To confess means openly to affirm, confess, acknowledge or take a stand for what one believes to be true. From the Book of Confessions, 2004.
The Presbyterian Church is a confessional church, meaning that we've held it important to articulate our faith, to declare what we believe and what we intend to do in particular historical and cultural contexts. Looking to scripture as our guide, we strive to discern its implication for particular times and places. The result has been our collection in the Book of Confessions. These confessions, created at important times in the church's history, are deeply profound confessions of faith.
What does "Ordinary Time" Mean?
Some might argue that the Sundays after Epiphany are not really a church season at all, but just sort of a "buffer" between Christmas and Lent. Some even refer to these weeks with their green paraments, as "ordinary time" as though they are nothing special, but that is not what the church word "ordinary" means. It comes from one of the Latin words meaning numbers, to indicate that instead of having names, these Sundays are simply assigned numbers.
What is our Church Calendar?
The Christian Church year is an annual cycle of festivals and seasons developed straight out of the Word of God by Christian generations long before us.Christians around the world and throughout history have shaped their faith by the events of the Church Year, making this cycle as new as each new year of celebration. The first half of the Church Year. (Advent through Pentecost) recalls events in the life of our Lord, the rest of the Church Year focuses on Jesus' teachings and discipleship, a new life in Christ.
What Does the Color Scheme Mean?
The church's liturgical “color scheme” began in early centuries simply with white and later red for all occasions.Later a set of specific meanings came to be attached to certain colors for church use. Now the liturgical colors of the church seasons are......white, purple, red and green. White (purity/holiness) is used for special days such as Christmas and its season, Easter and its season, Baptism of the Lord Sunday (January 4), Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday (March 6), Trinity Sunday (June 19), and Christ the King Sunday (November 20). Purple (royalty/repentance) marks the season of penitence and preparation, Advent and Lent. (Blue can also be used for Advent). Purple is appropriate for Palm/Passion Sunday. During Holy Week the color is purple until the church is stripped at the end of Maundy Thursday. The church remains bare until the Easter Vigil/Easter. Red (blood/fire/the Holy Spirit) is the color for Pentecost and is sometimes used for ordination services. Green (life) is used for all the other time periods not marked by a specific season (called Ordinary Times) to represent spiritual growth. By learning about liturgical colors and their meanings, all of us can appreciate and understand the church year.
