Appointments for Lent
(including Ash Wednesday and Holy Week)
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Contents
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This page covers matters related to church appointments
(colors, candles, flowers, etc.) for Lent, including Ash
Wednesday and Holy Week.
If you have not reviewed the general information on
planning liturgy, worship appointments, etc.,
please do so at our Worship Aids.
In former times, Lent was strictly kept as one of two closed
seasons, seasons in which certain public events were
prohibited and the church desisted from its more
celebratory activities and adornments. In the church,
flowers were not employed, crosses and images were veiled,
alleluia was not sung, and weddings and ordinations were
not held. Of course, it was also a season of fasting.
Some, though not all, of these practices were condemned by
Luther and some of his confreres. Looking closely we see
that his condemnations were not directed at the externals
(i.e., the mere fact of the veiling of images) but
at the internals (i.e., the disposition of the
heart and mistaken notions that these practices were in
some way meritorious, absolute necessities, or demanded on
pain of excommunication). As one might expect, this
developed into the exact opposite of Luther's spiritual
admonitions. Some began to think that the employment of
these practices was absolutely forbidden.
Over time, practices of the past, even practices rejected
by the Reformers, have come back into the life of the
Lutheran church, and we may hope that their return has
been salutary (and free of the issues that drew the
Reformer's invective). Whether they are, in fact, salutary
depends in no small part upon two things.
- Does the employment of or abstinence from any given practice assist us in our devotion to Christ, the hearing of his Word, or the curbing of our sin? To put it in Luther's starkly baptismal terms: will doing it or not help us to slay sin and die? Secondarily, we may ask: will it be of use or harm to my neighbor (so long as we remember that not all uses are salutary and not all harms are detrimental, as we tend to be pretty short-sighted in our calculus)?
- Do we slide into thinking that the doing (or not doing) of the thing is sin in and of itself or meritorious for salvation? Do we understand, for example, that no one is going to Hell for not making the sign of the cross and that no one is going to Hell for making the sign of the cross?
The latter of the two is where most church fights take
place with Pharisaical thinking on full display often on
both sides of the issue. When we successfully get past
that, we still have to deal with whether a given practice
is salutary in its use or its non-use. It is often not an
easy calculus because every person in the congregation is
another variable.
With all this in mind, we make the following recommendations. For details on the design and execution of the liturgy, visit the appropriate pages:
- Liturgy for Ash Wednesday,
- Liturgy for Lent, and
- Liturgy for Holy Week (to be posted).
Paraments and Vestments
The color for Lent is purple, but there are some
exceptions and options.
Ash Wednesday
Black is used for Ash Wednesday, but, in the absence of
black, purple may be used.
Laetare
Optionally, rose/pink may be used on Laetare (4th
Sunday in Lent).
Holy Week
Holy Week is the most complex time of the church year
when it comes to both liturgy and worship appointments.
The color depends upon the day, keeping in mind that there
are two different traditions: purple and scarlet
(optionally oxblood).
| Day |
Color — Scarlet
Tradition |
Color — Purple Tradition |
| Palm Sunday |
Scarlet | Purple |
| Holy Monday |
Scarlet | Purple |
| Holy Tuesday |
Scarlet | Purple |
| Holy Wednesday |
Scarlet | Purple |
| Maundy Thursday |
Scarlet | White |
| Good Friday* |
Neutral | Neutral |
| Holy Saturday (until Easter Vigil) |
Neutral | Neutral |
The purple tradition is most common in the congregations
of the synod. Scarlet was officially introduced
among American Lutherans as an option for Holy Week with
the publication of the LBW, though some
evangelical catholic congregations had adopted the color
earlier. One may ask, why is scarlet not more common among
our congregations? The most reasonable explanation is
cost; paraments and vestments are not cheap, and
investment in optional paraments may seem like a luxury to
many, especially when the color would typically be used
for only two services (Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday).
It is also possible that few know of the option or pay
attention to the rubrics in the rush of Holy Week altar
guild activities. Still, a congregation engaging in a
fuller observance of Holy Week (by, e.g., holding
services on Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and/or Holy
Wednesday) may find the investment worthwhile.
| Scarlet |
Red |
Oxblood |
| #FF2400 |
#FF0000 |
#4A0000 |
| RGB(255,36,0) |
RGB(255,0,0) |
RGB(74,0,0) |
Norte well: in terms of liturgical colors, scarlet is not red; oxblood is not red. According to the Lutheran rubrics, paraments and vestments used for Pentecost, Reformation, ordination, and the days of martyrs are red. It should be obvious that vestments/paraments with doves, flames, the word alleluia, or other symbols associated with Pentecost, Reformation, etc. are not proper to Holy Week.
Neutral indicates that there are no paraments in
use. For exceptions to this norm, review the details for Good Friday.
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| Processional cross
veiled in purple sheer fabric with purple ribbon
as a tie. |
Veiling of Crosses and Images
Crosses and other images may be veiled during Lent. The veil may be purple or unbleached linen. If veils are available in the other colors employed during the season (i.e., black, rose/pink, scarlet/oxblood, white), an attempt should be made to match the color employed for the paraments on any given day. If this is not possible, purple or unbleached may be used throughout.
If the cross cannot be fully veiled, draping is an
alternative.
Banners
Banners may be employed during Lent, but they should
clearly reflect Lenten themes. Banners of simple design in
the appropriate colors work nicely. At the same time, a
barer sanctuary is not out of keeping with the season.
Banners should not employ the word alleluia.
Flowers
Traditionally, flowers do not adorn the sanctuary during Lent.
See the section on Palm Sunday for a discussion of palms.
Paschal Candle
Visit our Paschal Candle page for a
full discussion. In short:
- The Paschal candle is not lit unless there is a baptism or funeral.
- The Paschal candle's position is at the font.
- If there is a funeral, the burning Paschal candle may be used in the funeral procession and then placed at the head of the casket once it has reached its place. If not used in the procession, pre-position the Paschal candle (unlit for safety reasons) near where the casket will rest so that it may be easily moved to the head of the casket, lighting the paschal candle after it has been put at the head of the casket.
Other Candles
The lighting and extinguishing of candles for the Sunday
morning service is a matter of local custom. Some
congregations have rather elaborate rituals for doing so.
Others struggle to find acolytes. If lighting and
extinguishing the altar candles has become a challenge, a
congregation might follow the advice found in the Manual
on the Liturgy—Lutheran Book of Worship: light the
candles well before the service and extinguish them well
after the service, doing so decorously but without pomp
and circumstance. This can be done by ushers, the sexton,
the altar guild, the pastor, etc., vesting to do
so being optional.
Ash Wednesday
For details related to the preparation of the ashes, visit the Liturgy for Ash Wednesday page.
Palm Sunday
The employment of palms on Palm Sunday is commended. Be
sure to order palms well in advance of the day. Consult
your local florist. Palms may be used in procession. They
may also be used to adorn the sanctuary as one would use
flowers. In some places, palms are tied to the
processional cross. If the Procession with Palms entrance
rite is used, the palms should be distributed to the
congregants before the liturgy begins.
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The Common Service Book (1917) made no mention of the reading of the Passion. The Service Book and Hymnal (1958) presented the Passion as an option. With the publication of the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), the reading of the Passion was presented as the norm, while the Gospel text of earlier lectionaries (Mt. 21:1-9) was incorporated into the newly recovered entrance rite for Palm Sunday, a rite that is not found in earlier hymnals of this line. |
Beginning around the 1980s it became popular to use
balloons (and other party decorations) in the decorating
of the church for Palm Sunday. This was an attempt to make
the day more festive in emulation of the excitement and
joy of the crowd at Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Some of this also connected with an attempt to move away
from the more dour and solemn mood of the typical Holy
Communion service found in American Lutheran congregations
that had been significantly informed by Pietism. Behind
this was the movement to advance greater Eucharistic
frequency. Ironically, the liturgical renewal movement had
been slowly recovering older practices and assimilating
Catholic practices, among them the reading of the Passion
for the Gospel. The juxtaposition of the triumphal entry
with the Passion is more than a little perplexing. That
may actually be a good thing. There is nothing tidy about
the people shouting, "Hosanna!" one day and only a few
days later shouting, "Crucify him!" With this in mind,
care should be taken to adorn the church in keeping with
the way the day is observed. Will it be Palm Sunday
without the reading of the Passion, or will it include the
reading of the Passion?
Maundy Thursday
Foot Washing
If foot washing is included in the liturgy, a basin, pitchers of water, and a sufficient number of towels for all those participating in the foot washing should be immediately available. If there are multiple foot washing stations, a basin for each should be provided. At each station, there should be a chair for the person whose feet are being washed. It is wise to have multiple worship assistants to run for water, distribute towels, and assist people to sit and stand.Stripping the Altar
The concluding rite for the Maundy Thursday mass involves the stripping of the altar. This is done while Psalm 22 is being recited (or chanted). A sufficient number of people should be recruited to assist in this process. It is wise to designate a room near the sanctuary as the place for the worship appointments to go (even if only temporarily). It is equally wise to have one member of the altar guild in that room to facilitate the orderly reception of the worship appointments. It is also useful to have another member of the altar guild facilitate the removal of worship appointments. Several untrained participants can serve as transporters between the chancel and the temporary storage room.The stripping of the altar has taken on symbolic significance, but it also served a practical purpose. With everything removed, the altar could be cleaned in preparation for the Easter celebration, the liturgical equivalent of spring cleaning.
Good Friday
The appointments for Good Friday depend, in part, upon
which worship services are employed.
The altar should remain stript. As there will be no
Eucharistic celebration on either Good Friday or Holy
Saturday, there is no reason to dress the altar with
linens or paraments.
The lectern/ambo/pulpit/reading desk can also be left
unadorned, but, if some antependium is desired, it should
be scarlet/oxblood or black.
More on Good Friday is coming in future updates, but the
following is offered to get you started.
Adoration of the Cross
If the service for Good Friday as appointed in both
the LBW and the ELW is used, consult with
the pastor (or supply preacher) about the cross to be used
for the adoration of the cross.
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| Tenebrae hearse
with fifteen candles. |
Alternative to the
hearse: fifteen candles for Tenebrae employing
two seven-candle candelabra and a central
candlestick. |
Tenebrae
If, instead, Tenebrae is held—though Tenebrae
is more appropriate to Holy Wednesday—the hearse
should be prepared in advance and set in the central line
of sight. If the congregation does not have a hearse,
candelabra may be employed; there should be a total of
fifteen candles (seven on each candelabrum plus one
central candle) arranged like a circumflex/caret. N.B.:
the Paschal candle is never used in Tenebrae.
Tre Ore
If a Tre ore service is held between 12:00 noon
and 3:00 p.m., no particular worship appointments are
indicated, but it would be hospitable to provide a supply
of water for attendees and signage for any guests.