Church Year

Definition and Meaning

The church year is the church's calendar, which organizes a year of worship around the birth, suffering, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is often referred to as the cycle of church seasons. The year usually begins with Advent and continues through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. The period from Pentecost until the following Advent contains no major festivals; depending on the church, it is called the "season after Pentecost" or "Ordinary Time." Some churches mark each season with liturgical colors such as purple, white, red, and green, displayed on pulpit hangings or on the stole worn around the minister's neck.

Biblical and Historical Background

Old Testament Israel observed feasts such as Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23). The early church gathered on the first day of the week in remembrance of Jesus' resurrection (Acts 20:7), and this gathering became the origin of the Lord's Day. Easter is generally regarded as the earliest of the church's festivals to be observed. The earliest records of Christmas being celebrated on December 25 are reportedly from fourth-century Rome.

After the Reformation, the Lutheran and Anglican churches largely retained the church year. By contrast, some Reformed churches and Puritans held that festivals other than the Lord's Day lacked a biblical basis, and they either reduced the number of festivals or did not observe them at all. In the twentieth century, amid the movement for liturgical renewal, many Protestant denominations readopted the church year.

Practice in Korean Churches

Regardless of denomination, Korean churches observe Easter and Christmas most prominently. Many churches hold special early-morning prayer meetings during Holy Week.

Denominational differences are as follows:

• Anglican and Lutheran: The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea emphasize liturgy (a prescribed order and form of worship) and follow the church year relatively closely.
• Methodist and Presbyterian: These churches have traditionally centered their observance on the Lord's Day and the major festivals, though in recent years a growing number have begun observing Advent and Lent.
• Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea: The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea is known to observe several weeks in autumn as a "Season of Creation."
• Baptist and Pentecostal: Baptist and Pentecostal churches often emphasize the autonomy of the local congregation, so each congregation tends to decide for itself to what extent it will observe the church year.

The calendar of Korean churches also includes observances outside the church year. Examples include Firstfruits Thanksgiving (commonly the first Sunday of July), Harvest Thanksgiving (commonly the third Sunday of November), the New Year's Eve watch-night service, Children's Sunday, Reformation Sunday, and Bible Sunday.