It's Sunday morning. You're dead tired. It's been a hectic week, even without the pressure of having to finish the Lent banner in time. After waiting long enough to make sure that none of the flower committee members would show up to "help," it was late at night when you finally got your banner to hang just right.
During the service this morning you've had an hour to study your handiwork, and frankly, it didn't turn out great. The wrinkles are still there, and in the sanctuary light, the colors don't look at all like they did on your living room floor. To add insult to injury, the pastor totally misinterpreted the symbolism you so carefully built into the design. Sigh. Why did you agree to do this stuff anyway?
Picture This
Quite simply, you do this because your work helps some people-adults and lots of kids-worship. For these "picture-smart" people a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
Brighten a Corner
Eastertide lasts from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. However, like that now-empty corner in the kitchen where the glorious Easter lily once sat, the post-Easter Sundays can be a bit drab in comparison. Let's do something about that.
This design is based on a piece of clip art (more on the use of clip art in our next issue) from one of my favorite sources, Clip Art for Year A (or B or C), published by Liturgy Training Publications (800-933-1800 or www.ltp.org). We simplified the art slightly to make it a bit easier to construct. Although not obvious in our illustration, the banner is constructed in three parts, with the first piece installed on Easter, the second on Ascension Day, and the third on Pentecost.
Let the Art Stand on Its Own
Because the "content" is created from black fabric, get creative with the background color. Flat colors would work fine, of course, but this could also be a great opportunity to use an abstract pattern or batik fabric. If you are really ambitious, I can also imagine this design being painted on plywood and then hinged, like a room divider, and placed freestanding on the platform up front.