Creative Lenten Practice, Session 4: Rejoicing Together

As we come together now during Eastertide, we turn toward joy. Not a forced or surface-level happiness, but a deeper kind of rejoicing, the kind that can hold everything that has come before it.

Supplies:

• your previous project from session one OR watercolor paper

• gold leaf, glue, and sealant (or gold acrylic marker)

• paint brush

• things to collage (old magazines work great for this one!)

Step 1: Prepare your body (5 minutes)

If you’re able, begin this practice with something simple and nourishing, a small snack, a warm drink, or even just a moment of settling in a comfortable space. This session carries a slightly different tone. There is still space for quiet, but also room for warmth, presence, and even gentle conversation if you are with others.

You might begin by reading these words from Jan Richardson slowly:

And the stone is rolled back
not so that we can see
where Jesus was,
but so that we can see
where he is not.
Not bound,
not contained,
not held
by death or despair.

And so we are not bound,
not contained,
not held—
not by what we have been,
not by what we have done,
not by what has been done to us.

The stone is rolled back
so that we might step
into the wide, unbounded
life of resurrection.

Sit with that for a moment.

Step 2: Reflect (5–10 minutes)

Read slowly:

Over these past weeks, you have been practicing letting go, releasing what feels heavy, trusting that you do not need to hold everything so tightly.

You have practiced rest, allowing space for grief, weariness, and all that feels unfinished. You have begun to notice new life, small, quiet signs of growth beneath the surface. Through it all, the invitation has not been to become someone new through effort, but to notice what God has already been doing within you.

Now we come to rejoicing.

Rejoicing does not mean everything is resolved or healed. It means we begin to recognize where life has been present all along. As the apostle Paul the Apostle writes, “Rejoice always… for the Lord is near.” Joy is not something we force or prove. It is something we begin to notice, because God is with us.

Step 3: Prepare Your Piece (10–15 minutes)

Bring back the piece you have been working on over the past sessions (or create a simple one if you’re starting here). Take a moment to look at it.

Notice:

• the torn edges

• the layered pieces

• the places that feel unfinished

• the places that feel alive

Step 4: Add Gold (15–20 minutes)

For this step, you’ll need:

• gold leaf (or gold paper/paint as a substitute)

• glue

• a brush or your fingers

First, gently apply glue to parts of your piece. Let the glue sit until it becomes tacky or clear. Then carefully place the gold leaf over those areas. Gently press it down and brush away the excess.

As you do this, remember: you are not covering over what has been. You are honoring it.

Step 5: Words of Blessing (Optional, if with others)

If you are doing this practice with others, take a moment to offer and receive words and pictures from the old magazings.

Choose one person (for example, the person to your left) to quietly reflect on their presence and what you have witnessed in them. Peruse old magazines or other collage elements and offer a simple word or phrase as a blessing, something that names life, hope, or truth.

Then receive a word from someone else. Add those collage elements as the final layer of your piece.

If you are alone, you might instead ask:

What word might God be offering me?

Write that word and add it to your piece.

Step 6: Sit and Wonder (5–10 minutes)

Sit quietly with your finished piece.

You might reflect on:

• How do I feel as I look at this now?

• What was it like to add gold to these places?

• What did it feel like to receive (or choose) a word of blessing?

• What part of this process surprised me?

Let yourself notice without needing to explain.

Step 7: Closing Benediction

You might end with these words from John Chrysostom:

Let all partake of the feast of faith.
Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one mourn that they have fallen again and again,
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death,
for the Savior’s death has set us free.

Christ is risen, and life is set free.

Amen.