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How the Church Tells Time

By: Sarah Bishop

Posted: February 2, 2022

Category: Daily Devotional

Look closely and what shape do you see? The circle completely filled with colors visually displays the Church calendar. And in the circle, what colors do you see? With a white block, the church marks Christmas and then again Easter then Easter time. Christmas itself is specially marked with a gold star. There are exactly 53 blocks, one for each Sunday of worship. With purple blocks, we denoted the number of Sundays in Advent, then again in Lent. The church sees Advent as the time of preparation for that special day of Christmas, and so the Church calendar begins Advent and the previous year ends on Christ the King, the Sunday prior to the first Sunday of Advent. As we move around the circle, you will notice a large section of green, this is ordinary time, those Sundays between Christmas and Lent, then following Pentecost to that first Sunday of Advent again. But don’t forget, that one bright red spot, the celebration of Pentecost!

I love to move the arrows as we count down to those special days within the church but also know what is around the corner or circle, too. Through telling the church year time in this visual of a clock, younger disciples see the important colors used throughout the worship space, see the times of church life connect with their lives and why we tell certain stories at certain times of the year.

Wondering Questions?

I wonder what color, or church time, is your favorite?
            I wonder where within our church do you see these colors and when do they change?
            I wonder why these colors are important to the church?

 

Prayer

God of beginning and endings, we are reminded in the church seasons of how You have always been with us and Your church. In the midst of what feels ordinary, we are grounded in stories of faith that tell of Your love, Your presence and Jesus’s time with us. As we move from Sunday to Sunday, may the Spirit walk with us guiding our steps as faithful disciples, Amen.