Tip:
Use hymns and songs that tie in thematically with lectionary readings.

The issue:
Many churches follow the 3 year cycle of lectionary readings in worship. These are a system of readings which help provide thematic unity (in most cases). For each Sunday in the church year, there is usually an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament reading from one of the epistles, and a Gospel reading.

Solution:
Use worship planning software such as Service Designer to quickly find songs that fit the lectionary readings, which are also included in Service Designer.

The Lectionary screen comes up with the closest Sunday showing by default. Double-click any lesson's scripture reference to view the lesson itself.

The lesson you selected is displayed in NIV format. You may cut and paste from this window into your bulletin or PowerPoint. Double-click on the lesson to close its window.

Each lesson has a button marked "H" beside it, which means "Hymns". Click this button for a list of hymns which are based on this scripture.

The list can be printed or viewed.

Each lesson also has a button marked "S" beside it, which means "Songs". Click this button for a list of worship songs which are based on this scripture.

This list can also be printed or viewed.

In addition to the features illustrated above, there is also an Anthem Calendar built in to the Lectionary feature in Service Designer. It contains hundreds of suggested titles, or you can add your own.