The Liturgical Year
Sanctuary at Keith Memorial UMC in Athens, TN
Maybe you have been at church and noticed the different banners change colors week to week? You might see the color of the stole on the pastor change colors too. One week it might be white, and the next week it might be green? So, what do those colors mean? Well, we are going to talk about all that and more today – as we explore the Liturgical Colors for the Christian Year!
The Christian Calendar consists of a cycle of liturgical seasons, and each of these seasons correspond with different liturgical colors. Now, the word liturgy literally means “the work of the people.” So, liturgy is really just a fancy word that means public worship. But before we dive into the liturgical seasons… first, I want to talk a little bit about the lectionary. Stick with me!
So, as Methodists we follow the schedule of the Revised Common Lectionary. Now, the Revised Common Lectionary is a calendar of suggested scripture readings that go through a three-year cycle. They are broken down into Year A, Year B, and Year C. You will typically have a Scripture from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a New Testament Letter, and a Gospel Reading. And a lot of times pastors will choose one of these reading to preach on during Sunday morning worship. It is a systematic approach to using Scripture in worship.
But it is important to know that the lectionary does not cover every single Scripture in the entire Bible. To be fair, it covers a lot, but it is not exhaustive. So, it leaves some scriptures out.
It is also important to know that the lectionary is simply a guide. We pastors are not required to preach from these readings – a lot of times pastors will come up with sermon series (either based on the lectionary, or maybe on a book, or maybe on a different set of Scriptures entirely).
Now, whether you are preaching straight from the lectionary or preaching on a sermon series, the lectionary is extremely helpful, because the lectionary follows the outline of the Christian year.
The Christian Year has two cycles:
1. The Christmas Cycle (which includes Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany)
2. The Easter Cycle (which includes Lent, Easter, and Pentecost)
Both of these cycles begin with a season of preparation (Advent and Lent) and then move to a seasons of celebration (Christmas, Epiphany – and – Easter, Pentecost). It basically follows the life journey of Christ: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So, half of the calendar tells the story of Jesus. Then we have seasons of Ordinary Time, which makes up the other half of the calendar, and this time helps to tell the story of God’s people.
So, that is a basic overview, but let’s take these seasons one at a time!
The Church calendar begins with the season of Advent! The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus” which means “arrival” or “coming.” This is the season where we are waiting and preparing for the arrival of Christ. During Advent, we prepare for Christ’s coming as a child at Christmas, but Advent is also a time for us to prepare for Christ’s second coming. It is a season of preparation and expectation. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. The first Sunday takes place on the Sunday closest to November 30th and it ends on Christmas Eve December 24th. Each Sunday during Advent is often marked with the lighting of the Four Advent Candles on the Advent Wreath. Sometimes these candles with hold the themes “Hope, Faith, Joy, and Love.” All of the candles are purple or blue with the exception of the Third Candle which is pink or rose. The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday (which in Latin means rejoice). And so the pink or rose color is a representation of joy. And then there is a fifth candle in the center which is white – It is called the Christ Candle – and it is usually lit during the Christmas Eve service.
Photo by KaLisa Veer on Unsplash
Now, traditionally we either use purple or blue paraments (which is kind of a fancy word for banners). These are the tapestries that hang down from the pulpit and are draped over the communion table. Purple is used because it is a symbol of both penitence and royalty. So, it is an appropriate color as we prepare for the coming of Christ. We believe Jesus is royal – he is the Son of God. and we believe that Advent is a time of preparation – to look at our hearts and to repent and turn toward God – to be prepared for Christ’s coming.
Then we move from Advent to the Christmas season or Christmastide. The traditional Twelve Days of Christmas begins on the evening of Christmas Eve and continues to the feast of Epiphany. The final Sunday in the Season of Epiphany is the Baptism of the Lord Sunday. During Christmastide we use white or gold paraments. White and Gold are symbols of joy and celebration. White is typically reserved for high church Sunday – Sundays that are especially important. White can also be used for weddings, baptisms, and celebrations of life.
After that we move to the Season after Epiphany which is an Ordinary Time. We actually have to times during our liturgical year that is considered to be Ordinary Time. Now, the word “ordinary” in this sense does not mean boring. It actually comes from the same root as the word “ordinal.” So, it is just a season where Sundays are numbered or counted. This first stretch of ordinary time begins on the Sunday after Baptism of the Lord and extends to Transfiguration Sunday leading up to Ash Wednesday (which marks the beginning of Lent). During Ordinary Time we use green paraments. Green is a symbol of growth – obviously we can think of trees and vegetation. Green represents this idea of Christian growth.
From there we move to the Season of Lent. This season is similar to Advent in the sense that it is a time of preparation. Lent is a season of forty days, excluding Sundays, that begins on Ash Wednesday and helps prepare us for the coming of Easter. Traditionally, Christians around the world participate in the season of Lent by fasting from something in order the share in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Lent is also an opportunity to take on something (times of prayer and study) to grow closer to Christ in preparation for Easter. And during Lent, we recall when Jesus went out into the wilderness, fasted for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. Often times the word Hallelujah will be omitted from worship during this season. So we don’t sing hymns or read prayers with Hallelujah in them during this time. It is really a time of repentance and preparation. So, that is why we again use the color Purple which represents penitence and royalty. And this season leads us through Holy Week all the way up to right before Easter.
Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash
Then, we move to the season of Eastertide! This season is similar to Christmastide! It is a season of celebration. As Christmas marks the coming of Christ at his birth and the anticipation of Christ’s second coming – Easter marks the resurrection of Christ. Eastertide begins at Easter and extends up until the day of Pentecost. The season of Eastertide is celebrated with white or gold, because it is such an important season in the church.
Now, Pentecost is technically within the season of Eastertide… But Pentecost is a special Sunday in the Christian calendar. Pentecost is the fiftieth and last day of the Easter season. This day marks the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in Acts chapter 2. The Spirit came down like fire, and so the color used for this Sunday is red. Red symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit. It is also the color of blood, and we remember the blood of Christ. Typically, since red is such an intense color, it is only used occasionally rather than throughout a whole season. Red can be used for ordinations, anniversaries, homecomings, and special days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Memorial Day.
Then, we move back into Ordinary Time – the season after Pentecost. This goes on for several weeks starting on Trinity Sunday – it can be anywhere between May 29 and June 4th. And it goes up until All Saints Day which is on the first Sunday in November. During this time the color green is used, again signifying the importance of growth.
Then, in the midst of ordinary time, we celebrate All Saint’s Day which is White. We also celebrate Christ the King Sunday. And then, we make our way all the way back to the season of Advent! And the whole cycle starts all over again!
So that is, in a nut shell, the Liturgical Year! In the church, we go through this cycle, we go through this patterns, and it helps us orient our lives in accordance to Christian disciples. Some seasons are meant to be times of preparation and repentance. Some seasons are meant to be times of celebration. Some seasons are meant to be times of growth. And so, I hope that this episode has enriched your understanding of worship and the Christian calendar.
You can hear an audio recording of this post on episode 40 of the Methodical Methodist Podcast!
