Colors of Worship

Liturgical colors are those used for paraments (adorning the chancel furniture), vestments (adorning the pastor) and accessories (banners, etc) which follow the liturgical church year.  The color of the week is determined by the Sunday, except in the case of Christmas Eve and Day.  If a minor festival of the church occurs in the middle of the week, the color of the festival is used for that day, but afterward reverts back to the color of the Sunday.  If the festival is celebrated on a Sunday, then the festival color is used that Sunday.  The three most commonly transferred festivals to a Sunday are: St. Michael’s and All Angels on the Sunday on or after Sept. 29, Reformation Day on the Sunday before Oct. 31, and All Saints’ Day on the Sunday after Nov. 1. The colors are not changed for funerals or weddings.

The use of different colors in the Church has developed for both psychological and didactic (educational) reasons. It is natural to associate certain colors with particular moods or feelings, therefore, the Church has at different times and places used various colors to express the mood according to the liturgical calendar and festivals. Christians in the Western and in the Eastern traditions do not necessarily adhere to the same color scheme, though each has theological and practical reasons for their choices.

Lutheranism generally follows the color scheme of Western Christianity as it generally follows the liturgical practices which arose in the West.  In the early church there was no fixed rule for determining the color for the season.  Ordinarily the newest and best paraments were used for more important occasions.  It was not until the 16^th century that certain colors were assigned during particular seasons or festivals, though standardization was not achieved until the 19th century (as the story goes, this was mainly due to the commercial influence of the ecclesiastical supply houses).  The following is a list of standardized, primary liturgical colors, used during the Church year: (A listing of which colors are to be used on which day can be found in the Lutheran Service Book, “The Church Year” pp. x-xi.

White: The color of purity and eternity, symbolizing perfection, celebration and joy.  White is used for Christmas and its season, Easter and its season, Maundy Thursday (if Holy Communion is celebrated), the Feast of Holy Trinity (the 1^st Sunday after Pentecost), and Christological festivals of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation, and the Transfiguration.  It is used for St. Michael and All Angels and for the festivals of saints who were not martyrs.  White may also be used for a mission festival or a day of Thanksgiving.

Red: The color of zeal and martyrdom.  Red is the color of the Day of Pentecost, Reformation Sunday, Palm Sunday, and festivals of saints who died as martyrs.  It is also used for Ordinations, installation of a pastor, Dedication of a church, and anniversary of a congregation.

Green: The color of life, refreshment, and regeneration.  Green is used for the season after Pentecost and the season of Epiphany.

Purple: The color of royalty, but also of sorrow and repentance.  Purple is used during the Advent and Lenten seasons.  It may also be used on a Day of Supplication and Prayer.

Black: The color of mourning, humility, and death.  Black is used on Ash Wednesday (as an alternative to purple) and Good Friday.

The following is a list of optional or secondary colors that may be used in place of the primary colors noted above:

Blue: The color of spiritual love, fidelity, anticipation, hope, and royalty.  Blue is the alternate color for Advent, owing that the emphasis since the liturgical reforms of 1960s is on hope and anticipation of the coming Christ.  It is also commonly used on festivals of St. Mary, the Mother of our Lord.

Scarlet: The color of royalty and passion.  Scarlet is an alternative color for Holy Week, used until after the Maundy Thursday Service (if, contrary to Lutheran custom, Holy Communion is not celebrated).

Gold: The color of riches and glory.  Gold may be used on Easter Day, the “queen” of festivals, as an alternative to white.

Rose: The color of anticipation and joy.  If a congregation observes Gaudete (the third Sunday in Advent, translated as Rejoice, from the first word of the introit of the day, and represented by the pink candle on the Advent wreath) or Laetare (the fourth Sunday in Lent, translated as O Be Joyful, from the first word of the introit of the day), rose may be used in place of purple (or blue and purple).

note: post 5/11 adapted from my brother's writings