The Christian calendar year or the liturgical year is a systematic, structured approach to time and worship which divides the year into different thematic seasons. It is a disciplined approach of worship throughout the entire year, celebrating the mysteries of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. As liturgical theologian James F. White puts it, “The church shows what is most important in its life by the way it uses time.” By structuring our year around Jesus, we remind ourselves that Jesus is the center of our lives.
The liturgical year guides the preparation of the lectionary, that list of scripture readings and prayers from the Bible, which congregations read during the course of the year and during their gatherings at church every Sunday. The main liturgical seasons are Advent, Christmas, time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter and time after Pentecost or time after the feast of the Holy Trinity. Each season in the liturgical year has its own color associated with it, which governs the use of vestments and paraments. Ordinary time is represented by the color green, symbolic of the growth of the church and our growth as Christian disciples. Purple is for Advent and Lent, because it is both a penitential color and also the color of royalty, reminding us that Christ is our king. White is the color for Christmas, Easter, and special feasts like All Saint’s Day, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord; it is the color of light and purity. Red is associated with the Day of Pentecost, symbolizing the fire of the Holy Spirit.
