The Church Year at UCC

The church year is not determined by how the planets move around the sun or how any civil group organizes itself. It is regulated by the events in the life of Jesus the Christ, the Son of Righteousness and Salvation. The church year, therefore, begins with Advent, when we prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Advent - the season of preparation for the celebration of the Incarnation of the son of God.

Four Sundays prior to Christmas
Since the seventh century, the Western church has begun Advent on the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew, and has ended it on the Sunday before Christmas Day, a period containing four Sundays, and four weeks. 

Liturgical Color for Advent
The color symbolizing the season of preparation is purple at UCC. Some churches use blue rather than purple. In UCC worship, the color purple is reflected in the scarves on the pulpit and lectern and  stoles worn by clergy and choirs. This color  symbolizes our need to look into our hearts and repent as we consider the need which brought the eternal Son to dwell among people. It’s also the color of royalty, suggesting the second aspect of Advent, the righteous rule of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Customs Connected with Advent
Lighting of the Advent Wreath with its four candles, one for each Sunday, comes to us from European heritage, and occurs at UCC each Sunday of Advent. Families or small groups are selected to light the candle for that day, plus any previous candles already lit, and share a reading highlighting the theme for that day's worship. We encourage  families to repeat this Advent Wreath custom at home around the dinner table on Sunday evenings. This will assist in positive reinforcement of the Biblical meaning around Advent and Christmas, even when seasonal commercialization surrounds us.

The Season of Christmas or Christmastide - the Season of the Nativity
Christmastide begins Christmas Eve and lasts twelve days. It could contain one or two Sundays, depending on the day of the week that Christmas falls. Its message focuses on the word, "incarnation" which comes from the Latin care (flesh) and of Immanuel  (God with us). Christmas carols are joyously sung during Christmastide, and many of them also serve as Epiphany Carols. The color of the season is white, symbolizing purity.

The Season of Epiphany - "to show" or manifestation
This season begins January 6, and continues to Ash Wednesday. It demonstrates the Glory of God in sending Christ into the world. This season is associated with the coming of the Wise Men. Because the Wise Men were not Jews, the importance of Epiphany's message deals with the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Therefore, the Epiphany season has become a time for emphasis on the church's missionary task. At UCC, the beloved Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is presented each year as our Epiphany pageant to the church and community. This festival is rich in symbolism related to the coming of Christ to the world and the triumph of love over hate. Color of the first two Sundays in Epiphany is white, symbolizing God's love and Jesus' purity. Then the color becomes green, symbolizing growth.

The Season of Lent
Forty days and forty nights comprise the season of Lent, beginning Ash Wednesday,  Sundays are not  included in the days of Lent. Lent is associated with a period of discipline, reflection, and abstinence in order to imitate Christ's self-denial, and to prepare for the celebration of Easter. The color connected to Lent is purple, signifying a penitential and preparation period. Symbols of Lent include the Crown of Thorns and the Cross. Holy Week at UCC begins with the remembrance of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with worship in the morning and with baptism of our Faith Development Class in the afternoon. On Thursday evening of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday), a remembrance of the Last Supper is central to the worship service in the sanctuary. (Maundy takes its name from the "New Commandment" which Jesus gave to the disciples to love one another.) At noon, Good Friday, worship is held in the UCC sanctuary, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus. ("Good" probably coming from "God's Friday.")

The Season of Eastertide - the season of resurrection
This most glorious season begins the eve of Easter and ends the eve of Pentecost, fifty days later. The movable days and festivals of the church year depend on the date of Easter. Easter is always the first Sunday after the full moon falling upon or after March 21, the first day of spring. Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25. Ascension Day comes on the fortieth day after Easter and is always on a Thursday. This day marks the completion of Christ's ministry on earth. Ascension lasts ten days and corresponds with the length of time the disciples waited in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost, which is the end of Eastertide. Symbols of the season are the Cross and the Crown. White is the color for Eastertide and Ascension Day, signifying God's victory over the powers of evil, the perfection of God's work, and our joy.

Pentecost, the day of Pentecost, the birthday of the New Testament church, and the Receiving the Holy Spirit
The word Pentecost means "Fiftieth Day" and, from ancient times, was associated with the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Red is the color of the Pentecost Season, signifying divine fire, one symbol of Pentecost, in addition to the fervor of the church's faith. The dove is the most common symbol of the Holy Spirit, and is found in the story of Jesus' baptism. The wind provides a third symbol.

Trinity, serves as the long season between Pentecost and the beginning of Advent, in which the instructional half of the church year occurs. The color green is symbolic of growth in keeping God's commandments, to bring forth Christ-like living.