The Seasons of the Church Calendar

Advent

Purple

The church calendar begins with the season of Advent–the four Sundays preceding Christmas. "Advent" is derived from the Latin word for "coming". It is a time of anticipation and hope, reminding us of the many generations over which the people of Israel awaited the coming of God's Messiah (Anointed One), of our own preparation for the celebration of Jesus' coming at Christmas, and of our need to be ready when he will come again in glory.

Christmas

White

For many people Christmas is just a single day. In fact, Christmas is a season of twelve days during which we celebrate Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and contemplate the miracle of the incarnation-that God should become "one of us", taking upon himself our flesh, entering human history and experience in the person of his Son.

Epiphany

White/Green

The season of Epiphany begins on January 6, the day on which we recount the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus. "Epiphany" comes from a Greek word meaning "manifestation" or "showing forth". Thus, Epiphany is a season in which we remember how Jesus became known to increasingly wider circles of people. On the first Sunday we recall his baptism. On the following Sundays we read of his early miracles, leading up to his transfiguration. For this reason Epiphany is also a time when we are reminded of our own God-given mission to make Christ known to the whole world today.

Lent

Purple

Starting on Ash Wednesday, Lent consists of the forty days (not including Sundays) preceding Easter. It reminds us of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert following his baptism, prior to his ministry in Galilee. In the words of the Book of Common Prayer, it is a season for "self-examination, prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and reading and meditating upon God's holy word".

Holy Week

Red

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, the day on which Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem to shouts of "Hosanna!" It follows the events of the last week of his ministry, particularly the last supper on Maundy Thursday, his crucifixion on Good Friday, and his time in the grave on Easter Eve (Holy Saturday).

Easter

White

Easter is the principal festival of the church year, when we rejoice that by his rising from the tomb Jesus has conquered for all time the powers of sin, evil, and death. The celebration often begins with the Easter Vigil during the evening before Easter, or a sunrise service on Easter morning itself. Easter is also a time for baptisms, remembering the words of Romans 6:4, "Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."

Ascension

White

Coming forty days after Easter (and therefore always landing on a Thursday), Ascension Day is one of the most overlooked festivals on the church calendar. By his ascension we know that Jesus is now enthroned in his divine splendor "at the right hand of the Father", and that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to him.

Pentecost

Red

At Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit in wind and flame upon Jesus' followers as they gathered in Jerusalem. There they were given power and boldness to praise God and proclaim in many languages the good news of salvation through Christ. Thus the church came into being, as three thousand new believers were baptized and began to devote themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Ordinary Time

Green

The period between Pentecost and Advent is often referred to as "Ordinary Time". The absence of any principal festivals allows the lectionary to move sequentially through the Old Testament, Epistles, and Gospels. Ordinary time also includes such important celebrations as the Transfiguration (August 6) and All Saints (November 1). A list of other major holy days of the church year may be found in the Book of Common Prayer, on pages 32 and 33.

The Liturgical Colors

White is the color of purity, as well as of joy and victory, and is used for the seasons of Easter and Christmas. It is also used for the festivals of our Lord, the virgin Mary, the angels, and saints who are not martyrs.

Red, the color of blood, is used when we remember the suffering and death of Jesus on Palm Sunday and Holy Week, and for the commemoration of martyrs. Red is also the color of fire, and recalls the Holy Spirit's coming upon the disciples at Pentecost.

Purple is symbolic of repentance, and is used in the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent.

Green, seen everywhere in plants and trees during spring and summer, symbolizes life and growth, and is used throughout Ordinary Time.