Church Year Colors Good News--9 pages. My computer skills are not good enough yet to
attach this. A co-worker, the guy at the cloth place, and a gal at the juice
place were all VERY enthused! The color scheme did not come thrugh on this. I
wear this week's color on my front.
People ask me, 'What does that mean?'
I explain. The cloth-seller agreed, and so did the juice gal, that 'Even
Lutherans (could) do this'.
Contents:
1—We all live in many calendars.
2—Color patch for this week.
3—Picture of Church Year Colors
4—CPH/LCMS on colors
5—Reproduction of Church Year from Service Book
6—2016/2017 Dates
7--Next: What happens in the Divine Service—We are torn
apart, cut up, and put back together, transformed for battle.
8—Join us in this most basic of calendars, the Church
Calendar. It shows the life of Jesus Christ, and our response.
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1—We all live in many calendars.
A good way to understand this is from Eugen
Rosenstock-Huessy (Rosenstock), Dartmouth professor @ middle of 20th
C. (His lectures were recorded even way back then and can f\be found by
searching ‘ERH Fund, and following the links.)
He maintained that history went in this sequence of social
orders. Tribes, Empires, Israel, Greece, He Who Reversed The Trend, The Church is
Israel without exclusion, Greece became a companion ONLY—never a social order,
the nation-state is Empires without slavery, and we await and pray and work
toward Small Enthusiastic Groups, which are tribes without being perpetually on
the warpath.
Calendars remain from these social order types. Community festivals are tribal, work and
business schedules are from empires, educational calendars are Greek, and the
ecclesiastical calendar(s) is/are from Israel.
What follow is from the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
Others can be found by searching ‘church calendars. The French Revolution
changed a calendar. Comte had a calendar, etc.
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2— [as appropriate]
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3—
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4—
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‘The Colors of the Liturgical Seasons’
By Rev. Douglas K. Escue
Download essay for use in your congregation’s newsletter.
Color. Color is everywhere. Color is God's way of filling
his world with beauty and giving pleasure to those who live in this colorful
world. Christians, for centuries, have used color in divine worship to
emphasize the redemptive action of God through his Son.
Color, Like Music
Color, like music, plays an important role in the life of
God's worshiping people. Just as music is the “handmaiden to theology,”
liturgical color complements the message of the seasons and occasions during
the church year. Taking a familiar seat in the nave of his/her chapel preceding
worship on any given Sunday, the worshiper's emotions and intellect are
immediately engaged by color. Liturgical colors aid in establishing a climate
in which Law and Gospel may be heard and received.
Color, Like Light
Color, like light which is its source, is most helpful when
it is pleasing as well as stimulating to the senses. However, let's never
forget its primary role in divine worship: Color allows us to see the Light of
Life, Jesus Christ. It serves to communicate the message of salvation. And
communicate it does when it reinforces a specific “colorful” chapter in the
life of our Lord and his church, retold annually by the church calendar.
Color’s Purpose
However, color and its bright message can easily be taken
for granted or mistaken in its purpose. The paraments, vestments, altar
clothes, banners, traditionally employed each Sunday, must be seen as more than
an attempt to decorate, or give accent to the chancel. That is, no doubt, the
view of some. It's true; interior design and decoration are important. But a
greater service is demanded of our liturgical colors than merely making the
surroundings “pretty.&rdquo
Furthermore, when altar paraments are used year after year
without much attention given to their message, as well as their care, the
pastor, along with his faithful altar guild would do well to throw away the key
to the sacristy and refrain from using those altar cloth “decorations.”
Frequent instruction about the church year and its
corresponding colors must go hand in hand with its weekly use.
Teaching about Liturgical Colors
How do you go about instructing and communicating
appreciation for the colors of the church year and the seasons they support?
Some liturgical creativity is in order for this task. Think
of the rainbow. The rainbow is that vivid reminder of God's promise given to
Noah and his descendants. The acronym, “Roy-g-biv,” is a helpful device in
remembering that beautiful object of hope, and its red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, and violet colors.
Let's adapt that helpful device for use in taking a fresh
look at the colors of the church year.
Five Basic Colors
Traditionally, five basic colors of a festive, penitential,
and neutral nature have been used in most liturgical congregations. In recent
times, with liturgical renewal, three additional colors (blue, scarlet, and
gold) have been added to the basic five of white, red, green, violet or purple,
and black.
Instead of “Roy-g-biv,” may I suggest “Bg-Bgs-Pwr?” (blue,
green, black, gold, scarlet, purple, white and red) “Bg-Bgs-Pwr,” enunciated
Big Bags of Power” might at first seem silly. Indeed it is! Does it have
anything to do with the message of those colors? Not really! Then, why suggest
such a ridiculous notion? Because, a humorous, yet effective memory technique,
such as “Bg-Bgs-Pwr,” is what we may need to remember this liturgical tool and
the message it conveys throughout the church year.
Each “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” color has evolved through the centuries in
the community of faith to communicate a powerful message. A fresh look at the
“Bg-Bgs-Pwr” color scheme can reawaken our appreciation for this time-honored
custom.
Blue
Blue, the first color of the “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” scheme, is the
more contemporary color increasingly used by many congregations in their
observance of a new church year. Advent, a preparatory time of waiting and
watching, communicates the message of hope. BLUE-the color of the sky-helps
convey that powerful message. Our Christian faith rests on the hope that
Christ, who came in history assuming our flesh, will also return on the last
day of time from that same blue sky he ascended long ago.
Green
Green, comes next in the acronym and is by far the most
common color seen during the year.
Lutheran Service Book calls for its use during the seasons
of Epiphany and Pentecost. The first Sunday following the first full moon after
the vernal equinox (March 21), also known as Easter Sunday, determines the
length of these two seasons.
The days of Epiphany may entail a total of, but not more
than, eight Sundays. The season of Pentecost, on the other hand, can last from
22 to 28 Sundays. Green is the appointed color for all but a few of the Sundays
during these seasons. Consequently, green may be used an average of six to
eight months of any given liturgical year!
Epiphany's message of Christ's revelation to the Gentiles
along with the season's traditional emphasis on extending Christ's kingdom
through missions, calls for the use of green-the color symbolic of growth.
The Sundays following Pentecost, observed as “the time of
the church,” share a somewhat similar theme as that of Epiphany. Affectionately
called the season of the “green meadow,” no doubt due to the fact of green
being the established color, these Sundays also emphasize the subject of
growth.
Green is a neutral color, but there is nothing colorless
about our need to grow and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ. That's why the
“green meadow” time of the church year is so lengthy.
Time must be given to encourage all worshipers to maintain
their faith through the constant use of God's means of grace.
A helpful suggestion for congregations observing summer and
fall months with one neutral color, would be to invest time and effort in
obtaining several sets of green paraments. Variety and change in shades of this
color would go a long way in keeping the season fresh and “green.” Changing the
paraments every six weeks would complement the Sundays following Pentecost and
their emphasis on personal faith that is living and growing.
Black
Black is seen very seldom during the year. The calendar
calls for its use only twice; on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. There's no
mistaking the message that this sober color gives. Black is the absence of
light. Good Friday, or Black Friday in combination with Ash Wednesday, calls
for sober reflection on the cost of our redemption. Without Christ's sacrifice
on the day the sky turned dark and hid the light of the sun, there would be no
bright Light of Christ to live in, nor new life in Christ to enjoy.
Gold
Gold is the optional color for Easter Sunday. It is also the
suggested color for the last Sunday in the church year when that day is
observed as Christ the King Sunday (LBW). Its use may not be popular yet, but
its emphasis is undeniable. Gold represents value and worth. The golden
festival of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the event that gives our lives
meaning and worth. He is worthy of our praise as we adorn his altar with the
color of splendor.
Scarlet
Scarlet (a vivid red, or orange) is the fifth letter in the
“Bg-Bgs-Pwr<” acronym that is called for use during Holy Week; from Palm
Sunday to Maundy Thursday. It is a color worth investing in because it stands
in contrast to the traditional red that is used on Festival Sundays. Scarlet's
use during the somber days of Holy Week help to offer a different message. As
the Manual on the Liturgy points out, “scarlet is a color anciently associated
with the passion ... the color of blood” (p. 25).
Purple
Purple, like black, is a penitential color, in contrast to a
festive one. It is appropriately used during Lent and, still in many parishes,
during the season of Advent. The forty days of Lent, including the six Sundays
that fall during this season, use this deep, rich color which has come to
represent somberness and solemnity, penitence, and prayer.
Violet or purple was a very cherished and expensive color in
the world Jesus lived. The dye used to make the color was painstakingly
acquired by massaging the neck of a Mediterranean shell fish that secreted a
special fluid. It was therefore afforded only by the rich and worn most
exclusively by the royalty.
Jesus, the king of the Jews, wore a purple robe only once.
As the soldiers mocked and tormented him, the Scriptures record they placed on
him a “purple garment” in order to ridicule him and belittle the claim that he
was a monarch.
Therefore, purple is used during this penitential season of
Lent as a vivid reminder of the contempt and scorn he endured, and the
subsequent sacrifice he made for our eternal salvation. Ecclesiastical purple
should remind all Christians of their daily need to humbly give attention to
leading a life of repentance.
White
White is the color of purity and completeness. The theme for
the “great fifty days” of Easter is supported by the use of white. This color,
used primarily during these Sundays, assists in bearing the message that
“though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” Christ's triumph
from the grave on Resurrection day is the cause for our rejoicing. His purity
before his Father becomes our purity. White reinforces that message of joy.
In addition to its use during Eastertide, white is the
appointed color for such festive Sundays as Christmas and its twelve days;
Epiphany (Jan. 6) and the first Sunday following it, observed as the Baptism of
Our Lord; the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, also known as Transfiguration
Sunday; Holy Trinity Sunday; and twenty-one minor festivals and occasions
listed on the church year calendar in Lutheran Service Book. In all, white
serves as the best festive color for the church year.
Red
Finally, red completes the acronym, “Bg-Bgs-Pwr.” Red is a
power color and is appropriate for use on Pentecost Sunday. On this day we
remember the power and fire of “the Lord and Giver of Life,” who revealed
himself as the promised one. The color red communicates the motif of
strength-strength and power the Holy Spirit gives in order for God's people to
call on the name of Jesus Christ and share that powerful name with others.
There is no question that red is a compelling festive color.
Consequently, it serves well as the traditional color for the heroic martyrs of
the church. The Lutheran Service Book church year calendar provides propers for
sixteen martyr festivals and recommends red as the appropriate color. Their red
blood shed in defense of the Gospel offers perpetual encouragement for God's
people to be resolute in living the faith.
Additional uses of red are Reformation Sunday; Holy Cross
Day (Sept. 14); on such festive occasions as dedications, anniversaries of a
congregation and its physical structure; festive days celebrating the office of
the public ministry, such as ordination and installation.
Symbolism of Colors
It is appropriate, from time to time, to take a thoughtful
and fresh look at the colors that are displayed throughout the church year. In
the end, we admit, the use of paraments, vestments, altar clothes, banners is
an adiaphoron. Even the symbolism behind the traditional colors is somewhat
arbitrary and open to additional interpretations as generations pass. The
primary source and guarantor of their meanings is tradition.
However, the important thing to remember is why we retain
this traditional liturgical standard. The value of the “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” color
scheme rests in their purpose: to serve God's worshiping community by assisting
in communicating the holy faith from generation to generation. In every age,
the beauty and symbolism of color in the church continues to serve us
exceptionally well!
Soli Deo Gloria pro Ecclesia Colorem!
Author: Douglas K. Escue — pastor of Immanuel Lutheran
Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Originally published in Lutheran Worship Notes,
Issue 29, 1994.
[Note by Hartman. When the LCMS worshipped in German, @ the
10th week after Easter, the destruction of Jerusalem was celebrated,
reading from Josephus.]
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5—See the one-pager from the Service Book that is attached
at the end. It shows the church year and colors in another way.
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6— Find the dates and readings here: https://www.lcms.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=1064
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7—This sequence is seen in many places. Leviticus,
Rosenstock’s revolutions of the West (Chapter 5 of Gardner’s ‘Beyond Belief’),
Hartman’s ‘Symphony,’ and especially startling for many is to see it in the
scientific method. Consider this
following, the scientific method (nature) compared to liturgy. Newton is
brought into a new mental state by seeing the apple fall, compared to coming
into the worship area—some churches have pictures of the Last Judgment above
the entrance. Then Newton may have said to himself, ‘I can’t figure this out
now, but I can later’. Confession and Absolution. He studies previous thinkers
(Readings) and proposes his own hypothesis (Sermon). The hypothesis is tested,
2 witnesses, Bread and Wine. Then the new theory (not hypothesis any more) is
taken out to the world, as we are sent out, transformed and Blessed
individually and corporately.
8—Join us in this most basic of calendars, the Church
Calendar. It shows the life of Jesus Christ, and our response.
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