The Church Year
Advent
The Church year begins with the first Sunday of Advent.
Advent is a season of four week including four Sundays. We celebrate the
coming of Christ. Advent calls the Christian community to prepare for
the coming of Jesus through the remembrance of His birth, through the
Word and Holy Spirit, and in anticipation of His return in victory. Each
Sunday of Advent has a theme: the first Sunday is Christ's coming in
final victory, the second and third John the Baptist, and the events
immediately preceding the birth of Jesus. The colors are either purple
or blue, which represent royalty. Many churches have an Advent Wreath
with four candles. The first Sunday's candle represents Hope; the second
Love; the third Joy; the fourth Peace. On Christmas Eve a final fifth
candle is lit to represent the birth of Christ.
The Christmas Season
Christmas is a season of praise and thanksgiving for the incarnation of
God in Jesus Christ, which begins with Christmas Eve or Day and
continues through the Day of Epiphany. On the Day of Epiphany we
celebrate the manifestation of Jesus. The colors of white and gold,
which represent purity and joy, are predominate. Signs of the season
include a nativity scene (especially the Magi on the Day of Epiphany), a
Christmas tree, angels, poinsettias, and roses.
The Season after Epiphany
This is also Ordinary Time, which is four to nine Sundays depending on
the date of Easter. The first Sunday focuses on the Baptism of Christ
and the Last Sunday on the Transfiguration. The Gospel readings center
on stories from the early ministry of Jesus. The colors used for the
first and last Sundays is white. The other Sundays use green, which
represents life.
Lent
Lent lasts forty days not counting Sundays. The word Lent means spring
and is a preparation for Easter. It is a period of fasting, penance,
contemplation, and introspection. Ash Wednesday is a time when we
confront our won mortality and confess our sin before God. Many churches
have attendees write their sin on a slip of paper. All the slips are
burned and at the end of the service, the ashes are imposed upon the
forehead or hand as a sign of our confession. The first Sunday describes
Jesus' temptation by Satan and the last Sunday (Palm - Passion)
commemorates Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his passion and
death. Each Sunday represents little Easters. There are three Great
Days: Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, the night before
Christ
was crucified, Good Friday, the day of His death, and Holy Saturday.
Easter Season
The Easter Season, also known as the Great Fifty Days, begins at sunset
Easter Eve and continues through the
Day of Pentecost. This is the most joyous and celebrative time of the
Christian year. That is because we focus on Christ's resurrection and
ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit on both the first Easter and
the Day of Pentecost. There is a concentration on the book of Acts since
the witness of the early church to the power of
Holy Spirit and the resurrection. Easter falls during Passover and is
thus linked with Exodus of the Old Testament. The English word Easter is
also linked with an Anglo-Saxon festival celebrating the arrival of
spring.
Pentecost comes from the Greek word meaning fiftieth and it is also
related to the Jewish Feast of Weeks.
The Day of Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the
disciples of Jesus to give power to their ministry. Up until the Day of
Pentecost the colors are white and gold. However, on Pentecost the color
is red.
Season after Pentecost
This season is also known as Ordinary Time or Kingdomtide. It begins the
day after Pentecost and ends the day before the first Sunday of Advent.
Kingdomtide lasts for a period of between twenty-three to twenty-eight
Sundays. The first Sunday is Trinity Sunday celebrating the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit. The last Sunday is the Reign of Christ or
Christ the King. Also included are All Saints and Thanksgiving. The
United Methodist is the only denomination using the term Kingdomtide.
The gospel scriptures emphasize the teachings of Jesus and center on the
kingdom and reign of God. The colors used are varied but the main color
is green, which symbolizes growth and life in Christ.
Material on the Church Year comes from The United Methodist Book of
Worship. Copyright © 1992 by
The United Methodist Publishing House.