The biggest issue I have with the end of Christmas and the subsequent un-decorating of the sanctuary is the gigantic hole I feel when we return back to the "blank canvas" state of the worship space.
This year I thought it would be less of a visual shock to have something colorful in the sanctuary. I took the blue fabric that was covering the base of the birch trees (see previous post for more information) and created the Jordan River flowing out of the baptismal font.
The process was simple. Blue shiny fabric was placed under the baptismal font to hold it in place. Then we continued to let it drape over the edge of the stage area to symbolize the overflowing mercy and love God has for us. I originally wanted it to travel out to the foot of the congregation, but it was a communion Sunday so I thought it would be bad if people had to 'wade in the water' and possibly slip and fall. So I stopped there.
I also added a few other details to make it look more like a river. The rocks were something everyone seems to have laying around somewhere. They were dual purpose, looks and holding the fabric in place.
The last touch was the river bank. Over the years we have found that being able to create rock or stone or a tomb has been quite the task. Our wonderful Children's Ministry staff created "rock cloth" they used for Vacation Bible School and a tomb. Basically, it is heavy light brown fabric that was spray painted randomly to resemble the texture of stone. It works great! I grabbed a few sheets of rock cloth from storage and used it for the banks of the river.
Final thoughts: This was something I put together pretty quick. The end result looked great, but I learned something from this Sunday. Having something visual in a worship service is a must. Whether it be imagery, physical decorations, experiential elements or projected media attention needs to be drawn to it.
If you have done something that specifically goes along with the preaching topic for the day and that can enhance the worship service then you can't let it sit idol hoping that people will make the connection.
If I had a do-over for this Sunday I would have made a few suggestions to the Pastors:
1. Preach from the banks of the river. This is what John the Baptist did, why not role play a little and give the congregation a taste of this crazy prophet who ate locusts and wild honey?
2. Reference the overflowing water. Use it as a jumping off point for the closing statement of a sermon.
3. Have a children's sermon around the river. Talk to the kids about how Jesus was baptized and what baptism was like during the time of Jesus.
I also had a suggestion for myself and other visual artists as well. Make sure you talk to the Pastors about their main point of the sermon before you do something visual. The main reason we didn't mention the river or make a big deal about it was because our focus for that day was what happened right after the baptism of Jesus: his 40 days in the wilderness.
All of these things are important to consider when planning visuals for worship. The great thing about how I work is not being afraid to try something and have it not work out exactly how I thought. Pick yourself up, don't get discouraged, and improve the element for next time.
God Bless and keep trying new things.
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