SEASONS OF THE CHURCH YEAR

THE SEASONS OF THE CHURCH YEAR ARE, QUITE SIMPLY, THE CALENDAR THAT MARKS THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. 

  It is natural for us to use calendars to keep track of time and seasons of the year. The calendar helps us to know when to celebrate certain events or occasions.
  In the same way, the church seasons help us to remember and celebrate Christian faith in worship.

The Christian Church year focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus.
  High points are remembered by means of feasts [or festivals]. During these times we rejoice in worship; examples of these feasts are Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.
  Keeping track of the church year helps us to reflect on the meaning of the coming of Jesus into our world.

  When priests and congregation move through the church calendar, they are given the opportunity to reflect upon, talk about and respond to the faith confessions that lie at the heart of Christianity.
  This helps both individual and community to grow in worship and in following as disciples as Christ.

ORGANIZATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR
  The Christian Calendar is organized around two major centers of Sacred Time;

• Advent, Christmas and Epiphany
• Lent, Holy Week, Easter, concluding at Pentecost.

The rest of the year following Pentecost is known as Ordinary Time. This name is derived from the word 'ordinal', which means counted time. Time is then counted from the First Sunday after Pentecost, on to the Second Sunday after Pentecost, and so on.

SERVICES OF WORSHIP
  Services of worship involve all of the senses, sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. So the worship experiences at Church need to be more than communal gathering with preaching.

  A great example of a service of worship being led by a priest that involved all the senses was one Christmas Day Mass I attended, many years ago.
  We had been asked to assemble outside the church portals about an hour before the Christmas Mass was due to begin.
  Luckily it was a fine day, and we all arrived - not knowing quite what to expect.  The priest stood outside, and greeted each of us.
 He knew all our names, and this certainly made me feel both welcome and part of the community.

  The priest then read from the Scriptures about Mary and Joseph coming all the way from Nazareth. He spoke of how weary Mary must have been; how concerned Joseph at the imminent birth of Jesus with no adequate shelter.
  Standing out there I thought I heard a clop of a hoof against cobblestones. There it was again - the striking of hooves against gravel. And at that, a donkey rounded the corner of the church making for the archway; a woman in blue and white on his back, and a man in brown and with a staff and sandals leading him.
  We were all amazed. The donkey came to a halt at the doorway, next to a little lad who held out an apple for him. This had obviously been rehearsed, as the donkey seemed expectant, and crunched the apple happily.

  More was to come. As we trooped merrily into the church, someone had been there before us and lit fat red candles in saucers with ivy and holly in each window.
  We were all singing from the hymn sheets with much verve, as the story of Bethlehem had started to really come alive that December evening.
  Then as we sang 'Away in a Manger', the priest processed up the aisle, followed by an anxious 'Mary' and hovering 'Joseph'.
  We soon found out why. The priest carried the life size baby statue to the crib under the altar - which had been packed with hay and cloths laid over it.
  He gently laid the baby in the crib, and then the statue came to life as the baby snuffled and sighed in his sleep.
  No statue this - this was the last baby who had been baptised in the parish just weeks before, and the couple playing the roles of Mary and Joseph were his parents.

  That was the most amazing Christmas service. I remember it to this day. After the wonderful Eucharist [during which baby woke up and demanded with vociferous squalls for his mum] we trooped out singing 'Joy to the World'. We were met outside most unexpectedly by hot mulled wine and mince pies on long low trestle tables before the front of the church. Passersby in the nearby street stopped when they saw the merriment, and some accepted our invitation to come and enjoy a pie and mug.

  And, in the spirit of Christmas, as we were about to wend our way home, the evening star began to twinkle in the sky.

This amazing Christmas service [I don't suggest you try it, apparently it had been done elsewhere and the donkey bolted up the aisle of the church before disgracing himself at the crib] certainly ticked all the boxes of a sensational worship event.
Sight [the couple playing Mary and Joseph, the baby as the center of our remembrance of the Messiah].
Sound; the music, the donkey hooves, the swish of his tail; the cooing of the mum as she rocked baby back to sleep after Eucharist. The music.
Smell; the donkey hide outside, the beeswax candles inside, the scent of flowers on the altar; the heavy spiced wine and the steaming raisin insides of the mince pies.
Touch; the crackle of hymn sheets through fingers, the old fashioned greeting of parishioners and priest by means of handshake.
Taste; the joy of the Eucharist. The unexpected party afterwards.

Church Colors
The Church often uses colors in the Church as an easy way for the parishioner and worshipper to identify what part of the Church Year is being celebrated.
  Different colors are associated with different seasons, and the changing colors of communion altar and pulpit coverings or wall banners offer visual aids for the seasons.
  Some churches and chapels use minimal aids in the Church, preferring a slower and simpler style.
  It doesn't matter how the priest and community choose to express their worship - what is important, is that they do worship.

Church Color Guide
  If you wish to use colors in your church to help mark the church seasons, here is a guide;
First, second and fourth weeks of advent; purple color
Third week of advent; pink color
Christmas Midnight; white and gold
Christmas Day and Christmas evening; white and gold
Epiphany; white and gold
After Epiphany; green
Transfiguration; white and gold
Ash Wednesday; purple
Lent; purple
Laetare Sunday during Lent; rose
Palm Sunday; purple
Maundy Thursday; purple
Good Friday; purple
Holy Saturday; purple
Easter; white and gold
Eastertide; white and gold
Ascension Day; white and gold
Eastertide; white and gold
Pentecost; red and gold
Trinity Sunday; white and gold
Ordinary Time; green
All Saints Day or Sunday; white and gold
Ordinary Time; green
Christ the King; white and gold

Draped Cross 
 Some churches have an image of the cross; this is often draped as a sign of respect during Lent; Good Friday and Easter.
  The cloth chosen is purple during Lent and Good Friday. A white cloth can be draped over the arms of the cross on Easter and thereafter, symbolizing that Christ is risen, the tyranny of death is no more.

Church Year Cycles 
  Books with Church Year Cycles can be bought at reputable church bookshops and stores.
  The Church Year begins with Advent in November/December.
There are three different Church Year Cycles, each with different readings and worship formats.

• Year A
• Year B
• Year C

Revised Common Lectionaries are most helpful in this regard.
  The priest can organize church services and sermons ahead of time by means of following the suggestions in the different Years.

Season Markers
Different markers can be used in the chapel or church at different times to accentuate the season.
  Examples of this are;

• Christmas Crib at Christmas and Christmastide
• Three Magi images around the Christmas crib at Epiphany
• Christmas tree
• Christmas wreath with Advent candles
• Cross draped with cloth during Lent and Good Friday
• Easter scene with empty tomb during Easter

Rev Catherine Nicolette Whittle