The celebration of the major events in the life and ministry of Jesus is an important part of the Church’s worship. The celebration of these events is divided into several seasons, which are sacred times set aside for the worship of God. The themes of the Church’s preaching and teaching are also adapted to these seasons.
There are six seasons in the Church Year, namely Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent (or the Season of Fasting), Easter and Pentecost. Each season is assigned a distinctive colour, each of which has its own significance. Typically, pieces of cloth in these distinctive colours are displayed on the pulpit, the altar or the communion table, and the colours of the stoles worn by church ministers are also adapted to the current season.
The exact dates of these seasons vary across different Church traditions, particularly within the Eastern Church. For the Eastern Church, the liturgical year begins on 1 September. However, what we are primarily discussing here is the practice commonly followed in the Western Church, as we in Indonesia—despite being situated in the East—are part of the Western Church. The reason for this is that the majority of churches in Indonesia today are the result of the work of missionaries from the Western Church. (Although the first to preach the Gospel and establish churches in Indonesia were missionaries from the Eastern Church—namely, Christian Arabs and Persians who arrived in Indonesia long before the arrival of the Europeans—the churches they founded in the archipelago no longer exist.) The Western Churches in Indonesia include the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and various Protestant denominations, including the Adventists, Baptists and Pentecostals, whilst the Eastern Church comprises the Orthodox Church.
In addition to these six seasons, there are also Christian feast days, namely Christmas, Name Day of Jesus, Epiphany, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Christ the King Sunday. In addition to these feast days, some denominations also celebrate Reformation Day, and All Saints’ Day.
These seasons and feast days are aligned with the life of Jesus on earth, beginning with the preparation for his birth during Advent, then his birth itself on Christmas Day, the journey of the Magi at Epiphany as they followed the Star of Bethlehem, the preparation for Jesus’ suffering and death during Lent and Holy Week, his resurrection from the dead at Easter, and his ascension into heaven. After Ascension Day, believers commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, a time to deepen their relationship with Christ.
The church year begins with the Season of Advent, which starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Advent lasts for four weeks and is a time of joyful hope and anticipation, a period of preparation for the faithful as they look forward to the wonderful moment when Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth and dwelt amongst ordinary people. However, it is not only His first coming that is anticipated; during Advent, Christians also specifically reflect upon and look forward to His second coming. The themes and teachings of the Church during Advent are directed towards preparing the faithful for Jesus’ second coming. Consequently, in some church traditions, particularly the Eastern Church, the Advent season is also a time of repentance, fasting and contrition for sins. The colour of Advent is blue or violet—the colour of royalty—to welcome the coming of the King. The Advent season ends on the evening of 24 December.
The Christmas season, on the other hand, is a short period, beginning on 25 December—Christmas Day—and lasting for 12 days until Epiphany. During this Christmas season, there is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. Christmas is a time of giving thanks for God’s goodness. The colours of the Christmas season are white or golden yellow, symbolising purity and joy. These colours are used not only for Christmas but also for Easter.
The Epiphany season begins on 6 January, which, according to tradition, is the day when the Magi from the East came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus, who was then still a baby. The Epiphany season itself begins with the feast of the Epiphany on 6 January, when Christians celebrate how God revealed Himself in human form in Jesus Christ. Epiphany is a season of worship, during which all humanity is invited to follow the Magi in seeking and worshipping Jesus. For during the Epiphany season, we also recall how God was pleased to extend His hand to those who were not originally His chosen people, when He led the Magi to Jesus. The colour of Epiphany is green, the colour of renewal and growth. However, there are churches that do not celebrate the season of Epiphany specifically, and regard this period as Ordinary Time (from ‘ordinal’, meaning the numbered weeks), that is, an ordinary season. In these churches, Ordinary Time resumes again after Pentecost.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (the colour of which is grey), forty days before Easter, and is a time for self-reflection and contemplation of God’s plan. These forty days follow the period when the Lord Jesus was in the wilderness, where He was tempted by the Devil. For Christians, this is a time of repentance, to rid their lives of sin and to crucify worldly desires whilst reflecting on the meaning of Jesus’ suffering and death during Holy Week and, in particular, on Good Friday. The colour of Lent is purple, or in certain churches, violet. These colours symbolise suffering.
The Easter season begins with Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday itself is celebrated on a different date each year. Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the equinox on 21 March (The equinox is the moment when the sun is directly above the equator, so that day and night are of equal length throughout the world, namely 12 hours). This means that Easter Sunday can fall between 22 March and 25 April, depending on when the full moon occurs in the year in question. Easter is a joyful celebration, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This season is marked by hymns as Christians glorify the risen Christ. The Easter season lasts until the feast of Pentecost. The colours of Easter are white or golden yellow, colours also used for Christmas.
The Pentecost season begins with the feast of Pentecost, on the Sunday fifty days after Easter. On the feast of Pentecost, Christians celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit from heaven. The Pentecost season is a time for proclaiming the Gospel, a time for reaching out to others, when Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, bear witness to people throughout the world. The colour of Pentecost is red. Red symbolises the presence of God.
The seasons and feast days from Advent to Ascension provide an opportunity for the congregation, both individually and collectively, to delve deeper into the events of Jesus’ life, beginning with His birth, reflecting on His ministryand His teachings, through to His suffering and death on the cross, followed by His resurrection and Ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit. All of these are celebrated and their significance reflected upon in the lives of believers to strengthen their fellowship with God and with one another.
After the season of Pentecost, the Church enters the “Ordinary Time” (returning to normal). This ordinary season is sometimes associated with the colour pale green. However, some church traditions divide this period into the Pentecost season (until the second-last Sunday in August) and the Kingdom season, running from the last Sunday in August until Advent. During this time, the Church continues to focus on its mission to be the light of the world and to proclaim the Gospel to others.
Written by: P.G. Katoppo
