/16/2011 - 7:08pm
Richard DeRuiter on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 2:09pm
Sorry I missed this earlier (just found the post today, as I'm still trying to find my way around this forum).
One really good contemporary song that would be appropriate for this setting is "God of the Impossible" by Sarah Reeves. Another one that comes to mind is "At the Cross" a Vineyard song by Terry & Randy Butler. One last one that just popped into my head is "Healing Rain" by Delirious, though more people probably know Michale W. Smith's version.
No hymns come to mind right away, though I'm sure there are some out there. I suppose something like "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" can work as an affirmation of faith in the context of lament (it's based on verses from Lamentations, after all).
Maybe someone else can find these suggestions useful, or you could suggest them for a follow up message/service.
This Sunday my sermon deals with abuse. I found the Safe Church Ministry "Church Resources" page helpful in thinking about the subject in general. Now I'm wondering what sorts of readings and hymns to incorporate into the service. Two articles from Reformed Worship have proven helpful so far:
:: "From Victim to Victory: Healing the Wounds of Abuse"
:: "Weeping in Bethlehem: A Service of Healing for Those Who Suffer the Pain of Abuse"
I'm wondering whether anyone has additional suggestions for specific elements to consider including in Sunday's service? Music suggestions would be especially appreciated.