The Word Made Flesh: Experiencing Theatre as Worship

By Josh Hornbeck

A Prayer of Blessing
Spend some time doing a few light stretches to wake up your body and get yourself moving.

As you stretch, use this time to ask for God’s blessing on the upcoming performance or rehearsal time. If you are performing, ask God to bless the audience and speak to them through your work.

Entering God’s Presence
Kneeling, lay yourself prostrate upon the ground, stretching your arms out before you. Breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth.

Use this time to be still before the Lord, asking him to lead you into an attitude of worship.

Before the Throne
Move from prostrate kneeling to sitting on your knees. Move back and forth between these two positions, taking two deep breaths at each stage. (Two Times)

Haunches: “I come before you, Lord…”
Prostrate: “...and bow before your throne.”

Move from prostrate kneeling to a full extension of your body, arching your back up, hands directly under your shoulders, pushing your body up. Breathe in as you move to extension, breathe out as you move back prostrate. (Two Times)

Prostrate: “I bow before your throne…”
Extension: “...in worship to you.”

Consecration
On your hands and knees, push your ribs out to each side of your body. (Two Times Each Side)

Left: “In every word that I say...”
Right: “In every movement I take...”
Left: “In every gesture I make…”
Right: “In all that I do…”
Center: “May I worship you.”

Arch your body into a “V-Shape” and extend each calf separately. (Two Times Each Leg)

Left: “With every step that I take, may I worship you.”
Right: “May every place I set my feet become holy ground.” Left: “May your Holy Spirit guide my steps.”
Right: “With every step I take, may I worship you.”

Rest
Roll your body back into a squatting position, with your arms resting between your legs and your feet flat on the floor. Take deep breaths.

“Lord, may I rest in you this day. Fill me with your spirit and give me your strength.”

Carry the Cross
Push your backside up into the air and slowly move your back up into a diagonal. Continue taking deep breaths.

“Lord, help me to carry my cross today. Give me your strength to do that which you have called me to do.”

Come Holy Spirit
Standing straight, gently lean your head back and roll your head first to one side, then to the other, taking care not to let your head roll all of the way around. Then, gently lean your head forward and repeat. (Two Times Each Position and Direction)

Direction 1: “Let your Holy Spirit rest on my brow.”
Direction 2: “Let my thoughts be focused on you.”

Standing straight, gently roll your body down the center. Roll up on your left side, down on your right, and up again in the center. Repeat in the opposite direction.

“Lord, fill my whole body today. Let it be used as an instrument of worship to you.”

Dedication
With your back straight, extend your left leg back, kneeling with your right leg at a ninety-degree angle. Keep your arms extended above your head. Repeat with right leg.

Left Leg: “Lord, I come here today to praise you.”
Right Leg: “Lord, I dedicate this performance/rehearsal in worship to you.”

Emptied and Filled
Standing straight, gently roll your body down to the ground. Hold it there for a moment, breathing, then roll back up.

Roll Down: “Lord, empty me of pride, selfishness, ambition, hatred, hurt, weariness, weakness, anxiety, pain, and jealousy. May I decrease, that you may increase.”
Roll Up: “Lord, fill me with humility, selflessness, grace, love, healing, rest, strength, peace, joy, and fullness. May I decrease, that you may increase.”

Christ in Me
Gently massage your face and jaw.

“Lord, be in my words and expressions, that people might be able to see your face in mine.”

My Cup Runneth Over
Standing straight, lift your right arm over the left side of your body. Repeat with your left arm.

“Lord, fill me up that my cup may overflow and be poured out once more.”

Light of the World
Standing straight, make your fist into a ball and make a long, slow circle with it, keeping your focus on the hollow of your hand. (Two Times Each Arm)

Left Arm: “Jesus, help me keep my eyes on you, the author and finisher of my faith.”
Right Arm: “Jesus, light of the world, help me keep my eyes on you, that I may worship you.”

Breath of Heaven
Standing straight, breathe in deeply—in through your nose and out through your mouth.

In: “Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit.”
Out: “Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Breath.”

Lift Your Voice in Praise
As you warm up your voice, remember to keep your heart in an attitude of worship, giving God praise as you lift your voice through vocalization, articulation, and other vocal exercises.

Vocalization Exercises:
Take deep breaths and release a relaxed sound from your belly.
Gradually add length to the sound.
Turn the sound into a pure “ah” sound.
Add a hard “h” to the “ah” — “ha, ha, haah.”
Move into a nasal sound — “ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh, ahhh.”
Take the “ha, ha, haah” and bleed the sound into “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Articulation Exercises: (Four Times)
Le-Le-Le-La-La-La
Pa-Pa-Pa-Ba-Ba-Ba
Ta-Ta-Ta-Da-Da-Da
Ka-Ka-Ka-Ga-Ga-Ga
Ma-Ma-Ma-Na-Na-Na
Fa-Fa-Fa-Va-Va-Va
Thuh-Thuh-Thuh-The-The-The
Shuh-Shuh-Shuh-Zhuh-Zhuh-Zhuh
Sa-Sa-Sa-Za-Za-Za
Da-Da-Da-Na-Na-Na
Pa-Ti-Ka

Tongue Twisters:
“Round the rough and rugged rock the ragged rascal rudely ran.”

“What a to do to die today at a minute or two till two. A distinctly difficult thing to say but harder still to do. For they’ll beat a tattoo at twenty till two, with a rat-at-tat-tat-a-tat-tat-a-tat-too. And the dragon will come when he hears the drum at a minute or two till two today, at a minute or two till two.”

“One duck. Two hens. Three squawking geese. Four limerick oysters. Five corpulent porpoises. Six pairs of Don Alverso’s tweezers. Seven thousand Macedonian warriors in full battle array. Eight brass monkeys from the ancient, sacred crypts of Egypt. Nine sympathetic, apathetic, diabetic old men on roller skates with a marked propensity toward procrastination and sloth. Ten lyrical, spherical, diabolical denizens of the deep who haul quay around the quo in the quivey of the quarry. Eleven dogs.”

Vocal Exercises:
Vocal sirens—up and down over your break. First hum, then use vowels.
Hum Down (54321)
Koo-ee-oo-ee-oo (54321)
Ve-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee (123454321)
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ (123454321234543212345432151)

Order