The end of the Church Year as we know it is coming and we should feel fine about that reality.
All good things must come to an end. For those of you who are new to the Church calendar, we are coming to the end of the Church liturgical year. The Church year goes from Advent to Advent. You are going to see a change in liturgical colors if you attend or are visiting a liturgical church like mine. We go from greena to purpleb. Pentecost is the final season of the Church, because it re-enacts for us the going-forth of the Gospel to all the world. The green represents this fertile land prepared to be harvested by God. Green speaks of the life the gospel gives. But beginning this Sunday, November 30th, we re-start the entire Church year and begin anew this cycle of expectation, coming, glory, and power.
Why do we go through this cycle again and again? We go through it because we love the Gospel. We love to see it embodied in a baby and we love to see it embodied in an exalted, resurrected King.
The Church Calendar for us is a glorious repetition of what the world was before Christ, what the world became after Christ, and what the world shall be in Christ. The end is coming, but a new beginning is near.
- On Pentecost Sunday, we wear red to signify the fire of the Spirit of God descending (back)
- Purple signifies the expectation of God’s people (back)
Why do I see different advent candle color sets? Some of them have pink candles. What is the reason for the variation in colors?
Still learning the little things and noticing differences in liturgical traditions 🙂