Stage Set for Lenten Service April 6, 2011
First Christian Church - Huntsville, Texas
A few jars of paint, some pencils, a backdrop tryiptich, and communion elements await willing worshippers in the quad courtyard just outside the sanctuary doors. The congregation is having a soup supper, as is the custom for Lenten Services here, and the worship service will soon begin - this time - outdoors.
Caiaphas' Door Person, A Servant Girl
The service started with a prayer and then a dramatization done by a collage student. This time the story was centered around Peter's denials of Christ as witnessed by this servant girl when Jesus was sent to Caiaphas, the high priest. You will recall that the theme of our Lenten Season is Opening the Present as we examine ways to meet God in the present time - the ONLY time there is! The three acts of denial by Peter are stark examples of how we can get caught up in minute to minute denial of our relationship with Jesus.
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Peter’s First Denial
15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”
18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
Peter’s Second and Third Denials
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
~ Jn 18:12-28
Witness to Peter's Three Denials of Christ Tells the Story.
The scripture about Peter's denials is read by my friend, Molly Campbell.
We Listen to Minister Kyle Dennis Explain Our First Task.
Each of us was asked to think of actions from our life that have denied our relationship with Christ. We were to draw something in pencil which represents that action on the white spaces of the tryptich board.
People draw private symbols of personal actions which were essentially denials of Christ.
Music played on boom box by our resident disc jockey, aka: Associate Pastor, Sharon Hart
All drawing and painting are done in an atmosphere of meditative quiet with only soft music playing in the background. For this service the music came from a boom box we had out in one of the breezeways. The piano was played later by the Associate Pastor of Music, Carol Carden, during the communion service.
Kyle explains the second part of our task.
When all the pencil drawings were done, we were told how to complete the next task. Each person would select a color or colors of paint from the table and paint over their pencil drawing to blot it from visual existence, just as God blots our confessed trasgressions from existence in our lives.
While I read the next section of scripture, Kyle modeled the painting task by blotting out his pencil drawing with paint. Each time I read, "Do you love me," Kyle would add another color of paint blob to obliterate his drawing.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18
~ John 21:15-18
I believe that Jesus knew all along that Peter loved Him - even when Peter denied he knew Him. I think Jesus wanted to give Peter a chance to take back the THREE denials he made.
Folks watch as Kyle demonstrates painting over his pencil drawing.
The people take turns using paint to blot out their "denial" drawings.
The Final Painted Tryptich (click on the image to have a better look.)
The Elements of Communion Await
Words of Institution
Minister Kyle Dennis initiates the service of The Lord's Supper.
Each of our Lenten Services culminates with the service of communion. In this case, one of of our youth led the serving of the elements ( ". . . and a little child shall lead them.")
The associate pastor assists one of the youth in offering the elements of the Lord's Supper as the minister prays in silence.
Stay with me, there will be one more service for the Lent Season next week. (The following week we will have our traditional solemn Tenebrae Service on Thursday night. It is one of my favorite services that the church has. I won't, however be able to take pictures during it. So, bummer -- no blog post on it.) There will though, be one more art Lenten Service with a theme of Revealing Barriers Between You and Christ to celebrate our overall theme for this season, Opening the Present.
(Click on an image to see the paintings in larger versions.)
