The church year is made up of six seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost; and twelve Festival Days: Christmas, the Name of Jesus, Epiphany, The Baptism of Our Lord, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, Easter, The Ascension of Our Lord, The Feast of Pentecost, The Holy Trinity, Reformation Day, All Saints' Day, and Christ the King. These seasons and days make up the Christian calendar.
The seasons follow the life of Jesus,
the Christ, beginning with the preparation for his birth in Advent, the
birth of the Christ child at Christmas, the journey of discipleship in Epiphany
as the Wise Men follow the star to Bethlehem, the preparation for Jesus'
passion and death during Lent and Holy Week, the resurrection of Jesus from
the dead at Easter, and his ascension into Heaven. After his ascension,
we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and build our
relationship with the risen Christ during this season.
The church year begins with the Advent of Our Lord, the four weeks of getting ready for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem on Christmas Day. Advent is a time of joyful preparation for the wonderful time when the Son of God came to earth to live as a person among regular people. The color of Advent is blue.
Christmas is a short season, beginning
with Christmas Day, December 25, and continuing through the Name of Jesus
until Epiphany. Christmas is a season of thankfulness for the goodness
of God. The color of Christmas is white.
Epiphany begins on January 6, the day the Wise Men came to Bethlehem to worship the Baby Jesus. Epiphany is a season of worship, as the whole world follows the Wise Men to find and honor Jesus. The color of Epiphany is green.
Lent
begins with Ash Wednesday and is a season of self-examination and quiet
contemplation of the mysteries of God. Christians prepare for the
death of their sins and worldly selves with the death of Jesus on the cross
on Good Friday as they follow his footsteps through Holy
Week. The color of Lent
is purple.
The Season of Easter begins with Easter Sunday. It is a glorious celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. It is a season of praise, as Christians glorify the risen Christ. The color of Easter is white.
The Season of Pentecost begins with the Feast of the
Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. Because Pentecost celebrates the descent
of the Holy Spirit from heaven to all Christians, Pentecost is a season
of evangelism and outreach, as Christians look for the presence of
the Holy Spirit in everyone on earth. The color of Pentecost is green.