Proclaiming the Passion is a set of dramatized readings of the passion Gospels, offering churches new material as they prepare their programme of Holy Week services.

The booklet – designed in the award-winning Common Worship format – presents the events leading up to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion  as recorded in the four Gospels, presented for dramatized readings.  These are offered alongside an introductory section offering practical advice on presenting the readings within the context of a church service.

The Revd Peter Moger, National Worship Development Officer, says that the material will be welcomed by churches aiming to offer fresh liturgical material that gets to the core of the Easter message: “The proclamation of Jesus’ passion stands at the heart of the celebration of Holy Week. This excellent resource, which complements the material in Common Worship: Times and Seasons, will help congregations enter more deeply into the mystery of our salvation.”

Dramatic readings of the Passion narratives presented by a number of voices have been present in northern Europe since the tenth century, and have become increasingly widespread throughout the Church of England in recent years. The material follows the in footsteps of the Book of Common Prayer and the traditions of the German Lutheran churches by using John’s Passion on Good Friday; the narratives of the other three Evangelists are to be used on Palm Sunday on successive years, as detailed in the Common Worship Lectionary.

Proclaiming the Passion supplements the liturgical material published in Common Worship: Times and Seasons, published in November 2006.