Visual Arts & Drama - Thursday, 6 April 2023 – Maundy Thursday, Year A

STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR
The dominant visual and dramatic aspect of the service is the stripping of the altar at the end of the service. Do not be concerned if the altar beneath its clothes does not look very pretty. This is the point. The stripping of the altar vividly recalls the stripping of Christ before his crucifixion. See Notes on Stripping of the Altar

COLOUR
The colour for the evening service is white. Until the evening service, however, the colour continues to be the Lenten violet. Although this service has a slightly different character to the rest of Holy Week, it is important not to overdo the decoration. Maintain the subdued character so that the decorations on Easter Day may have more impact through contrast. Use flowers in small, simple arrangements.

FLOWERS
An arrangement of flowers could incorporate symbols of the Lord’s supper, eg
– mainly white flowers, with some red, used with sprigs of wheat and bunches of grapes
– an arrangement in white, with blackened palm leaves and thorns together with wheat and grapes
– an arrangement with tall white flowers representing Jesus in European floral design and smaller flowers depicting disciples, with pita bread and grapes.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE FURNITURE
The Three Days to Easter celebrations may be an opportune time to experiment with the arrangement of the church furniture to fit the service. If the furniture of the church is entirely flexible, arrange the church so that the altar table is in the centre of the church, and the seats arranged in a circle around it. This will allow people to come forward easily for both individual absolution and communion. It will also allow the minister easy access to the people for the foot-washing. Furthermore, it suggests the setting of the Upper Room, when Christ and his disciples gathered around the table for the Last Supper. If the altar table cannot be moved, consider arranging the pews so that the people face one another across the aisle. If those who wish to have their feet washed sit in the pews closest to the aisle, the minister will have good access to them.

Altar Colour: White

Images for This Week's Readings and Sermons

You can access excellent examples of church art relevant to each season of the Church year on the Visual Arts website. The image displayed on these service preparation pages was created by Leanne Stahl and Robyn Pfeiffer.

PPT Slides (Widescreen): / Set 1 / Set 2

PPT Slides (Standard): / Set 1 / Set 2

Simply download your preferred slides and copy the liturgy and songs into each slide.

Recommended Sources for Images

His Word in Pictures
Heartlight.org
Unsplash.com
Refreshed Art Designs
freebibleimages.org
Agnus Day

Drama

Dramatising the Readings

The readings can be read by more than one person to make the dramatic meaning of the text clearer.

For instance, the gospel could be read by three readers: narrator (the pastor), Simon Peter, Jesus.

 

Drama Resources