Our Lenten Focus

I can't say that we "decorated the sanctuary" for Lent. Somehow that seems a bit odd.  I prefer to say that we have set the scene, created a focus for Lenten Reflection.  Decorating seems somehow "festive" though in days gone by, Memorial Day was called, "Decoration Day" and flowers were put on the graves to decorate them.    But I digress.  I had been collecting items for our Lenten display for about a month. Foraging through clearance tables at craft stores and discount bargain stores.  I have a tendency to buy things after the holiday has passed and then put them away. For example.  Black for Lent can easily be found after Halloween.  Each week when Michaels' put their 40 to 50 percent off one item coupon on line, I was there at the store, buying something for my display. Vases, vines, etc.  The sheets that made the mountain itself were a clearance item at the local department store.  Keep your eyes open, and you mind creative.

The mountain itself was two chairs turned upside down with a small table between the two chairs.  I put a large body pillow on top of the table to soften the corner and covered the whole thing with a blanket again to soften the sharp corners of the chairs.  The mountain itself was a set of king size sheets.  That was the beginning of the mountain.

I added in vases made of crockery or made to look like crockery along with small stones, bare branches and broken pieces of pottery.  Each item in the display had meaning it wasn't created just to be pretty:
The mountain itself - the mount of Olives, the mountain we need to climb to reach God
The vases are the vessels that at this point are empty waiting to be filled by Christ's sacrifice
The stones are our sins, spilling out of the vessels, as we pour ourselves out and allow Christ's love to fill us.
The greenery are the hope of things to come
The vine - well that is the vine and the branches
The bare branches reaching toward the sky are us, reaching up to God. stripped bare.
There are some wooden containers in the display which reminded me of wells; the woman at the well, our thirst for God.

I included a bulletin insert with the explanation; you could write whatever you felt was appropriate.
The display will change during Lent.  In a couple of weeks I am going to add a "road" leading across the stage and upto the cross.  Then I will invite people to bring crosses which we will lay along the road.  Our own crosses we bear.
On April Communion Sunday I have several communion cups that I am going to lay along the road along with different types of bread.  it should be an interesting service.
Holy Thursday I will take something away. I have a rooster (!) and a spear and soldiers helmet to add to the display (ebay) 
Then Easter Morning I will have a string of lights behind the display indicating sunrise and we can place our Easter lilies along our road.
Ascension Sunday I have the large Pulpit chair to place in front of everything indicating jesus is on his throne
and then to Pentecost.  Still thinking about that week.
This display stays up for almost ten weeks.

The banners on either side of the display come from www.livinggracecatalog.com and are $20 a piece. The stands to put them on are about $9 each.  I love that I don't have to hang them. I can move them around to where I want them.