‘The Colors of the Liturgical Seasons’

Worship Ministry • The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
By Rev. Douglas K. Escue

Color. Color is everywhere. Color is God's way of filling his world with beauty and giving pleasure to those who live in this colorful world. Christians, for centuries, have used color in divine worship to emphasize the redemptive action of God through his Son.

Color, Like Music

Color, like music, plays an important role in the life of God's worshiping people. Just as music is the “handmaiden to theology,” liturgical color complements the message of the seasons and occasions during the church year. Taking a familiar seat in the nave of his/her chapel preceding worship on any given Sunday, the worshiper's emotions and intellect are immediately engaged by color. Liturgical colors aid in establishing a climate in which Law and Gospel may be heard and received.

Color, Like Light

Color, like light which is its source, is most helpful when it is pleasing as well as stimulating to the senses. However, let's never forget its primary role in divine worship: Color allows us to see the Light of Life, Jesus Christ. It serves to communicate the message of salvation. And communicate it does when it reinforces a specific “colorful” chapter in the life of our Lord and his church, retold annually by the church calendar.

Color’s Purpose

However, color and its bright message can easily be taken for granted or mistaken in its purpose. The paraments, vestments, altar clothes, banners, traditionally employed each Sunday, must be seen as more than an attempt to decorate, or give accent to the chancel. That is, no doubt, the view of some. It's true; interior design and decoration are important. But a greater service is demanded of our liturgical colors than merely making the surroundings “pretty.”

Furthermore, when altar paraments are used year after year without much attention given to their message, as well as their care, the pastor, along with his faithful altar guild would do well to throw away the key to the sacristy and refrain from using those altar cloth “decorations.”

Frequent instruction about the church year and its corresponding colors must go hand in hand with its weekly use.

Teaching about Liturgical Colors

How do you go about instructing and communicating appreciation for the colors of the church year and the seasons they support?

Some liturgical creativity is in order for this task. Think of the rainbow. The rainbow is that vivid reminder of God's promise given to Noah and his descendants. The acronym, “Roy-g-biv,” is a helpful device in remembering that beautiful object of hope, and its red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet colors.

Let's adapt that helpful device for use in taking a fresh look at the colors of the church year.

Five Basic Colors

Traditionally, five basic colors of a festive, penitential, and neutral nature have been used in most liturgical congregations. In recent times, with liturgical renewal, three additional colors (blue, scarlet, and gold) have been added to the basic five of white, red, green, violet or purple, and black.

Instead of “Roy-g-biv,” may I suggest “Bg-Bgs-Pwr?” (blue, green, black, gold, scarlet, purple, white and red) “Bg-Bgs-Pwr,” enunciated Big Bags of Power” might at first seem silly. Indeed it is! Does it have anything to do with the message of those colors? Not really! Then, why suggest such a ridiculous notion? Because, a humorous, yet effective memory technique, such as “Bg-Bgs-Pwr,” is what we may need to remember this liturgical tool and the message it conveys throughout the church year.

Each “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” color has evolved through the centuries in the community of faith to communicate a powerful message. A fresh look at the “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” color scheme can reawaken our appreciation for this time-honored custom.

Blue

Blue, the first color of the “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” scheme, is the more contemporary color increasingly used by many congregations in their observance of a new church year. Advent, a preparatory time of waiting and watching, communicates the message of hope. BLUE-the color of the sky-helps convey that powerful message. Our Christian faith rests on the hope that Christ, who came in history assuming our flesh, will also return on the last day of time from that same blue sky he ascended long ago.

Green

Green, comes next in the acronym and is by far the most common color seen during the year.

Lutheran Service Book calls for its use during the seasons of Epiphany and Pentecost. The first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21), also known as Easter Sunday, determines the length of these two seasons.

The days of Epiphany may entail a total of, but not more than, eight Sundays. The season of Pentecost, on the other hand, can last from 22 to 28 Sundays. Green is the appointed color for all but a few of the Sundays during these seasons. Consequently, green may be used an average of six to eight months of any given liturgical year!

Epiphany's message of Christ's revelation to the Gentiles along with the season's traditional emphasis on extending Christ's kingdom through missions, calls for the use of green-the color symbolic of growth.

The Sundays following Pentecost, observed as “the time of the church,” share a somewhat similar theme as that of Epiphany. Affectionately called the season of the “green meadow,” no doubt due to the fact of green being the established color, these Sundays also emphasize the subject of growth.

Green is a neutral color, but there is nothing colorless about our need to grow and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ. That's why the “green meadow” time of the church year is so lengthy.

Time must be given to encourage all worshipers to maintain their faith through the constant use of God's means of grace.

A helpful suggestion for congregations observing summer and fall months with one neutral color, would be to invest time and effort in obtaining several sets of green paraments. Variety and change in shades of this color would go a long way in keeping the season fresh and “green.” Changing the paraments every six weeks would complement the Sundays following Pentecost and their emphasis on personal faith that is living and growing.

Black

Black is seen very seldom during the year. The calendar calls for its use only twice; on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. There's no mistaking the message that this sober color gives. Black is the absence of light. Good Friday, or Black Friday in combination with Ash Wednesday, calls for sober reflection on the cost of our redemption. Without Christ's sacrifice on the day the sky turned dark and hid the light of the sun, there would be no bright Light of Christ to live in, nor new life in Christ to enjoy.

Gold

Gold is the optional color for Easter Sunday. It is also the suggested color for the last Sunday in the church year when that day is observed as Christ the King Sunday (LBW). Its use may not be popular yet, but its emphasis is undeniable. Gold represents value and worth. The golden festival of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the event that gives our lives meaning and worth. He is worthy of our praise as we adorn his altar with the color of splendor.

Scarlet

Scarlet (a vivid red, or orange) is the fifth letter in the “Bg-Bgs-Pwr<” acronym that is called for use during Holy Week; from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday. It is a color worth investing in because it stands in contrast to the traditional red that is used on Festival Sundays. Scarlet's use during the somber days of Holy Week help to offer a different message. As the Manual on the Liturgy points out, “scarlet is a color anciently associated with the passion ... the color of blood” (p. 25).

Purple

Purple, like black, is a penitential color, in contrast to a festive one. It is appropriately used during Lent and, still in many parishes, during the season of Advent. The forty days of Lent, including the six Sundays that fall during this season, use this deep, rich color which has come to represent somberness and solemnity, penitence, and prayer.

Violet or purple was a very cherished and expensive color in the world Jesus lived. The dye used to make the color was painstakingly acquired by massaging the neck of a Mediterranean shell fish that secreted a special fluid. It was therefore afforded only by the rich and worn most exclusively by the royalty.

Jesus, the king of the Jews, wore a purple robe only once. As the soldiers mocked and tormented him, the Scriptures record they placed on him a “purple garment” in order to ridicule him and belittle the claim that he was a monarch.

Therefore, purple is used during this penitential season of Lent as a vivid reminder of the contempt and scorn he endured, and the subsequent sacrifice he made for our eternal salvation. Ecclesiastical purple should remind all Christians of their daily need to humbly give attention to leading a life of repentance.

White

White is the color of purity and completeness. The theme for the “great fifty days” of Easter is supported by the use of white. This color, used primarily during these Sundays, assists in bearing the message that “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” Christ's triumph from the grave on Resurrection day is the cause for our rejoicing. His purity before his Father becomes our purity. White reinforces that message of joy.

In addition to its use during Eastertide, white is the appointed color for such festive Sundays as Christmas and its twelve days; Epiphany (Jan. 6) and the first Sunday following it, observed as the Baptism of Our Lord; the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, also known as Transfiguration Sunday; Holy Trinity Sunday; and twenty-one minor festivals and occasions listed on the church year calendar in Lutheran Service Book. In all, white serves as the best festive color for the church year.

Red

Finally, red completes the acronym, “Bg-Bgs-Pwr.” Red is a power color and is appropriate for use on Pentecost Sunday. On this day we remember the power and fire of “the Lord and Giver of Life,” who revealed himself as the promised one. The color red communicates the motif of strength-strength and power the Holy Spirit gives in order for God's people to call on the name of Jesus Christ and share that powerful name with others.

There is no question that red is a compelling festive color. Consequently, it serves well as the traditional color for the heroic martyrs of the church. The Lutheran Service Book church year calendar provides propers for sixteen martyr festivals and recommends red as the appropriate color. Their red blood shed in defense of the Gospel offers perpetual encouragement for God's people to be resolute in living the faith.

Additional uses of red are Reformation Sunday; Holy Cross Day (Sept. 14); on such festive occasions as dedications, anniversaries of a congregation and its physical structure; festive days celebrating the office of the public ministry, such as ordination and installation.

Symbolism of Colors

It is appropriate, from time to time, to take a thoughtful and fresh look at the colors that are displayed throughout the church year. In the end, we admit, the use of paraments, vestments, altar clothes, banners is an adiaphoron. Even the symbolism behind the traditional colors is somewhat arbitrary and open to additional interpretations as generations pass. The primary source and guarantor of their meanings is tradition.

However, the important thing to remember is why we retain this traditional liturgical standard. The value of the “Bg-Bgs-Pwr” color scheme rests in their purpose: to serve God's worshiping community by assisting in communicating the holy faith from generation to generation. In every age, the beauty and symbolism of color in the church continues to serve us exceptionally well!

Soli Deo Gloria pro Ecclesia Colorem!

Author: Douglas K. Escue — pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Originally published in Lutheran Worship Notes, Issue 29, 1994.

"Keep your relationship right with Him, then whatever circumstances you are in, 

and whoever you meet day by day.

He is pouring rivers of living water through you, and it is 

His mercy that He does not let you know it.

When once you’re rightly related to God by salvation and sanctification, 

remember that wherever you are, you are put there by God.”

(Oswald Chambers)

The church year is pretty much built around three major events:  Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.  Today, for example, is the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.  But the church year is also peppered with a number of minor festivals.  These always occur on a fixed date—like April 25 or December 26.  July 22 is the Feast of St. Mary of Magdalene—and that is how it happened that we are reading about the resurrection today.

The reading for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene goes like this.  Mary Magdalene is standing outside of Jesus’ tomb.  She is sobbing—inconsolably—because the tomb is empty.  (Of course, you and I would have good reason to cry if a body was found in Jesus’ tomb; but Mary is crying because his body is not there.)  She has not yet recognized the signs.  A few days ago, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.”  But Mary hasn’t caught on to his meaning yet.

She looks into the tomb.  Two angels are inside—clothed in gleaming white robes.  Mary obviously sees them; but St John the Evangelist records no reaction.  As far as we can tell, she may not have realized they were angels!  “Woman, why are you weeping?” one asks.  “They have taken his body.”

Mary turns to leave the tomb and runs smack into a man.  It’s Jesus; but she does not yet recognize him.  It hasn’t occurred to her to expect a living Lord.  Her thoughts are only of what she has lost: his corpse.  Mary thinks the man before her is a gardener.

But Jesus says to her, “Mary”.  And finally the moment comes.  The eclipse passes.  The sun bursts across her memory, and the old familiar face of her Lord is paired with the man that just spoke her name.  Recognition.  It happened just as Jesus had said 10 chapters before:  “the shepherd calls his sheep by name…and they know his voice.”

Recognition is something we find essential.  The ability to recognize faces allows us to make friends, to recognize patterns, allows us to learn, to recognize danger, allows us to survive.

It took Mary a couple of tries to recognize Jesus.  But some people never did.  In the book of Acts—in today’s Epistle—Paul said that the people of Jerusalem never recognized Jesus; and because they did not recognize him, they fulfilled the Scriptures by condemning him.  What an awful mistake…

Every human being has had Mary Magdalene moments: when you hear a familiar voice on the phone but don’t make the connection or when you’re staring at some batch of information and can’t see the pattern.  Many of our Mary moments are pretty benign—they just make us feel silly—but what a tragedy: to be unable to recognize something so eternally important: to be unable to recognize Jesus.  Today’s readings about recognition and unrecognition have made me wonder: would I have recognized Jesus?  Would you?

The Jews in Jerusalem did not recognize Jesus because they expected him to be a king!  They did not recognize the Son of God whom Isaiah said “had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him.”  I’ve been raised on pictures of a Jesus 6 feet tall and trim, a Caucasian who wore clean clothes and had a neatly trimmed beard.  Would I have recognized the Son of God who “had no beauty or majesty?”  Would you?  For that matter, how can anyone be sure of recognizing Jesus?

Paul says in Romans 1 that God’s invisible qualities can be deduced from creation—that men ought to know that there’s a God, and that they are therefore without excuse for their sinfulness.  If you can make a case for God from the evidence for intelligent design or from the existence of conscience, you may prove that there is a god—a fact that even the demons must admit—but you have not yet recognized Him.

Luke says in Acts 13 that many witnesses saw Jesus after Easter.  And we know that some of these men and women died insisting on their testimony.  It’s obvious that the chief priests had only to produce the body of Jesus to destroy Christianity.  But they could not.  You may prove the empty tomb—a fact even the Jews were forced to admit—but you have not yet recognized the Son of God.

David says in Psalm 3, “taste and see that the Lord is good.”  Once a week, an elder hands you a piece of bread: a small disc that has little flavor, just a slight saltiness.  And then you are given a sip of port: a strong, sweet wine.  Once a week, you taste God…but even an unbeliever can eat this meal (though—as Paul says—not to his benefit).  You may taste the body and blood of Jesus and still not yet recognize the Son of God.

Jesus says repeatedly, “he who has ears, let him hear!”  God indeed revealed himself in his Word—he has privileged our ears above every other organ.  As Paul says, “faith comes from hearing.”  Nevertheless, Luke points out in today’s Epistle that the very rulers who rejected Jesus read the Scriptures every week!  They knew the Scriptures; but they did not understand them; and they failed to recognize Jesus.

It is critical then, that we understand the Scriptures—that we read them, learn them, mull over them, memorize them, study them, and wrestle with them.  But it would take more than a hundred lifetimes to exhaust our study of the Scriptures.  How then, can we be certain of recognizing God?

It’s simple actually.  He has given us a sign by which we may know him.  He has chosen to reveal himself in a certain way.  He is always The-God-Who-Saves.  He made himself known to the Israelites by bringing them out of Egypt—and even that was just a foreshadowing of Good Friday and Easter.  God ordained only one name under heaven by which we may recognize him:  Jesus—which quite fittingly means “Yahweh Saves”.  And you will always find Jesus on the cross: giving his life for you, giving his righteousness to you, giving you the peace that passes understanding.  In fact, that is how you can recognize God.  He is always the one giving himself for you.

And that brings us—finally—back to Mary.  Because, in the end, we know God only when he calls us by name.  And he does that in the Word and Sacraments.  When you hear the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” or the words, “Your sins are forgiven” or the words, “This is my body, given for you”—you are being addressed personally—and you can be sure that you are hearing the voice of Jesus. …And then the moment comes…Recognition.  The eclipse passes.  The sun bursts across your memory, and the old familiar words are paired with the living God whom you already know…very well.