The Strategic Use Of The Environment And Visual Elements In The Liturgy

The mystery of God is presented in limitless ways throughout thousands of religions, however the most common Catholic form is through the use of a Liturgy. Liturgy is central to Christianity as it is an embodiment and enactment of our identity as God’s people and an integral part of our family relationship with God (Maxwell-Stewart, 1996). The Mystery of God can be vastly explored in a liturgy through representing him as a God of Light. The strategic use of the gospel, liturgical environment and visual and audio elements in the liturgy were all combined to reveal the God of Light.

The representation of God as a light was reflected among the readings and gospel passages that were present throughout the liturgy. John’s Gospel is not just a spiritual

The “living flame” of the candles used in the liturgical ceremony established a presence among the participants of God and His light. The extensive use of this symbol was chosen to support the ritual prayer and also for its relation to the gospel reading of John3:16-21, which refers to Jesus as “the light that has come back into the world.” The entrance and presentation of symbols were used to inform the participants of the mystery of God that was being explored and allowed them to prepare for the beginning of the ceremony. It symbolised that the liturgy had commenced and gathered everyone together to symbolise getting called out of darkness and into God’s light. The colour purple was chosen to support the gospel reading as the seasonal colour for the second Sunday of Lent (Woodard, 2012). This seasonal colour expressed emotions and ideas associated with each season of the liturgical year to the participants, in this case demonstrating the sovereignty of Christ as a leader and light to His people. The mystery of God was demonstrated as light through the correct us of symbols and the environment

God of Brilliant Lights by Aaron Shust was the music present for the entrance of the symbols and mentioned how God is, “shining down over us, breaking through the darkness and covering all the earth” (Shust, 2013). This allowed the members of the class to automatically connect to the presence of God and understand the message that was conveyed through the rest of the liturgy – that God will always be there for us. To further explore God’s light and open the eye’s, heart and minds of the participants, the meditation was focused on the participant reflecting on ways they can live out the reading and remember how God chasses away the darkness. This form of coming together as one in silent meditation assisted in shaping a setting where the senses all work together to focus the worshippers’ attention on the central themes and events of the liturgy. The images of the moon in the power point represented us as God’s children, His light reflecting upon us to shine upon the world so that, as stated in John 8:12, “those that seek to follow and no precede the true Light cannot walk in darkness for he is never without the presence of Light” (Ellicott, 2004). This symbolism of the moon created a deeper meaning to the ceremony and that we will always find his light to brighten the lives of others, even in the darkest of times. It was through these