WORSHIP THROUGH WRITING

Below is a lesson plan I wrote on how to incorporate writing into a weekly worship service.

“We want a King!” The people told the profit Samuel.
“You have a king.” Samuel replied. “His name is the Almighty God.”
“No! We want a king, like the other nations have.” They rebuked.
So Samuel talked to God about the matter and reported back to them what God said.
“A King will make solders of your sons, they will have to go to war. A king will take ownership over your land and make you work in forced labor. He will tax you and collect wealth for himself. The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves."
But the people wouldn't listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We will have a king to rule us! Then we'll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles." Samuel took in what they said and rehearsed it with God. God told Samuel, "Do what they say. Make them a human king."
Samuel followed Gods instructions and anointed the first king of Isreal, Saul, son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul lead the nation into war against the Ammonites, the Amalekites, and the Philistines. Saul sinned against God by following the peer pressure from his men when fighting the Amalekites instead of what God commanded him. He rejected God through his disobedience and therefore God rejected him as king of His people and sent Samuel to anoint a new King, David, son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah.
Samuel went in search of this new king and found David the youngest of eight boys tending to his father Jesse’s sheep as a Shepard boy in the pasture. David was also an accomplished harpist. As he tending the sheep in the field he would write his own songs and play them for God and the sheep. His songs would reflect what was in his heart and on his mind. The scripture says that David was a man after Gods own heart.
When Samuel went to David’s house he was tempted to anoint Davids older brother Eliab, as King because of how handsome he was, but the Lord said “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
David’s life story, as king of Israel, found in the Bible, in the books titled first and second Samuel, is one filled with adventure, betrayal, sin, and heartache. Through it all David chooses to worship God through proclaiming words of truth and praise. In his first battle against the Philistines as he faces the giant Goliath with nothing but a sling shot he proclaims as he steps on the battlefield “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
After the battle between David and Goliath Saul made David an officer in his army. As the army came home from war after defeating the Philistines the crowds cheered “Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands!” This created jealousy in Saul Twords David and one day while David was playing his harp for Saul, Saul threw his spear at him and tried to kill him, but David dodged the spear. Saul tried again the kill David through offering his daughter in marriage in exchange for killing one hundred Philistines. Saul hoped that David would die in battle against the Philisitnes, instead David returned and married his daughter and became Saul’s son-in law. The bible says “Saul realized clearly that the Lord was with David and also that his daughter Michal loved him. So he became even more afraid of David and was his enemy as long as he lived.”(1 Samuel 19:28-29) Saul spent the rest of his life carring out assaination plots against David and each time God speared David life. After spending several years in excile fleeing from Saul, Saul and his sons were killed in a battle against the Philistines. Upon hearing this news God called David out of exsile to become the new King. When David and his army returned home he found that Sauls generals had divided up the country among themselves. This began a civil war that lasted seven and a half years between those for supported David and those who supported Sauls generals. When David was thirty he unifiied the nation and God fullfilled his proficy given to him in his youth and made him king.
It is recorded that whenever the Lord saved David’s life from Saul or any of his other enemies David would sing this song that he wrote:
   “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 
 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, 
   my shield and the horn of my salvation. 
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— 
   from violent people you save me.
 4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, 
   and have been saved from my enemies. 
5 The waves of death swirled about me; 
   the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; 
   the snares of death confronted me.
 7 “In my distress I called to the LORD; 
   I called out to my God. 
From his temple he heard my voice; 
   my cry came to his ears. 
8 The earth trembled and quaked, 
   the foundations of the heavens shook; 
   they trembled because he was angry. 
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; 
   consuming fire came from his mouth, 
   burning coals blazed out of it. 
10 He parted the heavens and came down; 
   dark clouds were under his feet. 
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; 
   he soared on the wings of the wind. 
12 He made darkness his canopy around him— 
   the dark rain clouds of the sky. 
13 Out of the brightness of his presence 
   bolts of lightning blazed forth. 
14 The LORD thundered from heaven; 
   the voice of the Most High resounded. 
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, 
   with great bolts of lightning he routed them. 
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed 
   and the foundations of the earth laid bare 
at the rebuke of the LORD, 
   at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
 17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; 
   he drew me out of deep waters. 
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, 
   from my foes, who were too strong for me. 
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, 
   but the LORD was my support. 
20 He brought me out into a spacious place; 
   he rescued me because he delighted in me.
 21 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; 
   according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; 
   I am not guilty of turning from my God. 
23 All his laws are before me; 
   I have not turned away from his decrees. 
24 I have been blameless before him 
   and have kept myself from sin. 
25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, 
   according to my cleanness in his sight.
 26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, 
   to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 
27 to the pure you show yourself pure, 
   but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. 
28 You save the humble, 
   but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. 
29 You, LORD, are my lamp; 
   the LORD turns my darkness into light. 
30 With your help I can advance against a troop; 
   with my God I can scale a wall.
 31 “As for God, his way is perfect: 
   The LORD’s word is flawless; 
   he shields all who take refuge in him. 
32 For who is God besides the LORD? 
   And who is the Rock except our God? 
33 It is God who arms me with strength
   and keeps my way secure. 
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; 
   he causes me to stand on the heights. 
35 He trains my hands for battle; 
   my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 
36 You make your saving help my shield; 
   your help has made me great. 
37 You provide a broad path for my feet, 
   so that my ankles do not give way.
 38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them; 
   I did not turn back till they were destroyed. 
39 I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; 
   they fell beneath my feet. 
40 You armed me with strength for battle; 
   you humbled my adversaries before me. 
41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, 
   and I destroyed my foes. 
42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— 
   to the LORD, but he did not answer. 
43 I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; 
   I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
 44 “You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples; 
   you have preserved me as the head of nations. 
People I did not know now serve me, 
 45 foreigners cower before me; 
   as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. 
46 They all lose heart; 
   they come trembling from their strongholds.
 47 “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! 
   Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior! 
48 He is the God who avenges me, 
   who puts the nations under me, 
 49 who sets me free from my enemies. 
You exalted me above my foes; 
   from a violent man you rescued me. 
50 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; 
   I will sing the praises of your name.
 51 “He gives his king great victories; 
   he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, 
   to David and his descendants forever.”
2 Samuel 22
This is only one of over a hundred of David’s writings that he wrote during his life time as a way to worship God. Today we refer to the writings of David as the Psalms. Psalms in Hebrew, David’s native language, means praise.
In his writings David left examples of how he worshiped God. His writings have inspired, and severed as an instruction manual on how we can also worship the Lord no matter what our circumstances.


Week 1: (I do- Building interest and meaning)
Intro:Talk about king David and how his life was the inspiration for his writings. Have one person read Psalm 18 found in 2 Samuel 22 all the way through. After the reading invite someone up to share a poem or Psalm that they have written and talk about how, like David, it reflects a heart of worship in response to their life story at the time. Close the service with a responsive reading through Psalm 100. Make bookmarks or decretive notes card with Psalm 100 printed one one side and a few reflective questions on the back.

Reflection/sharing:
Encourage people to take the psalm home and reread it through out the week as a way to connect and worship God in our every day live.

Reflective Questions:
As you read Psalm 100 pay attention to the words David choose to express himself to God. Why these words?
What other words could he have used?
Which words touch your heart and life circumstances this week?
Do these words change in meaning or stay the same the more times you read and reflect on this Psalm?

Week 2: (We do- sheltered practice)
Intro Review:

Practice: Provide a card and a pen or pencil for each person. As a group have everyone write the words “Praise the Lord for it is good and right to do so. Praise the Lord for ” on one side and “Thank you Lord for . .” on the other. While the worship team plays an acoustic set encourage people to continue to add to their psalm. continue on with worship with song that the congregation can sing along with if they so choose or keep writing in their chairs. One thing it is important to not do during this time is ask them to stand or leave their chairs to take communion. The transition of locations will symbolize for most people that it is time to stop writing. Instead you want to create an environment where people feel safe to continue worshiping God through writing until they run out of words or the worship time ends.

Reflection: Invite 3 to 4 people to share with the congregation what they wrote at the end of the service. You can also hang a writing board next to a writing center somewhere in the room and invite people to hang their writing on the writing board for others to read.

Week 3: (You do- can continue to use and grow from engaging with this practice on their own.)
Intro: Invite someone to read what they wrote from the prompt at the previous service and share how people are encouraged to use the writing center today. Model how to use this station. Depending on how much space you have and how you with to set it up, people can sit at the station and write and/or get paper and a pen and return to their set to write.

Practice: Have the psalm writing activity posted at the writing station a few copies of the book of psalms and provide blank paper and paper where the first line is provided for them as well a a variety of writing utinciles.

Reflection:Have someone share a testimony of how they used this writing activity during the week outside of the worship service to worship God over the past week.

WORSHIP THROUGH ART

Below is a lesson plan that I wrote for introducing the arts into a weekly worship service.


Every generation there are men and women who reshape the way we view the world. They have the courage to take something old and make it new again. In the mid 1900’s an artist talent, in Europe, was based on how accurately he or she could re-depict the world. Precision, detail, and realism, where highly valued. However, with the invention of photography and the development of a highly elite market, everything began to change. A few french painters started to think about how to express the world in new ways, as an impression.
When one puts a painting created by a realist and an impressionist side by side the realist will be clear, crisp, and the impressionist will appear blurry. This blurriness was not because the artist needed a new pair of glasses, but to leave room for our imaginations to fill in the rest. Impressionist began to study how colors responded to each other and how lines can represent movement. This new lose impressionistic style of painting developed by artist such as Monet, Renoir, and Van Gough, did not just change the landscape of the art world, but the landscape of the music world as well.
In 1885 one of these impressionistic painters named Claude Monet set up his easel on the coast of France and began painting the sea. He captured several archways including “The Manneporte,” eery orange and blue sunsets, and rows of fishing boats waiting to be taken out to sea by their owners. Monet’s painting of the Escrete coastline and water lilies inspired a classical composer named Claude Debussy. Debussy compositions changed after being exposed to Monets paintings. The same movement of the waves that Monet captured in his free flowing lines and curves Debussy captures in his rhythms and unresolved harmonies. Claude Debussy is now know as the father of impressionism in music.
The story of Claude Monet and Claude Debussy is a beautiful example of how the visual arts and the musical arts inspire and complement one another. We can have this same relationship between musician and artist in our congregations.
We can learn how to inspire and sper one another on when it comes to worship. Their are many different ways to set up a safe environment were this can start to happen. The first and most important is exposure. How can one be inspired by something if they have not seen it, or heard it for themselves. Claude Debussy would not have begun playing with the idea of incorporating the ideas of impressionism into his music if he had not been exposed to the work of Claude Monet and others. Every Sunday morning we have the opportunity to inspire our congregations to express their worship to the God of the Universe in new ways, new lines, colors, harmonies, and instrumental overtures, we do this through the songs we choose, the words we read, and the images we display.

Exposure as a parable:
There were two farmers, who had large farms with lots of workers. One farmer gave his workers corn seeds to plant. The workers planted the corn and when it came to harvest they had corn to live on through the winter. The other farmer gave his workers corn, lettuce, carrot, broccoli, tomato, onion, beans, spinach, turnips, and potatoes seeds to plant. The workers planted the corn, lettuce, carrot, broccoli, tomato, onion, beans, spinach, turnips, and potatoes. They harvested each vegetable during its season. They enjoyed sweet salads all summer long and lived on corn, carrots, canned tomatoes, onions, dried beans, turnips and potatoes through the winter.

Often times we think that we only like corn because all we have ever been exposed to is corn. As leaders it is time for us to diversify our seeds when it comes to worship and see what grows.

Week 1: (I do- Building interest and meaning)
Tell the story of how the work of Monet inspired Debussy as part of the worship. Follow up this story with a story from your congregation on how a visual artist has inspired one of the people on your worship team, or how a piece of music has inspired one of the visual artist in your congregation. After the story, project Claude Monet’s, “the Manneporte,” a shoreline arch, or a slide show of several of Monets paintings from Escrete, and while playing Claude Debussys, “La Mer”(French for The Sea). “La Mer” is written in three parts. If you have time constraints, I would recommend playing only the second stanza.

Week 2: (We do- sheltered practice)
Give everyone in the congregation the supplies needed to respond to music through drawing. (Two pieces of paper, colored pencils, and a hard surface to work on.) Choose a song that connects well to the current sermon series or season of the church calendar. The first time the worship band or choir sings through the song instruct the congregation to just listen and brainstorm ideas on a piece of paper.

The second time the worship team sings the song through, invite each person to take one of his or her sketches and expand on it on the second piece of paper while the music is playing. Have a gallery board in your auditorium where people can hang these pictures to share with oneanother. Make sure there is a write up on the board explaining to everyone how the work was created and what song they were inspired by. If you choose a song with words hang the words next to the board for people to refer to.

Week 3: (Exposure)
Encourage people to go to the art station and meditate on others artistic expressions as you sing together, or scan some of the images in and play them as a slide show while the worship team plays or choir sings the song again this Sunday.

Week 4: (You do-Individuals continue to use and grow from engaging with this practice on their own.)
Post instructions on how to use the art station and Monets “the Manneporte,” for people to participate with again if they choose. Invite the congregation to use the art station. Do not assume they will know that they are allowed to get up out of their pue or chair and visit it during worship. Show you value the images that are created in this space by leaving everyones work up on the gallery board and rearranging them before the next service to make space for new work.

Helpful Hints for an Art Station:
Hang a rules of the studio poster.
Make sure to post when exhibits will be taken down to make room for new exhibits on the gallery board, and where the box is located for people to collect their work after the exhibit is taken down.
Protect you hardwood floors or nice carpet by laying down a large cheep carpet rug, or piece of linoleum, down under the table and easels to collect any spills, drips, dust, or bits of clay.

"Music is the expression of the movement of the waters, the play of curves described by changing breezes. He who feels what he sees will find no more beautiful example of development in all that book which, alas, musicians read but too little--the book of Nature." (Claude-Achille Debussy (Living Masters of Music)) (Claude-Achille Debussy, inspired by Claude Monet’s Water Lillies: The Clouds, 1903)

LABYRINTH

“I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
Proverbs 4:11-13

What is a Labyrinth?

The labyrinth is a universal symbol for the world, with its complications and difficulties, which we experience on our journey through life. The entry to the labyrinth is birth; the center is death and eternal life. In Christian terms, the thread that leads us through life is divine grace. Like any pilgrimage, the labyrinth represents the inner pilgrimage we are called to make to take us to the center of our being. Labyrinths are used help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets her mind. The result is a relaxed mental attitude, which allows us to commune with God on a deeper level. When considering the labyrinth, there are only two choices: walk it, or to not walk it. If walked, it can change one's life.

How do I walk a Labyrinth?

There are as many different ways to walk the labyrinth as there are individuals. When we walk the labyrinth, we discover our sacred inner space. We are attracted to healing tools such as labyrinth because they deepen our self-knowledge and empower our creativity. Walking the labyrinth clears the mind and gives insight into the life journey. It calms those in a state of transition, and helps us to see life in the context of a path. To those who are in sorrow, it gives solace and peace. The journey is different for everyone, as is life, for we each bring different raw material to the labyrinth. We bring our uniqueness, and often depart with a greater sense of oneness and unity.

Step 1:
The labyrinth is a path for prayer and meditation. Collect yourself before you start. Rest along the outside for a while before you start walking.

Step 2:
Walk around the outside once. Think of different people, events, situations, places or things in your life. Get centered.

Step 3:
There are two common ways of walking. The way of silence and the way of image. In choosing the way of silence it might be helpful to focus on your breathing. The way of image might be done by reciting a prayer, scripture, question, or a name for God over and over to yourself. In either case or in some other manner best suited to you, be open to your heart and mind. Pay attention to your thoughts as they rise and then let them go.

The labyrinth is a place of presence; allow yourself to be present to yourself and to God. The labyrinth is a teacher; let it teach you through the mysterious power of God. As you walk the path, thoughts and ideas may rise up for you and in you -- often in refreshing and startling ways.

One way to feel more connected to the experience is to walk barefoot and slowly. There is no need to rush. Some people feel a sense of confusion as they first start, remember there is only one path in and one path out. You will not get lost. For some people running as quickly as possible to the center, resting there, and then running quickly out is a powerful experience.


Experiencing the Labyrinth

People have different experiences walking the labyrinth. As with all practices of prayer or meditation, your experience will grow and deepen the more you do it. There is no "right" experience. Some people feel a sense of peace. Others find old memories rising up as they walk. Others find themselves thinking about an immediate situation or person. Others walk at varying speeds as different thoughts and emotions come and go. Some people experience physical sensations, perhaps become light-headed, or have a feeling of floating above, a feeling of weight, or of great warmth. Some people have profound insights. Others have very small experiences or none at all. The experience of walking the labyrinth is different for each person, each time. Whatever you experience, it is your experience. Relax and see what happens.

*My favorite Labyrinth is the Chartres pattern, the original located at Chartres Cathedral in France. This is an 11-circuit pattern in the shape of a cross. I have painted this design on a large piece of canvas, outlined it using masking tape, and built it out of christmas lights for different interactive prayer experiences I have helped set up.

Response Questions:

What was your experience while walking the labyrinth?
1. What did you feel?
2. What were you thinking?
3. What did you pray?
4. What did you learn about yourself and others?
5. Has this experience changed the way you think about prayer? (If so how?)

THE PRACTICE of LECTIO DIVINA

Lectio - reading/listening

THE ART of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear "with the ear of our hearts" as St. Benedict encourages us in the Prologue to the Rule. When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an "atunement" to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures.

CHOOSE a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. Many Christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the Eucharistic liturgy for the day; others prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of "covering" a certain amount of text: the amount of text "covered" is in God's hands, not yours.

PLACE YOURSELF in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Some Christians focus for a few moments on their breathing; other have a beloved "prayer word" or "prayer phrase" they gently recite in order to become interiorly silent. For some the practice known as "centering prayer" makes a good, brief introduction to lectio divina. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments.

THEN TURN to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." Do not expect lightening or ecstasies. In lectio divina God is teaching us to listen to Him, to seek Him in silence. He does not reach out and grab us; rather, He softly, gently invites us ever more deeply into His presence.

NEXT TAKE the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories and ideas. Do not be afraid of "distractions." Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself which, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. Allow this inner pondering, this rumination, to invite you into dialogue with God.

THEN, SPEAK to God. Whether you use words or ideas or images or all three is not important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. And give to Him what you have discovered in yourself during your experience of meditatio. Experience yourself as the priest that you are. Experience God using the word or phrase that He has given you as a means of blessing, of transforming the ideas and memories, which your pondering on His word has awakened. Give to God what you have found within your heart.

FINALLY, SIMPLY rest in God's embrace. And when He invites you to return to your pondering of His word or to your inner dialogue with Him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go of words when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity.