Seasons > Easter >  Easter Decorations for the Church >  Cloth draped on the Cross for Easter

There are several ways to make a cross stand out and look special for the Easter season.

Cloth:

One way is to put a white cloth on the cross for Easter Sunday to remind everyone that Jesus did not remain dead and buried, but rose again, and all that was left in the tomb that first Easter Sunday was the burial cloth that had been wrapped around him.  If your church has a Good Friday service, you could put a black cloth on the cross for that day. If not, you can put it on the cross the Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, as a way to help everyone remember how the sun went dark when Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. To stretch out the Easter season a little longer, 2 weeks before Easter, you can put a purple cloth on the cross, both to point toward the fact that Jesus is the King of Kings, and Son of God, and also to recall Jesus’ trial when the Roman soldiers put a purple robe on him, then ridiculed and tortured him.

A white cloth is usually fairly easy to find--use an old bed sheet or tablecloth. For the black and purple cloth, you may already own a scarf that would work. If not, buy a length of fabric, and hem the raw edges. If you use felt, you don’t even have to hem the edges.

Crown of Thorns:

A crown of thorns can add to the vignette. It can be hard to see the crown of thorns, so either drape the cloth well below the crown of thorns, or put a nail on the cross so the crown of thorns can hang above the cloth.

view how to make a crown of thorns

Sign:

The sign above the cross makes the meaning explicit: “He is risen!”  There are many things the sign could say, such as “Forgiven,” or “Halleluiah.” It could even have a different phrase each Sunday leading up to Easter. This sign was made by designing the  words on the computer, then printed on a printer. The frame was obtained second hand, but if a frame is too expensive, simply mount the words on a piece of foam core or cardboard. If using cardboard, be sure to cover all edges with colored or white paper so no cardboard shows.

view how to make a cross

NOTE:

On Easter Sunday, it may be a good idea to remove the crown of thorns to emphasize the fact that Jesus did not remain on the cross, or in the grave, but rose from the dead to conquer death not only for himself, but also for all people who believe.

If your church has a cross that is already hanging on the wall, then all you have to do is hang a cloth and crown of thorns on the cross. However, if the cross is free standing, it is important to decide the best location for the cross. The front of the church is one good place to put a cross. Sometimes problems can occur in this location--either there are so many things at the front that the cross is lost in the clutter, or the cross is blocked from view.

To help solve either of these problems, you can put the cross on a stand to raise it up higher. In this case, it is resting on sound equipment.

The cross may be more noticed if it is put in front of a blank wall rather than in the front of the sanctuary with all the other items.

The sanctuary is not the only place a cross could be placed. Next to a world map, it can emphasize the fact that Jesus died for people from every nation. The sign could reinforce this idea with words like, “ For God so loved the world,” or “Some from every tribe and nation.” Look around for places in the church to put a cross as a reminder of the wonderful salvation provided on Easter. These places should be where lots of people go, so they will see it, but not in the way so it blocks the flow of walking, or is in danger of being knocked over. Walk around your church to find corners or nooks where a cross would be visible, to make Easter special, and not like every other Sunday of the year.