Jasper United Methodist Church - Colors of the Church Year

Colors of the Church Year (2009-2010)

Colors		Season	Dates	Alternate
Dark Blue		Advent	Nov 29-Dec 12	Purple	Blue
Pink*		3rd Wk of Advent	Dec 13-Dec 19	Rose
Dark Blue		Advent	Dec 20-Dec 23	Purple	Blue
Dark Blue		Christmas Eve	Dec 24	Purple	Blue
White	Gold	Christmas	Dec 25-Jan 5	White	Yellow
White	Gold	Epiphany	Jan 6	White	Yellow
Green		After Epiphany	Jan 7-Feb 13	Lt. Green
White	Gold	Transfiguration	Feb 14-16	White	Yellow
Purple		Ash Wednesday	Feb 17	Gray
Purple		Ash Wed/Lent	Feb 17-Mar 31	Violet
Purple		Maundy Thursday	Apr 1	Red**
Purple	Black	Good Friday	Apr 2	Black
Black		Holy Saturday	Apr 3	No Colors
White	Gold	Easter	Apr 4-10	White	Yellow
White	Gold	Eastertide	Apr 11-May 12	Red**
White	Gold	Ascension Day	May 13	White	Yellow
White	Gold	Eastertide	May 14-May 22	Red*
Red		Pentecost Sunday	May 23-May 29	Red	Gold
White	Gold	Trinity Sunday	May 30-June 5	Red**
Green		Ordinary Time	June 6-Oct 31	Lt. Green	Bronze
				Aqua	Olive
Red**		All Saints Day or Sunday	Nov 1 or the next Sunday	White	Gold
Green		Ordinary Time	Nov 2-20	Lt. Green	Bronze
				Aqua	Olive
White	Gold	Christ the King	Nov 21-27	White	Yellow

* In some churches, Pink is used the Fourth Sunday of Advent
** In some churches, Red is used only on Pentecost Sunday and the following week.

Metallic Silver is sometimes used for or with white, especially at Easter and Christmas. Likewise Metallic Gold can be used for gold or yellow. While some traditions (Catholic, for example) still use for purple for Advent, there is a trend to use a bluish violet for Advent and deep red violet for Lent.

In most traditions, the sanctuary cross is draped in color only during Lent (purple), Good Friday (black), and Easter (white). Some churches leave white on the cross through Eastertide, drape the cross in red for Pentecost Sunday, and then leave the cross undraped until the beginning of Lent the next year. Usually the cross is not decorated during Advent, Christmas, or Epiphany both because the focus is not yet on the cross, and since the Greens of Advent and the other symbols of the Christmas season carry the visual message.

The Meaning of Church Colors

Royal Blue

Royal Blue is the color of royalty to welcome the coming of a King. It can also symbolize the night sky in which the star appeared to announce the birth of Jesus. While purple has traditionally been the liturgical color for Advent, Royal Blue is increasingly used for Advent, especially in Protestant churches, to distinguish it from Lent.

Bright Blue

Bright Blue symbolizes the sky or heaven, where heralds proclaimed Jesus' birth. In some traditions, it symbolizes Mary, who is known as "the Queen of Heaven." It can also symbolize the waters of Genesis 1, the beginning of a new creation. It is increasingly used for Advent in Protestant churches to distinguish it from Lent.

Pink

Pink symbolizes joy and happiness. In various churches it is used either for the Third or Forth Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy at the impending birth of Jesus.

Rose

Rose also is used to symbolize joy and happiness, and is an alternate color for the Third or Fourth Sunday of Advent.

White

White symbolizes purity, holiness, and virtue, as well as respect and reverence. White is used for all high Holy Days and festival days of the Church Year, especially the seasons of Christmas and Easter, as well as for baptism, marriage, ordination, and dedications. It is also used for funerals as a symbol of the resurrection.

Silver

Because of its brightness, metallic silver is sometimes used as an alternate color for white.

Gold

Gold symbolizes what is precious and valuable, and so symbolizes majesty, joy, and celebration. Because of its brightness metallic gold also symbolizes the presence of God. It is most often used with white for high Holy Days and festival days of the Church Year, especially the seasons of Christmas and Easter. It is also sometimes used as a secondary color for other seasons.

Yellow

Yellow symbolizes light which in turn is a symbol of the presence of God. It is also symbolic of renewal and hope, especially in the resurrection of Jesus. It is often used as an alternate color for gold when white is used as a sanctuary color. It is sometimes used with white for Easter.

Green

Green symbolizes the renewal of vegetation and generally of living things and the promise of new life. It is used for the Season of Epiphany between Transfiguration Sunday and the beginning of Lent, and for Ordinary Time between Trinity Sunday (first Sunday after Pentecost) and the beginning of Advent.

Light Green

Light Green is sometimes used as an alternate color for Green during Ordinary Time. Some churches use Light Green before Lent (Season of Epiphany) and Green after Pentecost.

Purple

Purple can symbolize pain, suffering, and therefore mourning and penitence. It is the liturgical color for the Season of Lent. It is also the color of royalty so traditionally has also been used for Advent and is still used in Catholic churches. However, Blue is replacing purple for Advent in many Protestant churches.

Red Violet

Red Violet or Violet is also a symbol for pain and suffering, and is used as an alternate color for the Season of Lent.

Gray

Gray is the color of ashes, and therefore a biblical symbol of mourning and repentance. It can be used on Ash Wednesday, during Lent, or on special days of fasting and prayer.

Black

Black represents death and mourning. It is used only on Good Friday and Holy Saturday before the Easter Vigil, with no other decorations or colors. Sometimes black is used to cover other sanctuary symbols or to drape the sanctuary cross on Good Friday.

Red

Red is the color of fire and so symbolizes the presence of God. It is the liturgical color for Pentecost. It is considered the color of the Church, since red can also symbolize the blood of martyrs. It is sometimes used for Maundy Thursday and during Eastertide. In Catholic tradition it is used for Palm Sunday in anticipation of the death of Jesus. In some traditions it is used to commemorate special days for martyrs or saints.

Olive

Olive is sometimes used as a Church color during Ordinary Time.

Aqua

Aqua is sometimes used as a Church color during Ordinary Time.

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