Last weekend I sat in silence. Part of it was the back pain that stiffened my shoulders and shot up my neck. Part of it was the months of circumstantial anxiety hitting in yet another wave. And part of it was feeling a deep sense of grief for the pain that so many in our world experience.
Grief for broken relationships. Grief for unfounded mistrust and false suspicion. Grief for the agony of the human heart in a fallen world.
And for someone who processes often by writing, this silence was an odd one. I couldn’t outline it, couldn’t describe it as I am even doing now. It was just something I needed to sit in and experience.
And so that afternoon I closed the blinds, turned on music and lay on the floor for hours.
This song was introduced to me that day.
It’s to the tune of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and if you’ve been around this blog much, you know that its haunting notes are a favorite.
How long O Lord will violence fill our land? And people war against their fellow man? Break down the walls of hatred and pride Let justice like a flowing stream arise Have mercy Lord! Dispel the deeds of night And shine on us your Saviour’s light
Today was one of those days where I listened to new-to-me music for what seemed like hours.
I started with a list of recommendations, Googled lyrics to scan while I caught snatches on YouTube, and built two playlists along the way. I started with Christmas music but ended up listening to songs about the death of Jesus, from the perspective of Judas and Peter.
And that leads us to our Song of the Week.
The ballad style is haunting, behind the lyrics of Peter mourning his betrayal.
After all that I had said After all that I had promised I would do I never dreamed it would all end like this Thought that I would be Your rock Thought I would weather all the fear But now I find here at the end I was too weak to resist
I said that I would follow I even promised You I would die But when the choice had to be made I left You all alone So many expectations Now all I have are regret and empty words That fog my mind And cut me to the bone
Sadly, I wasn’t able to find chords or sheet music for this one so you won’t be seeing it in the Music Database. If you come across those resources I’d love to add them and thank you with a Starbucks card!
Outlines are the budget of the scriptwriting process. They’re sometimes simple, sometimes complex, and you don’t always follow them (I’m hoping it’s not just me!).
But having one in the back of your mind is really helpful for:
Mapping the progression of theme or story
Balancing the amount of time or emphasis given to one thought or idea
Communicating the main ideas to church leadership and participants
Sometimes the theme and concept you have practically outlines itself. You can skip this post – or keep reading if ya want to, that’s cool too.
More often in my experience, you have a burning idea but just aren’t sure what structure fits it best. Or you have a story you want to tell. Or you have been given an assignment and don’t know how to begin. Or you’re overwhelmed by all the possibilities and just aren’t sure how to put them together.
Concept: A sermon-based program with singing and Scripture reading.
Template:
Congregational Singing
Scripture Reading
Congregational Singing or Special Music
Sermon (bulk of the service time)
Congregational Singing
The Character-Driven Program
Concept: One person tells a story in multiple chapters, broken up with music. (This is the style used in the Hadassah of Susa script). 5-7 rotations of:
Template:
Song
Monologue
Song
Monologue
Song
Monologue
Song
Monologue
Song
How to change it up: The simplest method would be to do congregational singing for each interlude, and one story told through several chapters of a monologue. The worship team has a reasonable amount of preparation, and most of the work is on the writer (if you don’t purchase a script) and presenter of the monologue. You could break up the congregational singing by interspersing two special music performances among the segments.
This could also be a great Sunday School or children’s program, with different classes or groups singing each of the interlude songs. (This is how I was introduced to the style – an adult carried the story while each class of kids had a song to learn).
Each monologue could be a different character’s perspective. For example:
Say for Good Friday you begin with a disciple telling about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then go to Judas’ betrayal, another disciple tells about the Last Supper, John talks about Gethsemane, Peter is in anguish over his betrayal, and so on to Joseph of Arimathea burying the body of Jesus. All the characters could come together for a final joint section, expressing their grief at the death of their Lord.
The Devotional Program
Concept: Multiple speakers prepare mini devotionals interspersed with music. (This is the style for Emmanuel: The Promise Fulfilled).
Template:
Opening Congregational Song
Devotional #1
Devotional #2
Special Music
Devotional #3
Devotional #4
Special Music
Devotional #5
Benediction
Closing Congregational Song
How to change it up: adding a short reading between the devotionals, or opening each devotional with one verse of a hymn.
The Hymn Sing
Concept: Congregational singing makes up most of the service, interspersed with short readings.
Template:
Song
Scripture Reading
Song
Song
Scripture Reading
Song
Scripture Reading
Song, etc.
How to change it up: have older kids read Scripture for a Sunday School service, or ask different church members stand to read sections from their place in the sanctuary (use a runner with a mic).
The Stories & Themes Program
Concept: Explore a theme through one specific story (this is the style reflected in this blog post on “Fear Not”).
Template:
Story opens
Scripture reading/narrative/monologue/song
Doctrine explained
Devotional/Scripture reading
Reflection
Song/monologue
Story closes
Narrative/Scripture reading
Application/Celebration
Song/Reading/Benediction
How to change it up: This one’s a bit more abstract, but it’s powerful, because it prompts you to ensure there is a thematic arc throughout the program. You can build it out in different ways by perhaps emphasizing the use of monologues, or having a lot of music (both performance and congregational singing) that illustrates those themes.
There’s no right or wrong in how you outline. Sometimes it’s a framework to start with that you build upon. Other times it’s a tool for organizing a hodgepodge of ideas, random songs, and scraps of thought. Whenever you bring it in, a good structure is a strong base for your final production.
In this post, I’ll break down my own costume and explain the moods and atmosphere I’m creating through the color choices. We’ll look at three actual combinations assembled from a hodgepodge of pieces I found over the course of a month.
Look #1: Hadassah in the harem
You know that classic brown robe-dress churches seem to have for any shepherd or Mary and Joseph? That generic “Bible character” outfit?
If we imagine Hadassah wearing that brown robe growing up as a girl in Susa, she’s now moved up.
We meet her in the harem, a strange world with new clothes and new jewelry. She’s got details and accessories, but even though it’s rich, it’s still a simple look. We don’t see her quite decked out like royalty.
This is the look I chose for Hadassah in the harem – Esther the naive, the searching, the unsure. The blues and greens are composed, natural, and simple – a contrast from the bold red and gold we’ll see next.
The dress
It’s this one in white from the Koh Koh line on Amazon. I was nervous that the skirt would be really full but it’s narrower than it appears in the photos. The elastic waistband is a bit tight and makes me stand up straight! The top half is lined with white jersey; I purchased a full-length half slip at a thrift shop to line the skirt.
The skirt
This blue & green skirt is what started it all. It was a chance find on a Saturday afternoon at a recycled fabric & notions nonprofit store (that’s a mouthful). It’s a straight skirt, with small blue beads all over and tassels along the bottom edge. And it’s one of those things you can’t find just anywhere – thrift or vintage stores are probably your best bet.
The shawl
It’s a generic white pashmina scarf that I found at my local Value Village. It probably cost about the same as this one on Amazon.
The accessories
The belt is a find at – you guessed it – Value Village. I like how it doesn’t have a traditional Western buckle. The armband is this one from Amazon. It arrives as a pretty tight coil but expands easily if you take it slow! My earrings are generic sparkly studs from Forever 21.
The shoes
Not shown, but I’m wearing simple tan leather slippers with pointed toes. I was looking at gold sandals but these were in my closet and just felt right.
Look #2: Esther the Queen
Skipping ahead a few scenes, we now meet Esther the Queen. At this point, Esther has been royalty for around 4-5 years, and it’s reasonable to think she’s grown as a diplomat and negotiator over her years in palace life. She’s grown much, learned much, and experienced much.
Red is appropriate – it’s eye-catching, bold, and rich when edged with gold and encrusted with diamonds.
This is the Esther who walks into throne rooms uninvited just to ask a king to a banquet, who entertains her mortal enemy without batting an eye, the Esther who commands all the Jews in Susa to plead with God for their Queen’s mission.
The crown
I fell in love with this crown from Amazon – it has four loops inside the rim that allow me to anchor it to my hair. With the veil as is, I can only pin one or two places, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind as you’re planning your costume!
The veil
Believe it or not, I found this veil the same afternoon as the blue skirt from the first look! When I stand the corners hit or nearly hit the ground, so it feels incredibly regal and also looks amazing while walking. I believe it is a dupatta shawl like these ones.
The hair
I don’t know if I would commit to changing hair in the middle of a production, but I just liked how a small updo keeps the look clean, strong and dramatic.
Look #3: Esther at the end of the story
In my final look, we see a wise Queen who is pondering her experiences. She muses on the complexity of life and the tangling of good and evil, and rests in what she knows about her God and how He has brought her thus far.
This look is more composed, the brown and gold tones are still regal and rich. Esther – Hadassah of Susa – doesn’t need to fight at this point; she’s in a state of peace and reflection.
The shawl
Yup, it’s another thrift store find (here are similar ones on Amazon). Honestly, it’s really amazing what we can see when our eyes are open to the possibilities!
In closing
When you produce a series of monologues, changing up the costume between scenes keeps our visually-oriented audiences engaged. The colors and styling you choose can augment the production by creating an emotional atmosphere for the words you’re delivering.
I was writing the Quick and Dirty Cheatsheet to Outlining a Church Production (clunky working title of a post coming soon!) and I’ll be honest…
The templates looked too easy.
They wereboring.
Someone could look it over and be like “so basic – this is useless”.
So I took a detour which ended up being this post. Here’s how I explain how a super-simple concept became a structured program with just a little thought, structuring, and layers. It’s about the very first script I ever put together and produced – We Have Seen His Star in the East.
At its core, it’s an incredibly simple concept. It became special by adding layers of detail and maintaining both a strong consistency and a good pacing.
Let’s dive into it.
The initial concept:
I wanted to build a Christmas Eve service around the three gifts of the Magi.
Frankincense for a Deity
Gold for a King
Myrrh for a Savior
One other thing that was important to me was incorporating two of my absolute favorite Christmas hymns: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “We Three Kings”. I had noticed that there are some parallels in the stanzas. Since they’re written in the same musical key in my church’s hymnal, I had the idea to go straight from the verse of one song to the parallel in the other song – prophecy and fulfilment, if you will.
What I was working with:
Our church had done primarily simple “sermons with singing and maybe special music” Christmas programs in the years and decades prior. I had to maintain a simplicity in production style to fit in that culture.
Also, we keep the Christmas Eve service under an hour, and about 10 minutes of that closing with candlelighting and “Silent Night” which definitely wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Adding in an opening and one congregational hymn, and I had about 45 minutes to work with.
For my personality type, starting with listing known boundaries (event, culture, length, initial concept, etc.) is really helpful. Instead of looking at an unknown empty space that I have to fill with amazing truth, music and words, I can break it down into chunks then attack them individually.
Breaking it down
Our first boundary: time and generic concept. 45 minutes-ish and three sections.
15 minutes per section (yay! Math that I can do).
Let’s plan to have a few minutes at the beginning and end for some sort of opening and conclusion. I don’t have to think what they are at this point, just mark that time allotment and move on. We’ll cut out 3 minutes from each section and leave them in that unknown pile. (All of these budgets can flex and change; this is just getting us rolling).
12 minutes per section.
What I want to include:
A few mini devotionals (less scriptwriting for me which was a wise choice for my experience level), the two hymns, some special music and also Scripture readings.
I wanted similar content types in each section for parallelism, so I might as well create a pattern for each section and check the realistic time expectations:
Hymns (“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” & “We Three Kings”) = 1:30 minutes
Devotional = 5 minutes
Special Music (solo or duet) = 3-4 minutes
Scripture reading = as needed both for storytelling and for time
***Yes: I timed the special music and also sang the hymns at normal speed, under my breath, in a coffee shop, with a timer running***
New outline
Intro
Section 1: Frankincense for a Deity
Hymn combo
Devotional
Special Music
Section 2: Gold for a King
Hymn combo
Devotional
Special Music
Section 3: Myrrh for a Savior
Hymn combo
Devotional
Special Music
Closing
It’s simple, it’s solid. There is consistency and an intentionality with the layers within each section. While most attendees won’t consciously notice the structure and the level of thought you’re putting into it – the quality is there.
Consistency with variety:
While each section had hymns-devotional-special-music in that order, I broke each section up with Scripture readings a bit differently.
While the purpose of the program was explaining elements of Jesus’ character via the devotionals, it was important to include prophecies, doctrine, and the Christmas narrative also. So I inserted Scripture readings where they best fit the flow of the program, rather than in a set pattern:
Section 1: Frankincense for a Deity
Scripture Reading
Hymn combo
Devotional
Special Music
Scripture Reading
Section 2: Gold for a King
Scripture Reading
Hymn combo
Devotional
Special Music
Section 3: Myrrh for a Savior
Scripture Reading
Hymn combo
Devotional
Scripture Reading
Special Music
Now, the program that the congregation was given listed out the names of the speakers and the names of the special music. The rest was in the scripts held by the ensemble. Thus no one without a script was 100% sure when one section exactly ended and another began until they hit those milestones. That way, the program was both (1) seamless and (2) just a touch unpredictable – which is exactly what we want.
Also, mixing up the who-does-what gave some structural variety. The same group of a dozen people did all the readings, ensemble hymn singing, special music, and some of the piano & violin accompaniment.
We mixed and matched throughout so everyone had multiple tasks: one person played piano in one section, narrated Scripture off and on throughout, and sang in a duet also. They sat in chairs on the platform for ease of transition – at any given moment it could be two, or four, or the whole ensemble standing at the row of mics. (Yes, we planned the sitting and standing too – intentionality in all things!)
We created a tight team for ease of rehearsal and communication for these sections, then three completely different people presented the three devotionals.
Intro and conclusion:
A favorite Magi-themed song of mine is “One King” by Point of Grace. I felt that it would compete with a different song I had in mind that was a shoe-in for the closing special music. So I decided to use just the opening of “One King” to set the scene in the prologue:
“Kings of earth On a course unknown Bearing gifts from afar Hoping, praying Following yonder star
Silhouette of a caravan Painted against the sky Wise Men searching For the Holy Child”
The epilogue was also short – a set of original and Scripture readings – and wrapped all the themes together.
In summary
When you’re preparing a new program from scratch,
Outline your boundaries & requirements
Have a theme that you are excited about (not sure? Check out 15 separate concepts outlined here)
Create a base structure – it’s okay if it’s really simple!
Assign a flexible timeframe to each main section
Add layers of parallelism and repetition from section to section
Include a bit of variety
Work on filling out each section
And voila! You’re on your way to a thoughtful, well-structured production!
Working on your own Christmas Eve script?
Be sure to visit the Production Guide and also Brainstorm Central, where I give you 15 separate concepts and over 40 different elements you can include in your production!
I have a love-hate relationship with costumes. Mostly love – there’s something so incredibly creative and special about seeing an interpretation of a person or character come to life, and finding those perfect, unique pieces that fit together.
The hate part comes in when I don’t have a vision, or when I spend hours with fabric and a sewing machine and despite my best efforts, the final product just is limp, badly fitting, and sad.
When I set out to costume Hadassah of Susa, I experienced all of this (Don’t miss Costuming Esther: Part 2 where I show you three separate looks I created for myself). My search in thrift stores for a base dress was fruitless (a floorlength white dress is hard to find!) and the basic-Bible-character dress I made out of thrifted fabric was a flop.
So let’s cut out some of the fruitless searching for YOUR production, and go straight to the fun part!
Here’s how you can use Amazon purchases, thrift store finds, and even your own closet to put together a costume fit for Queen Esther. It all starts with the base costume: a dress, a belt, and shoes.
Base dress
My search for a basic, easy-fit white dress turned up fruitless. Makes sense – a lot of casual floor-length white dresses are going to be trendy summery maxis, and I was shopping in January. So I turned to Amazon and eventually found the Koh Koh line of jersey dresses.
They’re elegant, they’re stretchy, and all of these selections (at the time of this writing) are available in this tan color and also a bright white – a perfect backdrop for the costume variations I had in mind. (There are also darker jewel tones available.)
I purchased #3 in white and found the fit to be true to size. I was nervous that the skirt would be really full but it’s narrower than it appears in the photos. The elastic waistband is a bit tight and makes me stand up straight! The top half is lined with white jersey; I purchased a full-length half slip at a thrift shop to line the skirt.
Tip: shop thrift stores
All the accessories you could want or need for your Esther costume (besides perhaps a crown) can likely be found at a thrift shop or by re-imagining pieces from your own closet. I’ve included Amazon links for every photo in this blog post just so you have a backup option or a place to start your own online search.
Belts
I happened to find a brown woven belt with a gold clip buckle (similar to #3) at a thrift shop, but here are other options:
Since you’re wearing a floor-length dress, the shoes aren’t super important. I’d be willing to bet you have something already in your closet that might work! But if not, here’s some inspiration:
Before you decide on the crown for your Esther costume, consider how you’ll be wearing your hair, if you’ll likely have a headset mic when you perform, and how many of the scenes you’ll be wearing it.
I purchased #1 with the anticipation of wearing it for just one or two of the seven scenes. It comes with four thick pins to anchor it on my head – unfortunately I have smooth straight hair. If I do a high updo the headset mic can wrap around my head below it, and the top is tight enough that I can use at least one clip at the back to hold it partially.
Necklace
Between crowns and headset mics, I would avoid earrings in general and instead go for a statement necklace. BUT if you’re going to be wearing a lavalier mic that clips to the neckline of your dress, these will interfere badly with the sound and should be avoided.
I had a bold gold necklace already in my collection but these were some I absolutely loved. If you’re following a specific color theme, several of them have variations in metal or gem tones.
Finishing Touches
Here’s where you can have so much fun! Would a strong ring complete the look? A Grecian-inspired hair accessory instead of a crown, or an upper arm cuff to finish off your sleeveless dress? A woven shawl draped around your shoulders or loosely framing your face?
Depending on how costume-crazy you are, there are ways to add some variety to the look from scene to scene. I developed 7 separate looks (yes, I’m officially costume crazy!) and the colors I chose reflect Hadassah’s developing identity.
Every version of my Esther costume starts with the base layer: white dress, belt, shoes. Everything else is an overlay or accessory and is simple to change out while the congregation sings the interlude music.
In the first two scenes, I have green and blue accessories (and a woven overskirt I scored at a thrift shop). Later we see Esther the Queen, decked out in red and dripping with gold jewelry. As she reflects on her story in the epilogue, it’s pared back, with a brown shawl and minimal jewelry. The use of color and amount of accessories parallel her growth from innocent Hebrew maiden to Queen and politician, to a wise woman who is both Hadassah of Susa and Esther of Persia.
Final thoughts
Costumes add visual interest and complement the world you’re showing to the audience. In our visual society, they’re incredibly helpful for augmenting the auditory experience. But ultimately it’s the story itself that matters – so whether you’re like me and want to go all-out, or you choose one look that stays the same through the whole program, or you decide to go minimalist with a modern all-black outfit – the story and your performance of it is what will shine.
Next up….Costuming Esther (Part 2), where I show you three looks I’ve put together for my own Hadassah of Susa rendition!
This is a different kind of post than you’ll normally find here. Usually I’m geeking out about putting together Christmas productions and writing scripts. But I follow dozens of churches on Instagram and over the last weeks I’ve seen how some churches are succeeding and some are struggling. I’m passionate about breaking down the barriers to clear communication, and now that it’s mediated so often on social media, I want to help our churches catch up.
COVID-19 has changed how churches do church. With the building obsolete for the moment (besides as a filming location), church leaders have figured out how to livestream. They’ve jumped on Instagram and Facebook to meet their congregations where we are – on social media.
This can bring with it a steep learning curve. Someone might be used to posting vacation pictures, or talking with friends on their personal page, but would be intimidated by running a public account.
I put together a quick and easy 2-page guide that introduces you to social media content planning.
Four core categories of church social media content (and ideas for implementing each).
How to create a ‘look’ through consistent design and styling.
How to post content regularly without it becoming overwhelming.
And a HUGE thank you to one of this community, David Garcia, who reached out to me with a Spanish translation of the content!
I’m Tiffany and I’m thrilled you’re here! Over the last five years, I’ve written and directed three Christmas productions – it’s quite the project to take something from concept to cantata but the end result is so worth it.
When I first had an idea for a Christmas Eve service back in 2014, I spent a LOT of time Googling for help and resources… BUT everything I found seemed to be either really intense and all-out full-choir, full-costume productions, or kinda cheesy kid-based programs.
I didn’t want to do that.
So I wrote my own.
I’ve now directed three Christmas Eve services at my own church. I’ve also written a Good Friday cantata script and a one-woman show on the life of Queen Esther.
For each production, I spent so many Saturday afternoons in coffee shops huddled over a laptop, researching music, tweaking song lyrics, brainstorming creative effects to highlight key dramatic moments, Googling that one passage of Scripture whose reference I couldn’t remember, and poking and prodding the script to turn it into something both creative and God-glorifying.
And I’ve learned a lot through the process.
So I figured I’d break it down and try to make it as easy as possible for someone else.
Someone like you perhaps.
This site is dedicated to providing all the guides and resources you’ll need to take your idea and make it reality, whether you’re writing your own script or purchasing one.
If you’ve been asked to direct your church’s Christmas production or you’re putting together a special service, you’ve been given a challenge. And I’m here to help. I’ll show you how you can put together a meaningful, beautiful, dynamic, worshipful and unique service.
You already know I enjoy rewriting song lyrics: sometimes tweaking them just a bit to better fit the context of my script, sometimes adding an entire verse to the song.
That is, until I sit down to do it.
Then I hate it.
And I hate myself, and nothing seems to fit, and I listen to the originals over and over again and wonder how in the world was the original lyricist able to create something so amazing?
So while I can sometimes work through this process, other times it helps to switch gears and do something else instead:
Thinking in pictures
What ‘picture’ is the original verse showing me? What is the scene? What is the setting, the main character?
Who or what is in focus? What is on the edge of the photo, or what is blurry?
I want to stay within the range of the original lens – that’s key for maintaining cohesion so that the new stanza fits into its surroundings.
But I don’t want to repeat the exact same content as the original material.
So I zoom in on another point in the same photo.
A related element, a fragment that is referenced in the original – taking that and expanding it somehow.
A couple months ago I was thinking over the weeks leading up to Easter and writing up music suggestions for my church.
I pulled up the classic 1989 song “Via Dolorosa” written by Billy Sprague and recorded by Sandi Patty.
This is a song I grew up listening to: it’s a few years older than I am and my mom has performed it at church in the past. As my voice matured it’s made an appearance in my solo performances (along with “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera)…in my car. Driving down the freeway. You know, the big stage.
It’s so passionate, it’s so heartfelt, and it tells the story of Jesus carrying His cross in a poignant and focused way. Unlike so many other songs that focus on doctrinal truth only, this one tells a story and invites us to that dusty street and a Nazarene stumbling under the weight of His cross.
But to me, there’s only one thing missing from this song: it’s not long enough. I love how the original track switched to Spanish after the first chorus, but I do wish it had another narrative section.
So, me being me…
The original song follows this structure:
Verse 1
Verse 2
Chorus 1
Verse 1 (Spanish)
Verse 2 (Spanish)
Bridge
Chorus 2
Analysis: Looking at the picture
Here are the original opening lyrics that I’ll be creating a parallel to:
He was bleeding from a beating – There were stripes upon His back And He wore a crown upon his head And He bore with every step The scorn of those of those Who cried out for his death
structure
The first three lines are descriptive of the physical reality of the moment – this is our setting. Jesus is in physical agony, He’s bleeding, He’s wounded, and He’s wearing a crown of thorns. All factual from Scripture.
The next three lines are descriptive of the spiritual reality of that moment – here the lyricist draws meaning from the picture and gives us a focal point. The blood, the scars, the crown, all are descriptive, but the writer is choosing to give more wordcount and thus greater wight to the rejection that our Lord was facing.
And if we look back to Verse 1, we see it’s purely descriptive – it’s opening the scene for us.
So there’s a progression:
Verse 1 is setting
Verse 2 is half and half: setting first and spiritual following
So the cultural framework of the song allows some flexibility for Verse 3: follow the pattern of Verse 2 or extend the progression further into the doctrinal weight of this snippet of the Good Friday story.
Structure
Verse 1
Setting/storytelling
Verse 2
Half setting, half spiritual
Verse 3 (our checklist)
Partial setting/storytelling, leans towards spiritual/doctrinal
Themes
Both Verse 1 and Verse two reference weight/pressure: “the crowd pressed in to see” and “and he bore with every step / the scorn”. Neither verse references Jesus under the weight of His cross, and we know from John 19 that Jesus carried His cross and Matthew & Luke record that guards compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry it for him. Tradition assumes that the weight was too much for Jesus’ drained physical condition after the horror of a Roman flogging and he likely fell under His burden.
So we add to the list: reference weight, and refer to Him carrying His cross.
Theme: weight
Verse 1
“Pressed in to see”
Verse 2
“And He bore with every step / the scorn”
Verse 3 (our checklist)
Carrying the Cross
Characters
We also see people referenced. In Verse 1 they’re just “a crowd”. In Verse 2 they’re “those who cried out for His death”. It’s getting closer, more personal.
Here is where I make a significant creative decision for this song. I’m exploring the theme of abandonment – the negative space of the characters who are missing.
Who else was involved in this scene? Or better yet, who wasn’t there? His disciples. In fact, Peter had betrayed Him three times the night before.
Characters
Verse 1
Crowd
Verse 2
“Those who cried out for His death”
Verse 3 (our checklist)
Missing: disciples
Mapping it out
Organizing these notes into a matrix for the yet-unwritten Verse 3 might look something like this:
Structure
Theme: weight
Characters
Verse 1
Setting/storytelling
“Pressed in to see”
Crowd
Verse 2
Half setting, half spiritual
“And He bore with every step / the scorn”
“Those who cried out for His death”
Verse 3 (our checklist)
Partial setting/storytelling, leans towards spiritual/doctrinal
Carrying the cross
Missing: disciples
So then it’s a matter of searching for a theme for the third verse, and I chose abandonment: suffering alone.
Looking ahead to the account of the Crucifixion itself, we see Jesus cry out“My God, why have You forsaken Me?”. The most personal relationship of all has been broken. Jesus carries the weight of His Father’s abandonment.
And here is a eureka moment as a flame of realization sears through the mind. (Best part of the creative process.)
Themes converge. The new grafts smoothly with the old. They’ve been constructed silently in parallel and now they collide into one.
The theme of burden/weight and the theme of abandonment. Jesus is carrying the weight of the cross (physical), the weight of God’s wrath (spiritual) all at the same time as He is also abandoned by His Father.
New Lyrics
Friends betrayed Him, and denied Him He alone faced the mob Even God, in His heaven, turned away So Jesus bore alone his cross And the weight of the Almighty’s holy wrath
Now, because I’m adding just one verse, if I was using the original performance track, I could replace either the first or second Spanish verse with my new one. But with live accompaniment, I could instead alter the structure to:
Verse 1
Verse 2
Chorus 1
Verse 3
Bridge
Chorus 2]
And if I wrote a 4th verse to truly parallel the original song’s structure, I could continue the progression and make the 4th one entirely about weight of sin.
All put together
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street But the crowd pressed in to see A man condemned to die on Calvary.
He was bleeding from a beating – there were stripes upon His back And He wore a crown of thorns upon his head And He bore with every step The scorn of those who cried out for his death.
Down the Via Dolorosa Called the Way of Suffering Like a lamb came the Messiah Christ the King But He chose to walk that road Out of His love for you and me Down the Via Dolorosa All the way to Calvary.
Friends betrayed Him, and denied Him He alone faced the mob Even God, in His heaven, turned away So Jesus bore alone his cross And the weight of the Almighty’s holy wrath
Down the Via Dolorosa Called the Way of Suffering Like a lamb came the Messiah Christ the King But He chose to walk that road Out of His love for you and me Down the Via Dolorosa All the way to Calvary.
Have you ever rewritten song lyrics? What’s your process? What works and what doesn’t? I’d love to hear! Let me know at designorganizecreate@gmail.com
If the world was as it should be, if all the preparations had gone as planned, tonight I would be at my church with a group of talented musicians and technicians, wrapping up the final preparations for a Good Friday cantata at my church.
Although others of these projects came out of a place of praise or of wonder, this one came from a season of heartbreak and suffering in my own life. All creative works should be an offering of worship in their own way, but this one was in some ways the deepest for me personally.
And so while I can’t describe how well the production turned out, or the experience of directing a Good Friday service for the first time and how it compares to the Christmas season, what I can offer is the story contained in its pages.
“In the Garden we see one kind of broken relationship, between God and man. And here [Golgotha] we see another kind of relationship break: between God and the God-man.”
“…this is a very reverent script that asks very hard questions – because if we’re honest, we’ve probably asked one or more of these questions. The script is trying to be very real and very honest about what it is that even believers who are seeking to trust in the Lord can struggle with….we can resonate with these very human experiences.”
