On Good Friday, March 29, Lutheran Church of God’s Love, 791 Newtown Yardley Road, Newtown, will offer two meditative worship experiences enhanced through art and music.
A Stations of the Cross art installation will be available in the church sanctuary for personal meditation any time from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with art by A Sanctified Art collective.
A guided walk-through will be led by the Rev. Brandi Hebert, Lutheran Church of God’s Love associate pastor, beginning at noon. That evening, a Tenebrae worship service will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. The service will include music selections by a professional string trio, vocal ensembles, and congregational singing.
A Sanctified Art (sanctifiedart.org) is a team of artists and pastors established in 2016 to support worshiping communities in integrating art and creativity into their spiritual practices. Their Stations of the Cross, by Lauren Wright Pittman, is a series of 12 graphic artwork renditions of the traditional Stations pilgrimage along with written reflections and companion prayers.
Tenebrae means darkness or shadows. The Tenebrae worship service proceeds through a series of scripture readings, musical offerings, and a gradual extinguishing of lights and candles into eventual darkness and silence. This meditative style of worship has been practiced since medieval times and is an opportunity to experience the emotion and drama of Christ’s death and burial.
Music will feature selections by a trio of strings including Andrew Tanicello and Rusty Stauffer on violin and Eileen Wolpert on cello.
“Since we live in a post-resurrection world, it’s tempting to fast forward through the pain and loss of Good Friday to get to the Easter celebration that we know is coming,” said Lutheran Church of God’s Love Associate Pastor Brandi Hebert. “Our Stations of the Cross art installation and Tenebrae worship with special music will afford us the time and space to lament Christ’s death and the pain in our world, and ultimately make the miracle of the Easter resurrection and the joy of God’s grace that much sweeter.”
Lutheran Church of God’s Love welcomes the community to these Good Friday experiences as well as Maundy Thursday worship, at 7:30 p.m. March 28, and Easter Sunday worship, at 8:45 and 11 a.m. March 31. For information, visit godslovenewtown.org.
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