This is part of the worship series,
"The Way of the Cross”
Series Introduction | Lent 1 | Lent 2
Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | Palm Sunday |
Good Friday | Easter | Pentecost
One goal of both the worship planning team and the Art as Worship team at New Life Church in Guelph, Ontario, is to incorporate worship arts that support a liturgical season or a particular sermon series. These arts include visual art, dance, and drama, and each engages our congregation on another level while inviting all ages into the narrative. The following article provides a detailed list of elements that supported our Lenten sermon series The Way of the Cross. This series included sermon texts, visuals from the art installation created for this series, orders of worship, and information about the exhibit in our art gallery.
Sermon Series
Our pastor, Ed Jager, preached through the book of Mark, with the first Sunday of Lent aligning with the Triumphal Entry, the text normally reserved for Palm Sunday. While this series, “The Way of the Cross,” doesn’t follow the typical Lenten structure, the effect is a slowing down of Holy Week. The reality is that many of our congregants do not attend worship multiple times during Holy Week and often miss the full story, catching only Palm Sunday and Easter. With this drawn-out account following Mark’s narrative, congregants are given the opportunity to encounter the full story as well as the Lenten themes of repentance, discipleship, and self-sacrifice.
First Sunday of Lent: Mark 11:1–11, “Triumphal Entry: Glimpse of the Glory of Christ”
Second Sunday of Lent: Mark 11:12–26, “Clearing the Temple”
Third Sunday of Lent: Mark 14:1–11, “Jesus Anointed at Bethany: How Do We Offer Jesus Our Love and Worship?”
Fourth Sunday of Lent: Mark 14:12–26, “The Lord’s Supper”
Fifth Sunday of Lent: Mark 14:32–42, “The Garden”
Palm Sunday: Mark 14–15, “Trial and Denial”
Good Friday: Mark 15:33–41, “The Centurion’s Confession”
Easter: Mark 16:1–8, “The Words of Faith, Love, and Hope”
The series ended with a Pentecost service based on Acts 2 titled “Pentecostal Spirit,” which will appear in the next issue of Reformed Worship.
Art Installation
The art installation was created by Bette-Ann Bruulsema and Nicole Ensing. The background is an 8′ x 16′ piece of rigid foam insulation, which is very light and can be hung with just a few nails. Sand, fireplace grit, and ash were mixed into the paint. Nails were also embedded into the painted area. To finish we hung a spruce 2′ x 4′ cross in front of the panels. The installation went through a process of changes as the Lenten season progressed and was kept up until Pentecost.
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Lent Cross |
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Good Friday Cross |
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Easter Cross |
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Pentecost Cross |
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