Marking time: Dressing the church for United Methodist worship, 1982--2002

Liturgical time is marked visually through temporary additions to the fixed architectural environment. Paraments, banners, flowers, and other items change with the seasons, setting the scene for the liturgical actions. The language of clothing has often been applied to such adornments, using such terms as vesting or dressing the church.;United Methodist congregations draw on received tradition, the recommendations of denominational leaders, and ideas about art and spirituality that are common in the culture around them as they make decisions about dressing their worship spaces. National and regional gatherings of official and semi-official bodies provide examples and instruction in using visual materials to enliven worship. In many local churches, older practices, such as banks of lilies at Easter and poinsettias at Christmas, coexist with a newer visual language of banners, balloons, and butterflies.;Many proponents of liturgical renewal within the United Methodist Church uphold a modernist aesthetic which values beauty, noble simplicity, and honesty of materials. Others suggest that the egalitarian, collaborative, and eclectic aesthetic often found in feminist ritual is more suitable to local congregations that want to dress the church in a way that deepens their awareness of liturgical time and makes a visible connection between worship and their daily lives. This hand made, home made aesthetic is a means of grace for many who experience the presence of God most profoundly in the natural world and the ordinary things of life.