How to Prepare the Church Sanctuary for Lent and Holy Week

Lent [and Holy Week] begins the second great division of the Church Year. Lent is a time of preparation for Easter. In the Early Church it was a period of preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which would take place on the Vigil of Easter. This preparation included fasting and other spiritual disciplines. Along with the emphasis on baptismal preparation, but perhaps not associated directly with it, was the use of Lent as the final period of penance in preparation for the rite of reconciliation on Maundy Thursday. After both of these purposes fell away, Lent became a period of general devotional preparation for Easter. Nevertheless, the earlier emphases remained, and Lent was marked by rigorous penitence and austere spiritual discipline. During the period of Lutheran Pietism, these strict practices were aided by an excessive fixation on the Passion of Jesus.

This blog post is adapted from The Altar Guild Manual: Lutheran Service Book Edition by Lee. A. Maxwell.

Modern Observance of Lent

The modern observance of Lent, however, balances the penitential theme with the baptismal theme. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with a call to repentance: “Return to the LORD, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13). But on the Sundays in Lent that follow, the emphasis is more on reflection on Baptism and renewal in faith and life. . . . For the altar guild, all of this means that the appearance of the chancel and nave will be the most restrained of the Church Year, so that with their full energy and devotion the worshipers may say, “O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Gradual for Lent, Lutheran Service Book: Altar Book, CPH 2006, p. 579).

Parament Colors for Lent

The color for Lent is violet, symbolizing sorrow and repentance. For Ash Wednesday the alternate color is black, the color of mourning, humiliation, and death. Whatever color paraments are used for Ash Wednesday, they are changed to violet for Thursday and not back to the white or green of the previous Sunday (the Transfiguration or Quinquagesima, depending on which lectionary is followed).

Lenten Customs

Because the mood of Lent is subdued, ornamentation in addition to the paraments and standard appointments is inappropriate. One custom allows for pictures and statues, if they are not removable, to be covered with an unbleached linen or violet veil. The use of flowers should be discontinued during the season. In fact, as an expression of joy and beauty, flowers are really not suitable for Lent. Flowers should not be used on Ash Wednesday.

A medieval custom that has once again become popular is the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, the custom from which the day derives its name. If this rite is to be used, ashes will need to be prepared. Traditionally, the ashes were made by burning the processional palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday and mixing them with a little oil. Ordering ashes from an ecclesiastical supply company is a convenient option. The ashes are applied by the minister making the sign of the cross on the worshiper’s forehead while speaking a Bible verse as a reminder of human mortality. A small basin of water and a towel will be needed for the minister to clean his hands after the imposition. This rite can be an effective spiritual symbol of the need for repentance: “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

Parament Colors for Holy Week

The color for Holy Week begins with scarlet, the color of royalty and passion. It is particularly appropriate for Palm Sunday, also called the Sunday of the Passion, a day of both joy and sorrow on which we sing: “Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die” (LSB 441). The alternate color for Palm Sunday and the days that follow is violet, the color of Lent, also the color of royalty, and the color of repentance and sorrow. With the celebration of Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday, the preferred color is white. If the Sacrament is not celebrated (contrary to Lutheran custom), then scarlet or violet is used. If the altar is not stripped after the Maundy Thursday service (see below), the paraments are changed to black for Good Friday.

Customs for Holy Week

There are a number of different liturgical customs for Holy Week, and, since the days come in quick succession, the altar guild will want to plan and be prepared ahead of time. One Holy Week custom is to have a procession with palms on Palm Sunday. If the procession is done, palm branches will have to be ordered ahead of time. This order can be placed through an ecclesiastical supply company. If the imposition of ashes on the next Ash Wednesday is to be done in the congregation, the altar guild will want to make sure to collect enough of the palm branches after the service to have sufficient ashes for the following year.

The rule during Lent is that flowers are preferably omitted. This is especially true for Holy Week, with two exceptions. Flowers may be used on Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday. If used, they should be in harmony with the color of the day. On Palm Sunday palms would also be an appropriate ornamentation.

Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday the preferred service is the Divine Service. After the distribution, the service concludes with the Post-Communion Collect. Immediately following this prayer, the minister(s), the altar guild, and the servers may strip the altar. This rite is symbolic of Christ’s humiliation at the hands of the Roman soldiers. The altar’s stripping should be done in an orderly manner. The candles need to be extinguished, then the following are removed and carried to the sacristy: first, the sacred vessels and linens, then the candles and missal stand (with book), followed by the remaining linens and paraments. If there is an altar cross or crucifix on the gradine, it may be removed last. Following the stripping, the chancel gate (if there is one) is shut. It remains closed and the altar bare until the Vigil of Easter.

Good Friday

In Lutheran Service Book: Altar Book, the “Good Friday—Chief Service” contains a number of ancient elements. Notable here is the preference for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper as part of the normal observance of Good Friday as a festival. If the altar was not stripped on Maundy Thursday, the vesting of the altar should be simple. If altar paraments are used, they should be black. If, however, the altar was stripped on Maundy Thursday, it should remain bare for Good Friday. The sacramental vessels and elements, as well as the corporal and purificators, are not brought to the altar until the singing of the hymn immediately prior to the Preface. The sacramental vessels and remaining elements are again removed from the altar during the singing of the final hymn. Regardless of whether or not Holy Communion is celebrated, the pulpit and lectern may be vested. If they are, the antependia should be black.

A custom that may be used on Good Friday is the procession with a rough-hewn cross. A rough-hewn cross is made of untreated tree limbs about 4 to 5 inches in diameter, the vertical extension being about 5 to 6 feet and the horizontal extension 3 to 4 feet, large enough to be seen but not so large that it is too heavy to carry. The cross is carried in during the service and is either placed in a stand before the altar or is positioned to lean against the altar or altar rail. Two tall candles may flank the cross.

Another type of service that is commonly done on Good Friday is Tenebrae, which is the Latin word for “darkness.” During this service, candles are extinguished after a number of Scripture readings, one candle after each reading. The altar guild will want to see to it that there are a sufficient number of candles for the readings. A candelabrum may be used (if the congregation has one), but this will limit the number of readings to the number of branches of the candelabrum.

Learn more about how to create and maintain a respectful worship space by using The Altar Guild Manual.