Understanding the Church Year

Originally posted on Facebook - March 31, 2011

Everyone knows that there are different ways of thinking of the year – the two most familiar are the “calendar year” and the “school year”. The first is divided into twelve months and starts a week after midwinter. The second is divided into terms or semesters, starts in the fall, and includes key dates like “report cards,” “finals,” and “spring break.”

The church has its own way of thinking of the year. Instead of being based on months or semesters, the church year is based on the rhythms of spiritual redemption. The church year divides into six major sections of varying lengths, each with its own focus and pattern. The most important days of the church year are Ash Wednesday, Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, and Epiphany.

The church year starts with the season of Advent, which begins on the Sunday between November 27th and December 3rd, and lasts until Christmas Eve. The Advent colour is purple or blue, and Advent music is all about waiting and watching for God’s help in the form of the Christ (who we know will be born on Christmas Day). The Scriptures for Advent are all about God’s promises to send a messiah, and how Jesus was the embodiment of that promise.

After Advent comes Christmas, which lasts for twelve days – from December 25th until January 5th. When people talk about the month of December as “the Christmas season”, they’ve got it backwards. Christmas Day is the start of the season, and the joyous celebrations should last well into the new year! December 24th was chosen as the date for Christmas Eve because it is the first day that is observably longer than the day before – so on that day we celebrate that “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The colour for Christmas is white, and Christmas songs are all about rejoicing and sharing the good news.

The day of Epiphany, which I call “the Mystery of Epiphany”, is January 6th. It’s the day when we mark the visit of the Magi, or Wise Ones, to the family of Jesus. Their visit is overshadowed by the threat of King Herod, who is violently protective of his own power. It’s followed by the Season of Epiphany, which lasts until Ash Wednesday. The colour of Epiphany is white, and the songs focus on the gift of light and the star of Bethlehem.

These three seasons, which can last anywhere from 63 to 103 days (this past year, it was 101), make up half the Christian ritual year.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and it falls 46 days before Easter. Its date can vary widely, because Easter is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox. So, for example, in 2008 Ash Wednesday was on February 6th, while in 2011 it was on March 9th. Lent is a time for reflecting on ourselves and deepening our spiritual relationship with God. The colour for Lent is purple and Lenten songs are about examining our lives and coming to God in prayer. Lent concludes with Holy Week, when we remember the last week of Jesus’ life, culminating with the pain of his death on Good Friday. The reason we say Lent lasts 40 days and nights (when it’s actually 46) is because Sundays don’t count – they are a break from the spiritual disciplines of Lent.

Easter Sunday is the start of the seven-week season of Easter. Just like Christmas, which starts on the 24th of December and lasts twelve days, the “Easter season” happens AFTER Easter Sunday. Easter is the season of resurrection, and we use symbols like bunnies, eggs, daffodils, butterflies, lambs, and lilies to remind us that life springs forth from death. We also use the empty cross, the transformed cross (with flowering vines), and the empty tomb to remind us that not even death could conquer the power of Christ’s love. The Easter season lasts seven weeks because that is how long the scriptures say the risen Christ spent with his disciples after his resurrection. The colour for Easter is white or gold.

On the Day of Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we read in chapter 1 of the book of Genesis, the Spirit was active at the creation, brooding over the formless waters. On the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, the apostles discover that the Spirit is with them in a powerful way. On Pentecost Sunday the liturgical colour is red and the symbols include flames, wind, birds, and other images for the Holy Spirit.

The season after Pentecost is the longest season of the church year. In 2011, it will last 23 weeks. The colour for this season is green, as it is the time when we are encouraged to grow and bear fruit for the gospel, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus.

The church year is an important way to experience the rhythms of redemption in our own lives, by setting aside specific times to focus on particular portions of God’s activity. Hopefully, this little introduction can help you in your own faith journey and worship life, to see how God is at work within and around you.