Park Church loves the arts and artists, and we try to occasionally feature different artists from our church on our blog. The artwork for our current series in Ruth was created by a collaborative work between the calligraphy & drawing of Bethany Siekmeier and JD Raab as a graphic designer. Below is the final sermon series graphic as well as a sampling of some of the lettering and drawings she sent us before JD put together the final graphic! You can find more samples of her work here.
You might have noticed us talking about Lent as well as the “Christian Calendar”. Many did not grow up in a Christian church, and if you did, your particular church may have never talked about Lent or some of the other seasons within the Christian calendar.
So what is Lent and why do we observe it? “The Worship Sourcebook” describes the season this way:
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are at the heart of the Christian gospel, and Good Friday and Easter are two of the most significant celebrations of the Christian year. Lent is a season of preparation and repentance during which we anticipate Good Friday and Easter. Just as we carefully prepare for big events in our personal lives, such as a wedding or commencement, Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.
The practice of a forty-day preparation period began in the Christian church during the third and fourth centuries. The number forty carries biblical significance based on the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness and Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness. The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday and continue through holy week, not counting Sundays (which are reserved for celebratory worship). In practice, many congregations choose to focus Sunday worship on the themes of repentance and renewal. As a period of preparation, Lent has historically included the instruction of persons for baptism and profession of faith on Easter Sunday; the calling back of those who have become estranged from the church; and efforts by all Christians to deepen their piety, devotion, and readiness to mark the death and resurrection of their Savior. As such, the primary focus of the season is to explore and deepen a “baptismal spirituality” that centers on our union with Christ rather than to function only as an extended meditation on Christ’s suffering and death.
The traditional color for the season is purple. Some congregations choose to highlight the contrast between Lent and Eastertide (the period from Easter to Ascension Day or Pentecost or Trinity Sunday) by omitting the singing of “Alleluia” during the Lenten season, and yet other congregations stress that all the Sundays of Lent are “little Easters” and thus may appropriately feature Easter-like praise.
Here are a few other resources you might find helpful:
What Is The Christian Calendar?
Why Do We Follow The Christian Calendar?
What is Ash Wednesday and Why Do We Observe It?
We hope this helps you understand and engage a bit more with the season. For those wanting to explore this season in more depth, we’re encouraging everyone to read “A Hunger For God” by John Piper.
We have it available at our bookstore, but you can get a free PDF of the book here.
May this season of Lent that often is marked by fasting be one of feasting on God and all He is for us in Christ. May this season prepare our hearts for Good Friday & Easter, both increasing our awareness of our sinfulness but also our gratitude for the One who gave His life for us.
You may have noticed the Advent artwork for “God With Us” as well as the two banners hanging from the side of the stage (see below) and wondered what the story was with them. We asked Jeremy Grant, the artist who created them, to share a bit about some of the thoughts behind his artwork and this is what he said:
Purple and dark blue colors symbolize waiting and longing, and are the traditional colors of Advent. These darker areas (collaged from images of evening, twilight, deserts and water) show the brokenness and chaos of our world as they cut back and forth sharply.
Lighter colors (collaged from images of clouds and morning light) symbolize Jesus, the “light of the world,” cutting through darkness and chaos to bring light and peace. Little stabs of pink color represent joy.
There are two banners, representing Jesus’ comings to earth. Jesus, the messiah, has already come down to earth (as a child in Bethlehem) fulfilling the longing of the prophets and people of God from centuries past. And Jesus, the master of the cosmos, has promised he will return to earth again. So we look back, and remember what he has done. And we look forward with eager anticipation to what he will do next.
About the Artist
Jeremy Grant is an emerging artist and award-winning graphic designer. His collages and found-object assemblages have been exhibited in solo and juried shows across Colorado and Arkansas. Jeremy is married to an author, has two beautiful babies and loves Jesus, bourbon and robots. You can check out more of his work at jeremygrantcreative.com.
We hope the art stands a visual reminder of this season and helps shape your heart’s affection toward Christ and longing for His return!
It doesn’t take but a quick glance at our news over the last week or two to know that something is not right with our world. The Paris bombing, the Syrian refugee crisis, the Colorado Springs shooting on Friday that killed 3 and wounded 9 others all stand as reminders that our world is a dark and broken place that needs saving.
Today marks the beginning of Advent, the Christian Calendar season that starts 4 Sundays before Christmas that both looks back to Christ’s first humble advent in a manger in Bethlehem, but primarily focuses in on His second glorious advent as judge in the clouds. This season is about longing, hoping, and anticipating Christ’s return to right every wrong in the world and wipe away every tear. It’s about acknowledging the shadows we face in this world but also praying for the dawn to drown out the darkness. It’s about the prayer of longing we find in Revelation 22:17:
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
We created an Advent guide to help lead you and your family through this season with various readings and prayers that you can pick up today at any service! If you’re not familiar with the Christian Calendar, or Advent, we’ve provided 3 links below:
What is Advent? (Justin Holcomb)
What Is the Christian Calendar?
Why Advent & The Christian Calendar?
May this season prepare our hearts for Christmas, and also increase our anticipation for and adoration of our King who will soon return. Come, Lord Jesus!
Throughout the season of Advent, we’ll begin our gathered time of worship reading the The Apostles’ Creed together. “Creed” means belief, and this particular one is the oldest of Christian creeds. Why will be focus in on this creed during Advent?
First, it helps frame the season of Advent.
This creed clearly articulates Christ’s incarnation (His first advent), death and resurrection, but also reminds us of his return to judge the living and the dead (His second advent). These are imperative to fully grasp this season; Christ came as a servant to lay down His life and will come again in power!
Second, it proclaims the gospel.
When JI Packer was asked if you can find the gospel in the Apostles’ Creed, he responded that the Creed was in essence a “power-point declaration of the basics of the Christian message – in other words, of the gospel itself.” While many have boiled down the gospel to certain basics for ease of comprehension and sharing, the Apostles’ Creed provides a full picture of the gospel without watering down any elements. It’s a way of reminding ourselves of the gospel’s larger story and beauty!
Third, it’s a tool for discipleship.
Over the last few years, so many books have been written on discipleship that it’s somewhat overwhelming to know where to start! The church in the second and third centuries would utilize the Apostles’ Creed as they taught new converts about the faith. These courses often lasted three years, culminating with their confession of faith, baptism, and communion on Easter. In the Apostles’ Creed, we learn the basics of Christian doctrine: the Trinity, creation, the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit, the Church, the forgiveness of sins, and the nature of our resurrection. When was the last time you read all of these held together in a single, fairly concise statement?
Fourth, it connects us to those who’ve gone before us.
The Apostles’ creed was written in the second century. In using it, we’re reminded that the Church wasn’t birthed in the last 20 years, but rather has been around for 2000 years and continues to hold to central and key beliefs grounded in Scripture. It’s a beautiful thing to know we are not alone in our journey!
If you’re interested in learning more about the Apostles’ Creed, consider reading through JI Packer’s book “Affirming the Apostles’ Creed” (we’ve made these available on the bookshelves at Park Church) where he breaks down each phrase. It’s been an incredibly encouraging resource for me personally, and would be a great tool to take others through as well.
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord:Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate;
was crucified, dead and buried;He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.I believe in the Holy Ghost;
I believe in the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.Amen.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Every summer we return to the Psalms as a church. We are preaching through the entire Psalter, generally about 10-12 psalms every summer in chronological order. Our prayer is that as we work our way through the Psalms, the Psalms would work their way into our every days… That they would inform our prayer lives, our lives of worship before God, and that we would see Christ within every chapter! Last summer, we asked a variety of artists to help us “see” the psalms in a new light. Each artist picked one of the psalms we were going to study that summer, and as they studied it and meditated on the text, they responded to it in art. Below are 12 of the Psalms put to canvas and wood and paint. We pray these pieces of art help you see new things you may have never seen in each Psalm, and even feel them.Hey folks,
Quick reminder that the Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn concert is this Saturday (May 2nd) at 7pm! We hope you’ll come, and bring friends, too.
The general response to our concert announcement was two-fold: Some immediately started clapping and shouting because they know the caliber of Jill & Andy’s songwriting and storytelling. They’re top-notch. Others had no clue who either of them are. We’d love for both parties to join us on Saturday because we think it’s a significant evening for our church!
Why is it significant? One of our church values is the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness, and this concert is a celebration of that pursuit. Surrounding ourselves with stories, songs, and beauty matters. The arts enlighten us to different perspectives, and help us express things we feel but don’t know how to express!
We hope God uses Saturday night to open our eyes to Him and our surrounding world; to remind us that though there will be trouble in this world, we are not alone! Jill and Andy will help us do this.
Lastly, for those of you who are songwriters or aspiring ones, there will also be a songwriting workshop downstairs in the Park Kids Check-in area at 3pm. We want to not only support the arts at our church, but also be actively creating here!
Come refine your craft and learn from those who’ve been artists for a long time. They also stand as a married couple who’ve pursued the arts together while having a family, and we’d love to learn from them on how to pursue the arts in sustainable ways.
Hope to see as many of you as possible on Saturday!
Joel
This Sunday, we gathered at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House for our Easter service. It was so fun to have our entire church body under one roof… over 1,700 of you showed up!
We also baptized lots of brothers and sisters, as we celebrated the fact that Christ has risen.
Afterwards, we met at City of Cuernavaca Park for a BBQ.
Easter photos by Riley Ralmuto.
Easter videos by Kyle Johnston.
For the past 2 years, Park Church members have given generously to Providence Network’s Mr. HUG’s Christmas Store through the purchase of new, unwrapped gifts. This year Park Church gave 189 gifts of clothing, family games, toys and sports equipment/gear … valued at over $2,800!
Providence Network is a Christian, urban, transformational housing organization that helps men, women and families heal from poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and addictions to become self-sufficient, productive members of our community. They serve over 150 men, women and children annually in our four homes: two FirstStep homes, and two NextStep apartment communities. Click here to visit their website.
Mr. HUG’s stands for “Hand Up Giving” as our Christmas store gives the residents the empowering opportunity to shop for NEW gifts for loved ones at greatly reduced prices, then donate those proceeds to another charity of their choice. Gifts are sold to our residents for: 3 for $1.00 or $3.00 (the highest price). ALL proceeds go to other Christian charities.
Through the 2014 Mr. HUG’s Christmas Store, the residents gave over $900 to other Christian charities! These gifts helped charities that proclaim the Gospel to underserved communities, give job opportunities to homeless youth and young adults, and on-the-job training for individuals overcoming poverty, homelessness, addictions and domestic violence.
Over 100 Providence Network residents (men, women and children) attended Mr. HUG’s Christmas! While their gifts were being wrapped, residents and their families mingled with friends over specialty coffee drinks and hot chocolate, hot bowls of soup and chili, and Christmas cookies … while surrounded by beautiful Christmas decorations, inspiring music and a visit with Mr. HUG’s! All of these services are provided to the residents and guests free of charge.
Several Park Church members volunteered and attended the Mr. HUG’s Christmas event on Sunday, December 7th! We estimated that between 350-400 people … volunteers, residents, families and friends … celebrated with us!
“We are extremely grateful for the partnership, love and support that we have with the Park Church family!” – Providence Network