The Liturgical Year Explained (Plus Free Printable Calendar!)“This calendar keeps time to remember God’s Salvation Story. The stories of God breaking into our darkness. Stories of God’s work in our lives.”
Keeping Time…Time. Time to get up and to go to bed. Time for a sporting event. Time for an exam. Time to begin the school year. Time to say good bye to an old year, and hello to the new.
We all keep time. But not all in the same way. Muslims have a particular calendar based on the lunar month; Jews another – a lunisolar calendar with a month added every one or two years so that the months continue to align with the changing location of the sun.
We Christians too have a calendar – the Liturgical calendar, a sacred and holy calendar of seven seasons – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. This calendar keeps time to remember God’s Salvation Story. The stories of God breaking into our darkness. Stories of God’s work in our lives. Our turning away from God and God’s sacrifice in Jesus that returns us to wholeness. Stories that prompt us to share the Good News of Christ with the world.
Seasonal ColorsEach season has its own colors, which we often mark visibly with church decorations – the frontals of the altar table; the chasuble of the one who celebrates Eucharist; the stoles the clergy wear draped around their necks; the banners with which we process into church.
The blue or purple for Advent reminds us that we are waiting for royalty – Christ our King. It also reminds us that Advent is a time to prepare to receive our King by looking at ways in which our lives are filled with darkness and considering ways to return to God’s loving presence.
Yellow, gold or white for Christmas mark’s the light that has entered the world.
Green during Epiphany reminds us that as we meet Jesus in the gospels we are growing in Christ and hearing the call to spread God’s Word throughout the world.
Purple for Lent, as in Advent, is the color of repenting when we take stock of our lives and seek ways to return to God.
White for Easter is a color of celebration, when we know that Christ has risen. The 50 days of Easter is a time of great joy.
Red for the Day of Pentecost reminds us that God has given us the Holy Spirit. We are on fire ready to go out into the world to tell what we have seen.
The green for the Sundays after Pentecost is the longest season. Green reminds us that it’s time to grow in Christ – to do the hard work of following Jesus.
Keeping Time…Time. Time to get up and to go to bed. Time for a sporting event. Time for an exam. Time to begin the school year. Time to say good bye to an old year, and hello to the new.
We all keep time. But not all in the same way. Muslims have a particular calendar based on the lunar month; Jews another – a lunisolar calendar with a month added every one or two years so that the months continue to align with the changing location of the sun.
We Christians too have a calendar – the Liturgical calendar, a sacred and holy calendar of seven seasons – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. This calendar keeps time to remember God’s Salvation Story. The stories of God breaking into our darkness. Stories of God’s work in our lives. Our turning away from God and God’s sacrifice in Jesus that returns us to wholeness. Stories that prompt us to share the Good News of Christ with the world.
Seasonal ColorsEach season has its own colors, which we often mark visibly with church decorations – the frontals of the altar table; the chasuble of the one who celebrates Eucharist; the stoles the clergy wear draped around their necks; the banners with which we process into church.
The blue or purple for Advent reminds us that we are waiting for royalty – Christ our King. It also reminds us that Advent is a time to prepare to receive our King by looking at ways in which our lives are filled with darkness and considering ways to return to God’s loving presence.
Yellow, gold or white for Christmas mark’s the light that has entered the world.
Green during Epiphany reminds us that as we meet Jesus in the gospels we are growing in Christ and hearing the call to spread God’s Word throughout the world.
Purple for Lent, as in Advent, is the color of repenting when we take stock of our lives and seek ways to return to God.
White for Easter is a color of celebration, when we know that Christ has risen. The 50 days of Easter is a time of great joy.
Red for the Day of Pentecost reminds us that God has given us the Holy Spirit. We are on fire ready to go out into the world to tell what we have seen.
The green for the Sundays after Pentecost is the longest season. Green reminds us that it’s time to grow in Christ – to do the hard work of following Jesus.
