Have you ever thought about incorporating a creative moment in worship to help tell the story of God? The Church Calendar (Epiphany, Lent, Pentecost, etc.) is our circadian rhythm, played out week to week in the liturgy. The arts can provide windows into the Holy Mysteries during worship. Shannon Sigler, Director of Fuller Seminary Worship and Arts says, “The beauty of incorporating the arts into worship that follows the Christian year is that the liturgy is always present to balance and bolster our emotive experiences, thus drawing our congregation into an holistic encounter with our God.”
During Lent, Christ Church, Murrells Inlet is doing a creative series on Praying the Psalms. Each week the sermon focuses on a specific psalm and the congregation then has an extended time of response in which we pray that psalm in creative ways. Each week is different—some are quiet and meditative, some involve moving around the room to visit prayer stations, and some involve the artistic gifts of its members. Recently, Pastor Michael Guernsey preached on Psalm 8. In the response time, worship team member Tracy Guernsey sang an original and partially spontaneous version of the psalm and invited the congregation to join in singing a repeated refrain. While the psalm was sung the congregation had the opportunity to watch a church member (Marybeth Johanson) paint a beautiful sunset over water inspired by the Lord through the psalm. The church also had the chance to see a marvelous work of calligraphy of the psalm done by another member (Sandy Burgio). This exciting expression of the arts can provide windows into the Holy Mysteries during worship.