Using Maria Harris’ Fashion Me a People, Vella’s 12 Principles, and Wolfe’s Brain Matters as a frame for reviewing this resource, one can see its effectiveness as a tool for religious education.
The entire service is an act of kerygma. The point is to proclaim the Lenten story in a voice that people can understand. Explicitly, the message communicated is that Lent is a season of remembrance; we are asked to remember at every service. Participants remember that Jesus came to bring hope, light, wisdom, etc. but was harshly opposed. Scripture is implicitly portrayed as central in this remembrance and is interpreted through the lens of each night’s opening paragraph. There is also a negative null message proclaimed in the characterization of the Jews. The first story especially is unfortunately prone to this null message as a huge chunk of Jesus’ words are cut, making the Jews appear to be anti-change and against setting people free. But, the most positive thing about this resource is the invitation to change it to make it more contextually relevant. Leiturgia is central for this piece as well in that the participants are called to pray and reflect over the ritual extinguishing of the candle.
Vella’s principle of engagement and ideas, feelings and actions are central in the communication of the message in this service. The congregation is invited to engagement as they create the wreath and read the well-divided sections of scripture. Others even participate by reflecting at the beginning or end of the service after the light is extinguished. Ideas, feelings and actions are also a large part of the activity as participants are invited to experience the somber emotions of the season. In Wolfe’s words varied patterns of reading, changes in light, and emotional stories invite participants to think, reflect, and feel. The different voices for each night make this the story of the community as well as the story of Jesus. The symbolic extinguishing of the lights heighten tension and necessitate slow reflection over what is being remembered. Vision, hearing, and even the smell of the extinguished flame “create a space in which obedience to truth can be practiced.”
All the steps from planning and creating the atmosphere to the proclamation to the reflection invite many different types of learners into the experience through Vella’s list of multiple communications to multiple intelligences. Participants listen, depict, reflect, meditate, prepare, construct, and role-play.
Overall, I find that this is a very valuable resource for religious education within the formative structure of worship. The service creates space for individual and communal reflection. It is also quite flexible so that it may be widely used and still maintain contextual relevance. Wide participation in the service and the use of multiple senses also make it a quality resource for creating a space for learning within Lenten worship.