Traditionally, the church has divided up the calendar year into its own seasons. These seasons revolve around the life of Jesus. The church calendar is infused with meaning that adds depth to our journey of faith. We invite you to move past the regular cycle of day in and day out and week to week to engage a larger, historical and meaningful cycle.
Advent is the four-week season
just before the
celebration of the birth of Jesus. With great expectation we await the
arrival of the Christ-child, and eagerly look forward to Christ's
coming again. Advent begins on the Sunday nearest November 30. Its
color is blue
Christmas (December
25) is the festival of the birth of Christ, the celebration of the
incarnation. It begins on Christmas Eve and is followed by twelve days
of celebration (the "twelve days of Christmas") to Epiphany. Its color
is white and gold.
Epiphany (January 6) recalls the
visit of the Magi, or
wise-men, to the Christ-child. These were likely astrologers who
followed the stars to find Jesus. Epiphany literally means "to show" or
"to make known," and refers to these men revealing to the world that
the Christ-child is Lord and King. The first Sunday after Epiphany
celebrates Jesus' Baptism. The color is white.
Ordinary Time whose color is
green, is divided into
two periods. The first period begins after Epiphany and
continues
until Ash Wednesday. Because Easter's date varies, this first period
may include from four to nine Sundays.
Ash
Wednesday begins
the six weeks of Lent with a service that utilizes the Old Testament
practice of placing ashes on the head as a sign of humility before God,
and of mourning at the death that is brought by sin.
Lent
began as
a time of preparation for baptismal candidates who would be baptized on
Easter Sunday. But since these baptismal candidates were part of a
living community of faith, the entire community is called to
preparation. So, Lent, a season of preparation for Holy Week and
Easter, begins on Ash Wednesday, and culminates with Holy Week. The
color is purple.
Holy Week is the week immediately before
Easter and it marks the passion and death of Jesus. Passion/Palm
Sunday
marks the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and often includes
read one of the gospel accounts of his "Passion" or ten events leading
up to and including his crucifixion. Maundy Thursday
commemorates the Last Supper and the vigil held by Jesus and his
disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Good Friday
marks the trial, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. Holy
Saturday is a day of rest and contemplation of the darkness
of a world without hope apart from God's grace and redemption.
Easter is the center of our Christian
faith. Easter
celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which is the event that "changes
everything." Forty days after Easter Ascension Day
affirms that
Jesus is Lord of all times and places. Ten days later (fifty days after
Easter) this season of hope concludes with Pentecost. The color is
white and gold.
Pentecost marks the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit as told
in Acts 2. Jesus' promise of a wonderful counselor comes to fruition
with the Holy Spirit, available to all believers. Its color is red.
Ordinary
Time begins its second period with Trinity
Sunday
which celebrates the difficult to understand belief that God is one,
yet known to us in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some
five months later it concludes on the Sunday before or after
Thanksgiving (depending on whether there are five or four Sundays in
December), and Advent begins the church year all over again. The color
is green.