Step into an art gallery at a curated show of an artist’s work and you will probably see series of paintings that are all different but may have a common theme. Artists have told me that this is a commonly desired format–the series–that seeing variations on a theme is effective. You may have heard of Picasso’s “blue period” from 1901 to 1904 when he painted all works in shades of blue and blue-green… now considered some of his most popular work.

Designing (“curating”) worship, I believe, is also about choosing a “hue” for a period of time, investigating a particular perspective for a while.  When we have the opportunity to deepen our spiritual journeys, we deepen our lives.

This month in this blog, I’m going to write about creating worship series and why I think there are so many advantages to this approach as opposed to worship as a string of “one hit wonders.”   With Advent/Christmas behind us and Epiphany underway, worship planners begin to turn creative attention to the cycle of Lent/Holy Week/Easter. Lent is a wonderful time to explore a theme that will give this year’s journey a particular “hue.” In the Worship Design Studio, I’m working on a series called “The Way” (inspired by the movie) that takes the six weeks of Lent to explore the idea of pilgrimage, drawing on the several references in the lectionary this year to roads and paths and journeys. Also available in the Studio are four past years of other Lenten themes with different “hues.”

JOIN ME on a free webinar on January 15 at 4pm Pacific time to talk about Lent and Holy Week. What color you will you paint the Lent season this year?