March 17, 2008

"Lent is certainly a journey into the valley of the shadow of death. But it is never without hope. We journey with Christ to the cross, but we also know what lies on the other side: resurrection, forgiveness, feasting and new life. James Gertmenian's text of 'Throughout These Lenten Days and Nights' powerfully captures both the shadows of the Lenten journey and the dazzling light of our Easter hope ... as we follow Jesus to the wilderness, cross, grave and resurrection."

- Greg Scheer, from "Meditations on Lenten Hymns" (more below)

Art and architecture echo the church mission to live and worship as people of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism."

As the church year moves toward Easter and Pentecost, your congregation may be eager to deepen and renew worship.

Many churches find that adding, or improving, an arts planning process reveals God's grace in startling ways. Creating art for worship can sink Scripture into people's lives, connect people from different cultures, and build bridges into the community.

Read more.

www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/art_planning.php

Transforming Culture: A Vision for the Church and the Arts
First Evangelical Free Church of Austin
Austin, Texas
April 1-3, 2008

The symposium brings together pastors, church leaders and artists to discuss the church's relation to the arts and to artists. If you are interested in exploring ways to encourage a more theologically informed, biblically grounded, liturgically sensitive, artistically alive and missionally shrewd vision for the church and the arts, then we welcome you to join us for a stimulating and refreshing two-day conversation. Speakers include Eugene Peterson, Jeremy Begbie, Barbara Nicolosi, Andy Crouch, David Taylor, and John D. Witvliet.

Co-sponsored by The Hill Country Institute for Contemporary Christianity and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

More information and registration.

www.calvin.edu/worship/events/calendar.php

Symposium: New Audio

Audio of selected sessions from Session C is now available. Topics include adult discipleship, church art galleries, the Holy Spirit in worship, prayer in the early church, talking about worship in congregations, using visual technology, and more.

Listen.

www.calvin.edu/worship/sympos

Meditations on Lenten Hymns
by Greg Scheer

Though "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" was intended originally as a communion hymn, it gives us plenty to contemplate during this Lenten season as our focus is on the cross of Christ. The hymn is said to be based on Galatians 6:14 ("May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.") which is evident in a verse that Watts eliminated from later editions of the hymn.

Read more.

www.calvin.edu/worship/lent

Recent Posts at our Blog

- CICW director quoted in the Washington Post
- Augustine's baptistry
- 'Soul Searching' documentary
- How not to confess
- Classic Reflections on Lent and Easter

www.calvin.edu/worship/weblog

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Calvin Institute of Christian Worship 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids MI 49546-4402

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