Christian Year

Toronto Designers on Visual Cues to God's Time

First Christian Reformed Church of Toronto, Ontario, planned a worship grant connecting color and the liturgical year. They invited the congregation into the biblical story by collaborating on a permanent artwork. Then the pandemic prevented them from entering the church building. The landscape architect and the architect who led the grant say that this pivot turned out to be a good thing.

April 19, 2022
Tenebrae Service: A Service of Shadows for Holy Week

The service of Tenebrae, meaning “darkness” or “shadows,” is a prolonged meditation on Christ’s suffering. Readings trace the story of Christ’s passion, music portrays his pathos, and the power of silence and darkness suggests the drama of this momentous day. As lights are extinguished, we ponder the depth of Christ’s suffering and death; we remember the cataclysmic nature of his sacrifice as we hear the overwhelming sound of the “strepitus”; and through the small but persistent flame of the Christ candle which departs until Resurrection morning when we celebrate the ultimate victory.

April 13, 2022
Brandon Helder on The Gift of the Cross Holy Week Devotional for Children

Brandon Helder's elementary students and his own children responded to tactile Jesse Tree devotionals during Advent, but he couldn't find similar Holy Week resources. To help children and families anticipate Easter, Helder wrote The Gift of the Cross: Celebrating Christ Through Holy Week and designed Resurrection Blocks.

December 9, 2021

Christ the King Sunday Worship Planning

Marking the kingship of Christ makes a healthy transition that leads directly from Ordinary Time into Advent, the Christmas cycle, and the remainder of the Christian year.

November 17, 2021 | 11 min read
The Christian Year and Spiritual Wholeness

Approaching the Christian Year through the Lenses of Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, and Spiritual Formation. In this discussion, we will explore how ordering our worship and devotion around the life of Jesus has the potential to shape our whole selves, both individually and communally. This is a YouTube Video Premiere panel discussion.

November 16, 2021 | 55 min video

3 Songs of the Resurrection from Latin America / 3 Cantos Latinoamericanos de Resurrección

Carlos Colón demonstrates and talks about three songs for Easter, as part of the series "Songs from the hymnal / Cantos del himnario Santo, Santo, Santo / Holy, Holy, Holy.'"

March 31, 2021 | 2 min video
3 Songs for Holy Week / 3 Cantos para Semana Santa

Carlos Colón demonstrates and talks about three songs for Lent, as part of the series "Songs from the hymnal / Cantos del himnario Santo, Santo, Santo / Holy, Holy, Holy.'"

March 4, 2021 | 3 min video

Three Songs for Lent / Tres cantos de Cuaresma

Carlos Colón demonstrates and talks about three songs for Lent, as part of the series "Songs from the hymnal / Cantos del himnario Santo, Santo, Santo / Holy, Holy, Holy.'"

February 12, 2021 | 3 min video
Three Songs for Epiphany / Tres cantos para Epifanía

Carlos Colón demonstrates and talks about three songs for Epiphany, as part of the series "Songs from the hymnal / Cantos del himnario Santo, Santo, Santo / Holy, Holy, Holy.'"

December 17, 2020 | 3 min video
3 Christmas Songs / 3 Cantos de Navidad

Carlos Colón demonstrates and talks about three songs for Christmas, as part of the series "Songs from the hymnal / Cantos del himnario Santo, Santo, Santo / Holy, Holy, Holy.'"

December 7, 2020 | 2 min video