Seasons > Easter > Easter Decorations for the Church >Church Crosses Decorated for Easter
Some people put a cross up in the church yard. For most of the Easter season, they hang a purple cloth on the cross to symbolize Jesus’ royalty and to remind us of when a royal robe was mockingly put on him during his trial. (the far left photo has the purple cloth, but for some reason purple does not show up well in my photos.) From Palm Sunday on (the week before Easter) or from Good Friday (the day Jesus died--the Friday before Easter) a black cloth is draped on the cross to represent Jesus’ death. Then Easter morning, a white cloth replaces the black to celebrate the empty tomb and the white grave cloth that was left behind when Jesus rose from the dead. This is a simple, yet effective Easter decoration for the church.
This church put a purple and black cloth on the cross, too, but on Easter Sunday, added a flower wreath to symbolize the new life found in Christ. It is a nice touch, even though it is hard to see from far away. The front door has simple matching wreaths with artificial flowers, so they can be left up as many weeks as you want to celebrate Easter. If you make your own vine wreaths, this can be a very inexpensive church decoration.
Whether in the church yard or in the sanctuary, some churches cover it with flowers to commemorate Easter Sunday. Some ask experts to arrange the flowers on the Saturday before Easter, while other churches encourage church members to bring their own flowers on Easter morning and cover the cross with flowers. I have heard of one church that has such a large cross that the people have to climb a ladder to fill the top of the cross with flowers! Since cut flowers have a short life span, this is a one-Sunday only decoration.
Here is a colorful way to decorate a cross that can last indefinitely. Provide small pieces of colored paper and pens for people to write on, as well as tape or tacks to fasten the papers to the cross. Here are just a few options of things people could write:
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1.Prayer of thanksgiving for forgiveness from sins.
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2.Their own name and the date of conversion to symbolize how Christ died for all.
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3.A friend’s or loved one’s name that they plan to pray for during the coming year.
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4.A sin, or list of sins they have committed, to symbolize how Jesus’ took the punishment for our sins.
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5.A list of ways God has blessed in the past year
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6.A new work or ministry they want to do for God this year, whether it is helping the needy, evangelism, teaching, giving more financially, etc.
Unfinished crosses can make an inexpensive mobile for a stairwell, foyer or even a bathroom in the church. Simply screw a cup hook in the top of each cross, tie them with ribbon, and hang them from a wooden embroidery hoop. These are hung in a spiral with wooden beads on the ribbons above them, accenting the spiral pattern. These have been did stained, and they would look even better with several coats of varnish.
These unfinished wooden crosses were purchased at Michael’s craft store for $1.00 each!
Even inside crosses can be accented with a purple cloth to represent Jesus’ royalty as King of kings, and to remember the time when the soldiers mocked him and and put a purple robe on him during his trial. The purple cloth is traded with a black cloth which is hung on the cross for the final week, representing Jesus’ death. Then on Easter morning, they change it to white, to represent the cloth that wrapped his body, but was left in the grave when he rose from the dead Easter morning.
A crown of thorns can be added to the cross and cloth Just make sure the crown of thorns matches the size of the cross proportionally. If it is too big or too small, it will look odd. A crown of thorns could also be combined with flowers and a cloth for a separate decoration elsewhere in the church.
view how to make a wooden cross
view how to make a crown of thorns
view more ways to decorate with a crown of thorns
view more ways to decorate plain wooden crosses
Link to website that sells 2 sizes of crown of thorns:
This is also the best source of Easter products that I have found anywhere (Type in or “Easter” in the search box on their home page)
In this arrangement, the crown of thorns is combined with a scourge and cross to represent Jesus’ death, a woven cloth representing the temple curtain that was torn from top to bottom to symbolize being allowed to come into the presence of God without an arbitrator, and flowers to represent new life in Christ.
When hanging a crown of thorns on a cross, keep scale in mind. It should not be too big or too small in comparison to the cross. If it is large compared to the cross (bigger than the top piece), put it to the side, or behind the cross (as in the photo directly above this one.) If it is too small, find a different place to display it, such as a smaller cross.
Seasons > Easter > Easter Decorations for the Church >Church Crosses Decorated for Easter
Combine flowers with a cross. Here palm fronds and lilies are laid at the foot of the cross. The possibilities are myriad, so let your imagination go wild! If you use fresh flowers, wrap he stems in wet paper towels and wrap that in tinfoil to keep them from wilting. Just be sure to hide the tinfoil with flowers, leaves, or some cloth.