Parament Details - Group 1

Blue paraments and vestments are used for the season of Advent.    Advent is the beginning season of the Christian Church year.  The four Sundays of Advent provide a period of preparation for the coming of Christ, culminating in the celebration of the incarnation at Christmas. 

The color blue calls forth the emotion of hope and is one of the major themes of Advent.   Swedish church, where blue has been used for years; and in the ancient Mozarabic rite, now celebrated in only one See in Spain, Toledo.  

 The red set of paraments are used for the following days:

Pentecost Day, Reformation Day, Saints and Martyrs Days.

The word SYMBOL is of Greek origin meaning TO PUT TOGETHER,

TO JOIN or TO COMBINE* In the Christian Community symbols

can be such things as visual images or words that have been

Joined to deep spiritual meanings.

Jesus used symbolism. He used symbolic Images such as the

Good Shepherd, the Door, the Vine and the Light; symbolic

actions such as washing the disciples* feet and entering into

Jerusalem; symbolic numbers such as seventy times seven; and

symbolic objects such as bread and wine*

Symbols are a rich treasury of the Christian message. By

using symbols intelligently, we have a meaningful and vivid

communication of the Gospel*

The pulpit antependlum shows the Crown and Cross* These

symbolize the reward of the faithful in the life after death

to those who believe in the crucified Savior. "Be thou

faithful unto death and I will give thee the Crown of Life."

(Rev. 2i10) Also shown is the palm leaf. Anciently, a palm

leaf was given to winners in contests of strength and skill*

With Christians it signifies the heavenly reward*

The Hand of God is the most common Image for God signifying creative power, protection and possession(Genesis 1:1).

It is usually seen emerging from a cloud of mystery. Most  familiar is the Latin form with thumb and first fingers extended and third and fourth fingers closed. The hand pictured this way suggests blessing. The circle around the hand stands for eternity, because it is without beginning and without end.

These symbols, coupled with the palm leaves which were strewn in front of Christ as he entered Jerusalem, suggests Palm Sunday and its significance. Palm leaves, in addition to their connection with this event, symbolize victory.

The Escallop Shell with drops of water is a symbol of our Lord’s baptism.  The Chalice and Cross symbol signifies the agony in Gethsemane recalling the words of Jesus in his prayer, as recorded in Luke 22:42. These are also symbols for the sacrements of the Lutheran Church. The letters IHC are the first three letters (iota, eta, sigma) of the Greek spelling of Jesus.

The pulpit antependlum depicts the Cross and Crown of Thorns as symbol of our Lord’s passion.

The lectern antependlum shows the Cross Flamant and is designed in such a way as to suggest that its arms are in flames. This is symbolic of religious zeal, as are fire and flames in general, and it is thus appropriate in connection with the saints.

Stole number one shows a geometric symbol denoting the Holy Trinity. One of the most common and easily understood of these figures is the equilateral triangle. A trinity symbol may be used alone or combined with a dissimilar one having the same meaning. Any of these three methods may be combined with a circle Indicating the eternal nature of the Trinity. Stole lateralnumber triangle two.has Thethe alpha Alpha and andomega Omega are letters the first on an andequi last - letters of the Greek alphabet which appear in this passage from

Revelation:*11 am the Alpha and the Omega*, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty"(1:8).

Symbols are not always open to strict interpretation. They do

not stand for their object in the way that a group of letters

stands for a word; but more like the way a word stands for an

idea, open to shades of meaning. A religious symbol is meant

to suggest rather than define; and these paraaents are meant

to be

.pondered and meditated upon rather than to be read.

They can suggest different ideas depending on the season of

the church year, the particular festival being celebrated,

the propers for the day, and the mood of the worshippers.

With this in mind, here are some basic explanations that

anyone can use to begin his own meditations on these paraments.

The green set of paraments is used for the following seasons:

the Epiphany Season and the Trinity Season. "The Word of the

Lord endureth forever." is found in I Peter, 1*25# This

saying provides a thematic focus for the Altar frontal. The Chi

Rho (a monogram of the first two letters, Chifx) andRho(P),

of the Greek word for Christ) is encircled. A circle tradi

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tionally represents eternity because it has neither beginning

nor end. Here we think of Christ as the center of eternity -

or the universe - as Ee should be the center of our lives.

The stalks of wheat and the seeds below them recall several

sayings of our Lord about wheat. The Parable of the Sower

taught us that the Word of God is like a seed planted within

us and grows to maturity. The Word of God lives in us as we

communicate the Gospel to one another.

wheat The pulpit . Wheat antependlum also represents shows athe stylized Body of CHI Christ -RHO surrounded in the Euchar by

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istic Meal. Thus, this parament speaks of "Christ the Nourlsher in the Sacrament of the Altar". One also thinks of the

Our Pather, "Give us this day our dally bread.".

The lectern antependlum depicts the monogram for Jesus Christ

surrounded by wheat. IHC are the first three letters of the

Greek name for Jesus, IHCOYC. Again, we see the circle,

representing the Eucharistic meal and the Bread of Life.(Mark 14:22

The pastor Vs stoles show the stalk of wheat and the three crosses,

the equilateral triangle and the triquetra. The crosses rep

resent Calvary and the equilateral triangle is one of the oldest -

representations of the Trinity. The Triquetra is designed with

three equal arcs that are Interwoven so that they have a

tinuous flow.

The three arcs express equality; the Interwoven conpattern expresses indivisibility; the continuous movement

expresses eternallty. It suggests the Divine Unity.