Pastor's Desk August 2019
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV)
Almost every day now I have a discussion with someone about the time of year it is and how fast things are moving. As we approach August, we certainly begin to make plans for the return to school or college. Fall sports begin to become talked about more especially college football and in our church, Upward Soccer. We begin to long for cooler weather and more Fall like conditions. We also become nervous about hurricanes and flooding in this area.
Yes, time does keep progressing. No one gets younger and no calendar travels backward. We know this and the Bible reminds of this as the passage from Ecclesiastes reminds us. Yet for all our complaining, agitation, and dread about time we find the passing of the seasons comforting. There is something reassuring about the seasons moving from one to another.
When we lived in the Midwest the seasons were very pronounced and distinct. Summer was warm and green. Fall was a gold color as the corn and soybeans became ready for harvest. Winter was a distinct white color and spring was a mixture of all the colors as the seasons began to repeat themselves. Living near the coast in the Southeast the seasons are somewhat less distinguishable unless you count Tourist Season!
Th church also has seasons and they are meant to bring us comfort too. Our ancestors in the church used different colors to mark the seasons of our religious observances. The Liturgical Colors as they are called are meant to help set the mood as we worship and observe the special times of our faith.
In today’s very diverse world, church colors are sometimes being used for political or social messages. Nevertheless, they are all meant to send a signal of the changing times. While different churches use different schemes of colors, we try to take a traditional approach to our church year. Here is a summary of the different Liturgical Colors we use:
White: White is generally considered the color of purity and holiness. Other words we use to describe the meaning of this color are joy, glory, triumph, light, and innocence. Therefore, white is the color used for the seasons of Christmas and Easter. Yes, traditionally the church sees Christmas and Easter not as days but as seasons. The color white is also used for funerals, baptisms, weddings, and the Lord’s Supper.
Purple: Sometimes called violet, purple is the color the church associates with royalty during Advent to symbolize the Baby Jesus as King. In ancient times, the color purple was very expensive to make, and only very important people had such colors. During Lent purple is used as the color of humility perhaps to contrast it with the royalty of Advent.
Green: Green is the color used to symbolize growth and hope. We use the color green in the church during what is called Ordinary Time or those times outside of the special seasons of the faith.
Red: Red symbolizes fire and is used to represent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Acts Chapter 2 describes the event where the first Christians had tongues of fire settle on them as the Holy Spirit came into the world.
Black: Black is the color used for Good Friday symbolizing death and mourning.
Find comfort in the passage of time as you remember that God is in control. Relish the fact that God is doing great things no matter what time of year it is. Enjoy your month of August and the rest of this year as the seasons change and so do we!
Pastor Tim
From the Pastor's Desk 2018
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From the Pastor's 2017
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