Christ's unconditional love is illustrated through a mix of popular television programmes, films and Christian songs, activities, times of sharing, and prayer and scripture, in a new five-session course for Lent 2012. Called Experiencing God's Love, it is compiled by the Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, and published by Church House Publishing.

Exploring the depths of God's love and how our lives might be transformed by it, the course uses biblical psalms, newly translated by the Bishop himself, and stories from the Gospel of John, to focus on:

Being rooted and secure in God's word
Being washed and made clean
Knowing that God lights our way and dispels our fears
Being tended by God all our days
Being welcomed to feast at God's table, now and in the world to come

To set the scene for stories from John's Gospel, the Bishop suggests a number of You Tube clips: Come Dine with Me sets a theme of hospitality and precedes studying the miraculous catch of fish when Jesus ate with his disciples; the transformations of gardening programme Groundforce help groups focus on how Jesus turned water into wine; and How Clean is Your House? leads to a look at the significance of Jesus washing his disciples' feet.

Weekly activities include repotting plants, talking about times when lost in the dark, making a collage from magazine pictures, listening to pre-recorded thoughts from the Bishop himself online, and sharing a meal together; suggested songs include Light of the World by Matt Redman, and Stuart Townend's The Lord Is My Shepherd.

"Jesus always told stories and used illustrative examples to reach out to people in love and I think it's important we use the same techniques today when studying the Bible," said the Rt Revd Steven Croft. "My hope is that these activities will help people discover God's love in a new way that will inspire them to worship Him for the rest of their lives."

Ideal for housegroups, or families, at all times of year not just Lent, Experiencing God's Love: Five Images of Transformation is available now direct from Church House Publishing or from booksellers (paperback, ISBN 978 0 7151 4251 8, £5.99). A Kindle edition is also available via Amazon UK.