The Church Year

What is the Church Year?

What are the seasons of the Church Year?

What are the feast days of the Church Year?

Which colors are associated with the seasons and feasts of the Church Year?

How is the date for Easter determined?

What is the relationship between the Church Year and the Revised Common Lectionary?

What is the Church Year?

The Church Year is an ancient way of telling time. Rather than measuring time exclusively according to the natural seasons, Christians have traditionally measured time in their worship with a calendar built around the life of Christ. Some of the seasons of the Church Year date back to our earliest written records of Christian worship. The current form of the Christian calendar, including its colors, dates, and feasts, was firmly in place by the medieval period.

Worship that is centered on the Church Year allows Christians to step into the life of Jesus. Seasons of hope and grief, mercy and penitence assure that all aspects of the human condition are given an appropriate place in the worship practices of the Church. The repetition of these seasons is also an educational tool, gently inculcating the heritage of the faith.

The specific season is reflected in the colors used for the paraments in the sanctuary and the clergy's vestments, the texts read, and other liturgical practices like the lighting of the paschal candle.

When certain feast days fall during the week it is not unusual to celebrate them on the nearest Sunday. This generally does not apply to Ash Wednesday or Christmas Day.

What are the seasons of the Church Year?

• Advent - The Season of Expectation - Beginning four Sundays prior to Christmas Day, the season of Advent is a time when the Church looks toward the second coming of Jesus and the eternal hope of Christians in the end of time. The color for this season is either Purple (for royalty) or Blue (for the Virgin Mary).
  
• Christmas - The Season of Incarnation - For 12 days, from Christmas Day (December 25) through Epiphany (January 6) (inclusive) the Church celebrates the miraculous incarnation of God in the person of Jesus. The color for this season is White.
  
• Lent - The Season of Reflection - For forty days (not including Sundays) prior to Easter Sunday the Church reflects on the suffering of Jesus. Together, we approach the cross. Worship during this period is traditionally more subdued and penetential. Many people also fast during the season of Lent. The color for this season is Purple.
  
• Holy Week - The final week of Lent is called "Holy Week." Often churches that do not typically meet for worship will meet every day of Holy Week. At the minimum, they will worship on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The color for Holy Week remains Purple, although some churches use Red on Palm Sunday Maundy Thursday. Some churches also use Black on Good Friday.
  
• Easter - The Season of Resurrection - For fifty days beginning on Easter Sunday Christians celebrate the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus and the certain hope their own resurrection. The color for Easter is White. This season ends on the Sunday of Pentecost, for which the color is Red.
  
• Ordinary Time - The Season of Nurture and Growth - The periods of time following Epiphany and Pentescost are referred to as "Ordinary" because their Sundays are numbered in ordinal fashion. The focus of Ordinary Time is on developing a deeper understanding of Christian discipleship. The color for this season is Green (for growth).

What are the major feast days of the Church Year?

• Christmas Day (December 25) - Celebrating the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
  
• Epiphany (January 6) - Honoring the arrival of the magi.
  
• Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday) - Prepares the Church for the rigors of Lent by dwelling on the holiness of Jesus as demonstrated in the moment of his transfiguration.
  
• Ash Wednesday (40 days, excluding Sundays, prior to Easter Day) - Begins a season of penitence, reflection, and fasting. It is generally observed by the imposition of ashes on the forehead with the words "From dust you have come, to dust you shall return."
  
• Palm Sunday (1 week prior to Easter Day) - Begins Holy Week by commemorating Jesus' trimphal entry into Jerusalem.
  
• Passion Sunday (observed on Palm Sunday) - Passion Sunday is sometimes observed in congregations where attendance during Holy Week is low or impossible; or where the congregation wishes to use that Sunday as preparation for the somber tone of Holy Week. This feast focuses on Jesus' suffering, in anticipation of Resurrection Sunday. Passion Sunday is sometimes observed in conjunction with Palm Sunday.
  
• Maundy Thursday (Thursday immediately prior to Easter Day) - Commemorates the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Services on this evening often include a small fellowship meal and footwashing, in imitation of Jesus.
  
• Good Friday (Friday immediately prior to Easter Day) - Commemorates the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. A somber service without the Eucharist, often ending in a darkened sanctuary.
  
• Holy Saturday (the day immediately prior to Easter Day) - Commemorates the time when Jesus' body lay in the tomb. Many churches observe an Easter Vigil throughout the night reading biblical texts which tell the whole salvation history of humanity.
  
• Resurrection Sunday / Easter Day (see below) - Commemorates the resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
  
• Ascension of the Lord (Thursday 40 days following Easter Day) - Commemorates the ascension of Jesus.
  
• Pentecost (Sunday 50 days following Easter Day) - Commemorates the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Church. The color for this Sunday is Red (representing the Holy Spirit).
  
• Trinity Sunday (Sunday following Pentecost) - Honors the mystery of the Trinity.
  
• Reign of Christ / Christ the King (last Sunday prior to Advent) - Honors Jesus as the unique and fully divine Son of God.

Which colors are associated with the seasons and feasts of the Church Year?

• Green - Ordinary Time
  
• Blue - Advent
  
• Purple - Advent, Lent
  
• Black - Good Friday
  
• Red - Pentecost, Ordinations, Reformation Sunday, (Passion Sunday), (Maundy Thursday)
  
• White - Christmas, Easter, Weddings, Funerals

How is the date for Easter determined?

Resurrection Sunday is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The tables used to determine when the full moon falls do not precisely match the ones used by astronomers. Details on how the date of Easter is calculated can be found here.

What is the relationship between the Church Year and the Revised Common Lectionary?

The readings of the Revised Common Lectionary are selected to reflect the themes of the particular seasons, and in particular the specific episodes of the life of Christ which are the focus of each season.

The online Revised Common Lectionary is a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, a division of the Heard Library. 
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.