Liturgical Colours

Over the years colours have been added to the worship service.  It is especially evident when looking at a minister’s stole – the strip of colourful fabric worn over the shoulders and hanging down to the knees. When I was growing up our minister did not wear a stole of any colour.  He wore a black academic gown with three stripes on each arm (he was a Rhodes Scholar.)  I do remember a coloured cloth hanging from the pulpit or scripture lectern.  Other than that, the sanctuary was colourless except for the flowers in the front of the church.  Today churches are much more colourful.  In fact, there are seasons of the church, and each has now been ascribed a colour.  In the United Church of Canada, they are as follows:
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Blue:  Included the First Sunday of Advent until December 23.  
White: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Baptism of Jesus, Transfiguration Sunday, Easter Season and Trinity Sunday, All Saint’s Day and Reign of Christ Sunday.
Green:  It is the most prevalent colour in our tradition.  It includes all ordinary times: Seasons of Epiphany and Pentecost but not the day of Pentecost which is red.
Purple or Black worn from Ash Wednesday and all through Lent.
Red from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday
Black is worn from Good Friday to Holy Saturday
Red is also worn on the Day of Pentecost and any special services.
Orange is Creation time which begins in September and runs until Thanksgiving Sunday

The colours in this Blog represent the seasons of particular events in the Christian calendar.  For
example Easter events are colour coded purple.