Liturgical Bracelets
The liturgical bracelets (sometimes called prayer bracelets) are made with lampwork beads
and serve to focus our thoughts on the
life of our Lord and the
celebration of his life during the church year. Each bead is a different color, signifying
a different season or festival throughout the year. The church year begins with Advent
and ends with Christ the King. This is a guide to the meanings of the liturgical
colors and the season or festival being celebrated. (For more information, visit
www.elca.org.)
- We await the arrival of the birth of our Lord with blue as the color for this season
of hope. Four beads represent the four Sundays in Advent.
- Clear or white is the color of Christmas, representing the purity of Christ and our light and joy in him.
- The Epiphany of our Lord is celebrated with a white or gold bead looking ahead
to the mission of the church in the light of the Nativity. This color represents
newness and hope as the baby Jesus is recognized as King.
- Green is used for the
Season of Epiphany and symbolizes our growth in Christ.
- We celebrate the Transfiguration
of Our Lord as God commands us to listen to Him. The colors for this event are white,
gold or clear representing light, purity and joy.
- Black is the preferred color
of Ash Wednesday, as it is the color of the ashes to which we will all return.
- The
40 Days of Lent are celebrated with purple as the stark color of repentance and
solemnity.
- We recognize Palm Sunday and the Days of Holy Week with scarlet or pink
as it suggests the color of blood.
- No color is used in the church for Good Friday
after the stripping of the altar on Maundy Thursday night. In the bracelet, we use
black to represent the darkness and grief of this day.
- White or clear is used as
the color of joy in the Resurrection during the Vigil of Easter.
- Easter Day is
celebrated with gold or gold and white. The gold color indicates that this day is
the “queen of feasts”.
- Bright red is the color for the Day of Pentecost, which
reminds us of the tongues of fire descending on the crowd of Jerusalem.
- The Holy
Trinity is recognized with white as the expression of joy in the mystery of the
Triune God. (In the bracelet, silver may be used to set this special bead apart
from the other white beads.)
- Green symbolizes our growing faith during the Season
of Pentecost as we follow the teachings of our Lord.
- The final day of the church
year, Christ the King, uses white as a festive color of the celebration of our Lord.
In the bracelet, this may be symbolized by a white dangle or a cross charm.