Liturgical Year
Worship
THE WINGS OF WORSHIP
Opening Activities
1. Prayer
2. "Alleluia" (chorus)
3. What is the liturgical year (church year)? Obtain materials of different colors (such as construction paper or posterboard or different symbols and ask the students what these mean to them.
4. Share with the group a specific memorable event from your past.
Information
The church year is divided into times of special seasons as a witness to the historical happenings of the church to remind us of what we are about and for us to remember as present reality (anamnestically). Recent scholarship of Thomas Talley challenges the traditional understanding of the origin of the liturgical year.
Advent is the beginning of the church year. It is a season of four Sundays. It begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, St. Andrew's Day. Its observance began in France during the fourth century. The season varied from four to seven weeks until the Bishop of Rome in the sixth century set the time of four weeks.
The word Advent consists of two Latin words: ad venire, "to come," and means that God in Christ is coming into the world. The coming may be a past experience, a present experience or a future experience.
The message of Advent is to prepare. If we are prepared, his coming means salvation, but if we are not prepared, it means judgment. We are to prepare by repentance, prayer and patience.
The mood of Advent is expressed in the color of violet because it gives a feeling of quiet dignity, royalty and repentance. Violet was the traditional color of the robes of a king, which makes it fitting for the coming "King of kings." Advent is a time to think about and repent of sins. It is a time for watching, praying and waiting for our Lord to come again. Blue has recently become an alternate color for Advent because it is a color of hope.
The Christmas season begins with the nativity of our Lord (Christmas Eve and Christmas). The first Sunday after Christmas may be celebrated on December 25 when it falls on a Sunday, and the Christmas lectionary readings (a planned series of readings is the definition of a lectionary) have been used on Christmas Eve.
Epiphany is the oldest season of the church year next to Easter. It falls on January 6. It was a time of celebration of the birth and baptism of Jesus. The festival was divided when December was selected as the birthday of Jesus. The church in the East continued to celebrate Epiphany in terms of the baptism of Jesus while the western church observed the visit of the magi. We now observe the visit of the magi on Epiphany Day and the baptism of Jesus on the first Sunday after Epiphany.
In spite of the fact that Epiphany Day is a major festival like Christmas and Pentecost, many churches ignore January 6 as the Day of Epiphany because it falls on a week day most of the time. Roman Catholics are obligated to attend mass on Epiphany. Epiphany means "manifestation" - Jesus the Light of God manifests the glory of God. It has been known by other names throughout history: "feast of the manifestation," "feast of the three kings" and "the twelfth day."
The Sundays after January 6 are called Sunday after Ephiphany. The number of weeks it is observed depends on the date of Easter. It covers from six to nine Sundays.
The colors vary. White is used for three of the Sundays: Epiphany Day, the Baptism of our Lord (Epiphany 1) and the Transfiguration of our Lord (the last Sunday before Lent).
The Lenten season is the time of spiritual preparation through repentance and growth in our walk with God in anticipation for Easter. This is when the passion and death of Jesus come into our view. It begins on a special day of repentance, Ash Wednesday, and ends in the depth of sorrow and tragedy of Good Friday. The word comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word Lencten or Lenchten which means the lengthening of the days. It is a period of 40 days.
Sundays were never a part of Lent, so we speak of "Sundays in Lent" not "of Lent." The last days of Lent or Holy Week and events observed are Palm Sunday - entry of our Lord into Jerusalem; Monday - cleansing of the temple; Tuesday - the discourse on the Mount of Olives; Wednesday - Judas' agreement; Maundy Thursday - final supper of Jesus with his disciples; Good Friday - crucifixion; and Saturday - the rest in the tomb.
The traditional color for Lent and Holy Week is purple (except for Good Friday). An alternative color for Ash Wednesday is black because of the repentance of the Christian in which he is to die to self. White is a suggested possibility for Maundy Thursday to celebrate the beginning of the Lord's supper. During Holy Week, red is suggested in place of purple to remind people of the sacrifice of our Lord. In place of black on Good Friday, it is suggested as a possibility that a deeper shade of red be used than that used during Holy Week to reflect the shed blood of our Lord.
The next season is the Easter season. The name Easter is the adaption of the name Eastre which was the name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and dawn. The original name for Easter was Pascha, a Hebrew word for Passover. The day has been known as "the Lord's day of resurrection" and "Paschal day of the resurrection."
Christians are still not agreed about the date for Easer. The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 declared Easter to be "on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the first day of spring, March 21, or if the full moon is on Sunday, the next Sunday after." Therefore, Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25.
Easter is the highest of days for the Christian church. Our Sunday worship is in recognition of the resurrection of Jesus. It is a time of joy, of celebration of eternal life, of newness of life, of future hope and of victory. The color is white. Gold may be used as an alternative color.
The season is a season of 50 days. It opens on Easter Day and runs through Pentecost Day. We speak of "Sundays of Easter." Other festival days and seasons of the church depend upon the date of Easter.
Pentecost is observed as a festival and as a season. It is the anniversary of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and the birth of the church. The word comes from the greek, pentekoste, which means "50" and refers to 50 days after Easter. It is also referred to as "Whitsunday," which is a contraction of "White Sunday." It was called such because candidates for baptism and confirmation wore white robes to symbolize that they were cleansed by the Holy Spirit.
The color of the Day of Pentecost is red because it is the color of fire - the Spirit came as tongues of fire (Acts chapter 2). The fire represents God. Red also stands for the blood of the martyrs. The color for the Sundays after Pentecost is green, which stands for growth, because disciples are to grow in the Spirit. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost, in which the Trinity is celebrated. The last Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before Advent begins is Christ the King Sunday.
The Church Year
Advent - always includes four Sundays and begins on Sunday, November 27, or the first Sunday after November 27, and lasts until sunset on December 24. The color of Advent is purple or blue.
Christmas Season - sunset December 24 through Epiphany Day (January 6). The color is white on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and on the first and second Sundays after Christmas. Epiphany Day and/or the first Sunday in January is white.
Season after Epiphany - is from January 7 through the day before Lent (day before Ash Wednesday). The color on the first Sunday after Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord Sunday) and last Sunday after Epiphany (Transfiguration Sunday) is white. Green is the color for the second through the next-to-last Sunday.
Lent is from the seventh Wednesday before Easter to sunset Easter Eve.
Color: Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent) - purple or black.
First through fifth Sunday in Lent - purple.
Passion/Palm Sunday (sixth Sunday in Lent) - purple or white.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week - purple or red.
Maundy Thursday - purple or red.
Good Friday - black or a deeper shade of red.
Holy Saturday - no color.
Easter Season - is from sunset Easter Eve through the Day of Pentecost.
Color: Easter Eve and Easter Day - white.
Second through sixth Sunday of Easter - white.
Ascension Day (sixth Thursday of Easter) - white.
Seventh Sunday of Easter or Ascension Sunday - white.
Day of Pentecost or the eighth Sunday of Easter - red.
Season after Pentecost - is from the day after Pentecost through the day before Advent.
Color: First Sunday after Pentecost, or Trinity Sunday - white.
Second through next-to-last Sunday after Pentecost - green.
All Saints' Day, November 1, or All Saints' Sunday (First Sunday in November) - white.
Last Sunday after Pentecost, or Christ the King - white. The Basic Colors - White or gold represent festive occasions.
Purple is the color of penitence and royalty.
Red is the color of fire and blood.
Green is the color of growth.
Paraments And Vestments
The paraments (hangings of cloth which decorate the Lord's table, pulpit and lectern if present) should be in colors that signify the season or day of the church year and adorned with symbols that show various parts of the Christian faith.
Those in leadership roles may wear robes. Two very common robes are the academic robe and the aib. The academic robe, which traditionally was black but can now be found in various colors, came from the academic dress of medieval universities and was the uniform of scholars. It can be worn with a hood that indicates the wearer's degree. If the wearer has a doctor's degree, it may have three sleeve stripes. The aib is the oldest Christian vestment and was part of the everyday dress of Roman men and women. After it passed out of style, it continued to be used as a worship vestment. The alb is usually white or off-white.
Stoles, a badge of ordination, indicate the one who has been called to lead the community in the sacramental life of the church. Stoles are long narrow bands over the shoulders and down in the front to about the knees. They are worn with the academic robe and the alb and should also be in the color of the season of the church year.
Keeping time with the liturgical (church) year is one way of preaching the whole gospel and sharing with our brothers and sisters in Christ the heritage of Jesus Christ. It also provides a worship space which is more colorful and meaningful in its appearance.
Discussion Questions
1. Where does summer fit into the church year?
2. What are some symbols that you can think of? The wedding ring is a symbol.
3. How does keeping time with the liturgical year preach the whole gospel?
4. Does the presence of paraments, vestments and symbols coordinated with the colors of the church year add meaning to your worship experience?
5. Should we follow the church year? Why? Why not?
Evaluations
Have course participants complete the weekly evaluation form from page 63 (you may make copies) and hand it in at the end of the class period.
1. Prayer
2. "Alleluia" (chorus)
3. What is the liturgical year (church year)? Obtain materials of different colors (such as construction paper or posterboard or different symbols and ask the students what these mean to them.
4. Share with the group a specific memorable event from your past.
Information
The church year is divided into times of special seasons as a witness to the historical happenings of the church to remind us of what we are about and for us to remember as present reality (anamnestically). Recent scholarship of Thomas Talley challenges the traditional understanding of the origin of the liturgical year.
Advent is the beginning of the church year. It is a season of four Sundays. It begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, St. Andrew's Day. Its observance began in France during the fourth century. The season varied from four to seven weeks until the Bishop of Rome in the sixth century set the time of four weeks.
The word Advent consists of two Latin words: ad venire, "to come," and means that God in Christ is coming into the world. The coming may be a past experience, a present experience or a future experience.
The message of Advent is to prepare. If we are prepared, his coming means salvation, but if we are not prepared, it means judgment. We are to prepare by repentance, prayer and patience.
The mood of Advent is expressed in the color of violet because it gives a feeling of quiet dignity, royalty and repentance. Violet was the traditional color of the robes of a king, which makes it fitting for the coming "King of kings." Advent is a time to think about and repent of sins. It is a time for watching, praying and waiting for our Lord to come again. Blue has recently become an alternate color for Advent because it is a color of hope.
The Christmas season begins with the nativity of our Lord (Christmas Eve and Christmas). The first Sunday after Christmas may be celebrated on December 25 when it falls on a Sunday, and the Christmas lectionary readings (a planned series of readings is the definition of a lectionary) have been used on Christmas Eve.
Epiphany is the oldest season of the church year next to Easter. It falls on January 6. It was a time of celebration of the birth and baptism of Jesus. The festival was divided when December was selected as the birthday of Jesus. The church in the East continued to celebrate Epiphany in terms of the baptism of Jesus while the western church observed the visit of the magi. We now observe the visit of the magi on Epiphany Day and the baptism of Jesus on the first Sunday after Epiphany.
In spite of the fact that Epiphany Day is a major festival like Christmas and Pentecost, many churches ignore January 6 as the Day of Epiphany because it falls on a week day most of the time. Roman Catholics are obligated to attend mass on Epiphany. Epiphany means "manifestation" - Jesus the Light of God manifests the glory of God. It has been known by other names throughout history: "feast of the manifestation," "feast of the three kings" and "the twelfth day."
The Sundays after January 6 are called Sunday after Ephiphany. The number of weeks it is observed depends on the date of Easter. It covers from six to nine Sundays.
The colors vary. White is used for three of the Sundays: Epiphany Day, the Baptism of our Lord (Epiphany 1) and the Transfiguration of our Lord (the last Sunday before Lent).
The Lenten season is the time of spiritual preparation through repentance and growth in our walk with God in anticipation for Easter. This is when the passion and death of Jesus come into our view. It begins on a special day of repentance, Ash Wednesday, and ends in the depth of sorrow and tragedy of Good Friday. The word comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word Lencten or Lenchten which means the lengthening of the days. It is a period of 40 days.
Sundays were never a part of Lent, so we speak of "Sundays in Lent" not "of Lent." The last days of Lent or Holy Week and events observed are Palm Sunday - entry of our Lord into Jerusalem; Monday - cleansing of the temple; Tuesday - the discourse on the Mount of Olives; Wednesday - Judas' agreement; Maundy Thursday - final supper of Jesus with his disciples; Good Friday - crucifixion; and Saturday - the rest in the tomb.
The traditional color for Lent and Holy Week is purple (except for Good Friday). An alternative color for Ash Wednesday is black because of the repentance of the Christian in which he is to die to self. White is a suggested possibility for Maundy Thursday to celebrate the beginning of the Lord's supper. During Holy Week, red is suggested in place of purple to remind people of the sacrifice of our Lord. In place of black on Good Friday, it is suggested as a possibility that a deeper shade of red be used than that used during Holy Week to reflect the shed blood of our Lord.
The next season is the Easter season. The name Easter is the adaption of the name Eastre which was the name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and dawn. The original name for Easter was Pascha, a Hebrew word for Passover. The day has been known as "the Lord's day of resurrection" and "Paschal day of the resurrection."
Christians are still not agreed about the date for Easer. The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 declared Easter to be "on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the first day of spring, March 21, or if the full moon is on Sunday, the next Sunday after." Therefore, Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25.
Easter is the highest of days for the Christian church. Our Sunday worship is in recognition of the resurrection of Jesus. It is a time of joy, of celebration of eternal life, of newness of life, of future hope and of victory. The color is white. Gold may be used as an alternative color.
The season is a season of 50 days. It opens on Easter Day and runs through Pentecost Day. We speak of "Sundays of Easter." Other festival days and seasons of the church depend upon the date of Easter.
Pentecost is observed as a festival and as a season. It is the anniversary of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and the birth of the church. The word comes from the greek, pentekoste, which means "50" and refers to 50 days after Easter. It is also referred to as "Whitsunday," which is a contraction of "White Sunday." It was called such because candidates for baptism and confirmation wore white robes to symbolize that they were cleansed by the Holy Spirit.
The color of the Day of Pentecost is red because it is the color of fire - the Spirit came as tongues of fire (Acts chapter 2). The fire represents God. Red also stands for the blood of the martyrs. The color for the Sundays after Pentecost is green, which stands for growth, because disciples are to grow in the Spirit. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost, in which the Trinity is celebrated. The last Sunday after Pentecost and the Sunday before Advent begins is Christ the King Sunday.
The Church Year
Advent - always includes four Sundays and begins on Sunday, November 27, or the first Sunday after November 27, and lasts until sunset on December 24. The color of Advent is purple or blue.
Christmas Season - sunset December 24 through Epiphany Day (January 6). The color is white on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and on the first and second Sundays after Christmas. Epiphany Day and/or the first Sunday in January is white.
Season after Epiphany - is from January 7 through the day before Lent (day before Ash Wednesday). The color on the first Sunday after Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord Sunday) and last Sunday after Epiphany (Transfiguration Sunday) is white. Green is the color for the second through the next-to-last Sunday.
Lent is from the seventh Wednesday before Easter to sunset Easter Eve.
Color: Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent) - purple or black.
First through fifth Sunday in Lent - purple.
Passion/Palm Sunday (sixth Sunday in Lent) - purple or white.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week - purple or red.
Maundy Thursday - purple or red.
Good Friday - black or a deeper shade of red.
Holy Saturday - no color.
Easter Season - is from sunset Easter Eve through the Day of Pentecost.
Color: Easter Eve and Easter Day - white.
Second through sixth Sunday of Easter - white.
Ascension Day (sixth Thursday of Easter) - white.
Seventh Sunday of Easter or Ascension Sunday - white.
Day of Pentecost or the eighth Sunday of Easter - red.
Season after Pentecost - is from the day after Pentecost through the day before Advent.
Color: First Sunday after Pentecost, or Trinity Sunday - white.
Second through next-to-last Sunday after Pentecost - green.
All Saints' Day, November 1, or All Saints' Sunday (First Sunday in November) - white.
Last Sunday after Pentecost, or Christ the King - white. The Basic Colors - White or gold represent festive occasions.
Purple is the color of penitence and royalty.
Red is the color of fire and blood.
Green is the color of growth.
Paraments And Vestments
The paraments (hangings of cloth which decorate the Lord's table, pulpit and lectern if present) should be in colors that signify the season or day of the church year and adorned with symbols that show various parts of the Christian faith.
Those in leadership roles may wear robes. Two very common robes are the academic robe and the aib. The academic robe, which traditionally was black but can now be found in various colors, came from the academic dress of medieval universities and was the uniform of scholars. It can be worn with a hood that indicates the wearer's degree. If the wearer has a doctor's degree, it may have three sleeve stripes. The aib is the oldest Christian vestment and was part of the everyday dress of Roman men and women. After it passed out of style, it continued to be used as a worship vestment. The alb is usually white or off-white.
Stoles, a badge of ordination, indicate the one who has been called to lead the community in the sacramental life of the church. Stoles are long narrow bands over the shoulders and down in the front to about the knees. They are worn with the academic robe and the alb and should also be in the color of the season of the church year.
Keeping time with the liturgical (church) year is one way of preaching the whole gospel and sharing with our brothers and sisters in Christ the heritage of Jesus Christ. It also provides a worship space which is more colorful and meaningful in its appearance.
Discussion Questions
1. Where does summer fit into the church year?
2. What are some symbols that you can think of? The wedding ring is a symbol.
3. How does keeping time with the liturgical year preach the whole gospel?
4. Does the presence of paraments, vestments and symbols coordinated with the colors of the church year add meaning to your worship experience?
5. Should we follow the church year? Why? Why not?
Evaluations
Have course participants complete the weekly evaluation form from page 63 (you may make copies) and hand it in at the end of the class period.
