Seasons and Colors of the Christian Church

The seasons and colors of the Christian Church provide us with repeat opportunities to celebrate the Christian Faith in worship. The Church celebrates the seasons of the year using specific colors to focus on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The sequence of events from Advent to Resurrection Sunday becomes an annual spiritual journey for adulating. The remainder of the year provides a favorable time to reflect on the purpose of Jesus and His ministry as a light unto the world.

Not all churches celebrate in a similar manner throughout the church year beyond Christmas and Easter. However, the observance of the seasons and colors of the church year have a long history in the life of our Christian Faith.

The Christian calendar is structured around two major centers of worship time: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany and Lent, Holy Week and Easter, concluding at Pentecost. The remainder of the year following Pentecost is known as Ordinary Time, from the same root as our word "ordinal" and in this sense means "the counted weeks." In the Roman Catholic Church and in some Protestant traditions, these are the common weeks which do not belong to a strong season.

One approach in tracking the seasons of the church year for worshippers, as well as providing a visual context for worship, is the use of colors of the Church year in the sanctuary. Different colors are associated with different seasons and the changing colors of communion table and pulpit coverings or wall banners provide visual enhancements to support the seasons.

The below listed Church calendar follows the practices most common in the Western church and those most used by Protestant churches and shared by Catholic traditions. These are the major events of the Christian Church Year beginning with Advent.

The Season of Advent- begins in late November - four weeks

First Sunday of Advent:

Second Sunday of Advent:

Third Sunday of Advent:

Fourth Sunday of Advent:

The Season of Christmas - December 25 - twelve days

Christmas Day: December 25

First Sunday of Christmas:

Holy Name: January 1, 2014

Second Sunday of Christmas:

The Season of Epiphany - Conclusion of the Christmas season

Epiphany: January 6

Baptism of Our Lord:

Transfiguration (Last Sunday in Epiphany):

Shrove Tuesday: Comes from the word shrive, meaning "absolve"

The Season of Lent: forty days

Ash Wednesday:

First Sunday in Lent:

Holy Week: Final week of Lent

Palm/Passion Sunday: Commemorates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem

Maundy Thursday:

Good Friday:

Holy Saturday:

The Season of Easter: fifty-day period concludes with Pentecost Sunday.

Easter Sunday:

Ascension Day:

Pentecost Sunday:

Ordinary Time: Season after Pentecost

All Saints Day: November 1

Christ the King: Late November

The seasons follow the life of Christ, beginning with the preparation for His birth in Advent, the birth of the Christ child at Christmas, the journey of discipleship in Epiphany as the Wise Men follow the star to Bethlehem, the preparation for Jesus' passion and death during Lent and Holy Week, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead at Easter, and His ascension into Heaven. After His ascension, we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and build our relationship with the risen Christ during this season.

The church year begins with the Advent of Our Lord, the four weeks of getting ready for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem on Christmas Day. Advent is a time of joyful preparation for the wonderful time when the Son of God came to earth to live as a person among the people.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in His First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in His Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.

Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today and that He will come again in power. We are living "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. We are a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor." Purple has traditionally been the primary color of Advent, symbolizing repentance and fasting. Purple is also the color of royalty, demonstrating the anticipation and reception of the coming King celebrated during Advent. Recently many churches have begun to exercise blue vice purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent.

Families may often maintain an Advent wreath created out of evergreens, symbolizing everlasting life in the midst of winter and death. The circle reminds us of God’s unending love and the eternal life He makes possible. Advent candles are often nestled in the evergreen wreath. Additional decorations, like holly and berries, are often included. Their red color points ahead to Jesus’ sacrifice and death. Pine cones can symbolize the new life that Jesus brings through His resurrection.

Christmas is a brief season, beginning with Christmas Day, December 25, and continuing through the Name of Jesus until Epiphany. Christmas is a season of thankfulness for the goodness of God. The purpose of Jesus Christ’s birth was to save us from our sins, to reveal the Father to us and lead us to Him and to reveal the Kingdom of God so that we can live according to God's Way. Jesus came to reconcile us to God so that we can have eternal life. "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For in fact, the kingdom of God is among you." (Luke 17: 20-21) The color of Christmas is white.

Epiphany is the conclusion of the Advent and Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas. Epiphany begins on January 6. The term epiphany means to reveal. In Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King. Epiphany is a season of worship, as the whole world follows the Wise Men to find and honor Jesus. The color of Epiphany is green.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and is a season of repentance, self-examination and quiet contemplation of the mysteries of God. Many church denominations practice the wearing of ashes on the forehead in the sign of a cross on Ash Wednesday. Ashes symbolize true heartfelt repentance. More important than the outward symbol of ashes is the inner reality of a contrite heart. “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” - Daniel 9:3.

Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. Christians prepare for the forgiveness of their sins and fleshy lives with the death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday as they follow his footsteps through Holy Week. The color of Lent is purple.

The Season of Easter begins with Easter Sunday. It is a glorious celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. It is a season of praise, as Christians glorify the risen Christ. Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by Crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus gifting for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

It was the Lord Jesus Christ at the time of his ascension who commanded His disciples to tarry and wait for the Holy Spirit in order to receive power. The result was Pentecost and the birth of the Church. A study of the Scriptures shows that this is one of many scores of commands and examples for believers in Christ to pray that His Father’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Almighty God does in fact desire our communion with Him through prayer and actually requires prayer of His people at all levels. We understand that praying releases the Will of God through His body the Church and through individual prayer.

Allow for the seven weeks between Easter and Pentecost Sunday to be a time of continued celebration that Christ is risen. Sing Easter hymns and songs on the Sundays following Easter. Display the liturgical colors associated with Easter, white and gold signifying light, victory and eternal life.

Let the prayers of Easter draw you into the joy. Jesus is with us. Jesus is alive today and when truly believed, that truth changes you forever. The resurrection of Jesus means we have no reason to fear. Jesus has defeated death.

Pentecost is the great festival that marks the birth of the Christian Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Season of Pentecost begins with the Feast of the Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. In Western Christianity, the earliest possible date that Pentecost Sunday can fall is May 10 (as in 1818), the latest possible date is June 13 (next in 2038).

Because Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from heaven on human flesh, Pentecost is a season of evangelism and outreach, as Christians become empowered to proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ to everyone on earth. The color of Pentecost Sunday is red with the season of Pentecost being green representing growth of the Church. The color red reminds the congregation of fire—the symbol of the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit overpowered the barriers of culture and race.

The Season of Ordinary Time begins for some churches on Monday after the Sunday following January 6 and continues until the day before Ash Wednesday. For many churches Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after Pentecost and ends on the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. The last Sunday may be celebrated as the Solemnity of Christ the King. The overall purpose of the season is to elaborate the themes of salvation history. In Ordinary Time, the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ in all its aspects. The readings during the liturgies of Ordinary Time help to instruct us on how to live out our Christian faith in our daily lives. The color of Ordinary Time is green.

The Christian Seasons are formally referred to as the Liturgical Calendar. Liturgy, from the Greek word for 'public service,' means the public worship of the Church in its many forms. The seasons assist us to celebrate and understand more fully the life and ministry of Christ and to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit which led to the foundation of the early Church. We are reminded of the ministry of the apostles and martyrs who spread the Christian faith to all the world.

If anyone is interested in providing additional information on this subject, please contact Mark Gunderman at gunderman2001@aol.com.

><((((º> .· `·.. ><((((º> .· `·.. ><((((º> .· `·.. ><((((º>.