You may have also noticed our new banners from our friends at Ad Crucem. They are green, white, scarlet, violet, rose, blue, and black. Each banner features and orphrey braid design in a cross shape. The center of each cruciform has a quatrefoil with and image of a lamb in it. But, the lambs are not entirely alike.
An orphrey braid originated as a device for concealing seems. When cloth bolts weren’t big enough to make a garment or an altar parament, the braids were used to cover the joint between two pieces. These braids became so common and expected in paraments, that they remained as design feature long after the fabrics were available in adequate sizing.
A quatrefoil is four-sided figure with semicircular sides. The semicircular sides are of the same diameter and they bow outward. Quatrefoils will sometimes also be barbed. A barbed quatrefoil has externally protruding points at the intersections of the semicircular sides. Our funeral pall features a barbed quatrefoil.
The lambs in each quatrefoil are just as you might expect, symbols of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He bears a cross in His hoof and has the Christological aureole (halo) around His head. On both sides, the lamb is facing you in the congregation. The work of Jesus forgiving sin is properly directed towards you.
On the lectern side, we find the sacrificial Lamb of God. The blood flowing from His pierced side into a chalice. This is a depiction of the Son of God working out salvation for us; forgiving sins in the very way He said He would.
“Drink of it all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.” (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
On the pulpit side, we see the Triumphant Lamb of God in His kingdom. This lamb clutches a victorious banner standard. The war banner shows both the price paid for us to defeat sin, death, and the Devil, and the complete victory over them. Jesus won this victory for us. It’s ours through the faith given to us in baptism. That same faith which clings to the promised forgiveness in Jesus’ body and blood. The faith which hopes for the promised resurrection of all flesh.
Now, the colors of our banners are blue, white, green, scarlet, violet, black, and rose. The colors are assigned to help us identify the seasons and festivals of the church year. As we take our annual walk through the life of Christ on earth and the work of the Holy Spirit through the church, the colors serve as signposts along the way.
Blue symbolizes preparation, penitence, and hope. It is used for the season of Advent. The use of blue highlights the different character of Advent as opposed to Lent. While both are penitential seasons, Advent carries a strong current of hope in the salvation being born. The blue is also a royal color prefiguring the kingship of Jesus.
White symbolizes purity, glory, and joy. White is sometimes mingled with gold, symbolizing triumph and our precious gift of salvation. White is used for the festival seasons Christmas, Easter, and Feasts concerning events in the Life of Christ like the circumcision, epiphany, and baptism of our Lord.
Green symbolizes life and growth. It is used for the Sundays following Epiphany and Trinity/Pentecost. These non-festival times of the church year are also called “ordinary time.” They serve as celebrations of the life of the church within herself and within the world. Sundays following Pentecost/Trinity are particularly focused on the growth and expansion of the church through the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Scarlet symbolizes God’s love for us by the blood of Jesus. We use scarlet on the celebrations of Maundy Thursday, Reformation, and the celebration days of saints and martyrs of the church. These celebrations serve to point our understanding toward the once and prefect sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation from sin. Scarlet is also used for celebrating saints’ days. The scarlet there shows the dual purpose of the blood of the martyrs, which accomplishes nothing, pointing to the saving blood of Jesus.
Violet symbolizes preparation, penitence, and contrition. Violet is used for Lent and some churches use violet instead of blue for Advent. In the penitential season(s), we prepare our hearts for the coming sacrifice for our sin. The somber tone of these Sundays is also reflected in an austerity of liturgy. The gloria, the hymn of praise, and the alleluias are packed away for a time. Violet is also a royal color.
Black symbolizes our sin, which is laid upon Jesus. The use of black bookends the season of lent. It is only used for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. On Ash Wednesday we ponder our sin as we begin the Lenten journey of contrition. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the black reminds us of the sin taken on by the spotless lamb of God. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Rose is not always used these days. It serves as an oasis in the deserts of the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent. Gaudete, the 3rd Sunday of Advent, and Laetare, the 4th Sunday of Lent, were sometimes dressed in rose or pink. The Rose is thought of as violet with the black removed. That’s not necessarily true in a sense of pigmentation. But, it serves as a fine mental image. Gaudete and Laetare are both Latin verbs respectively meaning rejoice and gladden.
On Sundays, we will now see a constant reminder of the whole of the church year. Each Sunday, the day’s color will be in the front most position.
Blessèd be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX
©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.
