Color Sunday refers to the liturgical colors used in Christian churches on Sundays throughout the year. The colors serve as visual cues that mark the seasons of the liturgical calendar and highlight the themes of each season. While specific colors and practices vary between denominations and traditions, the general symbolism remains consistent. On Sundays, white, green, purple, red, and black are the most commonly used liturgical colors.
Liturgical colors act as a kind of nonverbal communication in worship services. They reinforce messages being conveyed through prayers, scripture readings, sermons, and hymns. By simply looking at the colors used, worshipers are reminded of what season it is and can connect the dots between the visual cues and larger biblical narratives. The repetition of colors week after week plants liturgical themes more firmly in the minds of worshipers over the course of the Christian year.
Significance of Sunday in the Liturgical Calendar
In most Western Christian traditions, Sunday is the Lord’s Day and the principal day for corporate worship. While festivals and holy days may supersede Sundays at times, Sunday has remained the foundation of the liturgical calendar and the basic building block of the Christian week since the very early church.
Thematically, Sunday has a dual focus. It is a day for commemorating and celebrating Christ’s resurrection, when he rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Sunday worship is thus oriented toward the future hope of resurrection life in God’s eternal kingdom. At the same time, Sunday also looks backward liturgically. It is a weekly participation in the new creation inaugurated by Christ’s resurrection, a commemoration of the first Lord’s Day when God launched God’s new covenant. Every Sunday is itself a little Easter, a microcosm of the Resurrection.
White
White is the color of rejoicing, festival, and the pure light of God’s glory. It is the color of Jesus’ resurrection appearance and his dazzling Transfiguration. The use of white captures the celebratory, joyous meaning of Sunday for Christians, reminding them of Christ’s triumph over sin and death.
In most traditions, white is used for all high Holy Days and festival Sundays that celebrate events in the life of Jesus. These include Christmas, Easter Sunday, Ascension Sunday, Transfiguration Sunday, Christ the King Sunday, Holy Trinity Sunday, and more. White visually reinforces that on these days, the church gives thanks and praise for God’s mighty acts.
Some churches adopt an “all white” custom for the Season after Epiphany and the Season after Pentecost, when the color green is often used. This highlights Sundays as “little Easters” during half of the liturgical year.
Green
Green is the default color for Sundays and weeks after Epiphany and Pentecost in many Western church calendars. As the color of growth, green represents the ongoing work of God’s Spirit within believers. It is sometimes called the “growth” or “ordinary” time color.
Green suggests hope, life, and vitality, reminding Christians that the church and its members are designed to grow and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ. Since most of the year is designated as ordinary time, green is one of the most extensively used Sunday colors. Seeing green week after week instills the idea of perpetual growth in the Christian life.
Some traditions use green on Sundays during Advent to avoid excessive repetition of purple, while others reserve green exclusively for times outside of other seasons.
| Liturgical Season | Common Sunday Colors |
|---|---|
| Advent | Purple or Blue |
| Christmas | White or Gold |
| Epiphany | White or Green |
| Lent | Purple or Unbleached Linen |
| Easter | White or Gold |
| Pentecost | Red or Green |
Purple
Purple is used during the preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. As a color associated with royalty, repentance, and somber introspection, purple captures the anticipatory, preparatory nature of these seasons.
Advent prepares worshipers for Christmas and Christ’s birth with spiritual reflection, so purple reminds them that Advent is a solemn season of thoughtful preparation for the Nativity. Lent prepares worshipers for Easter and Christ’s resurrection using prayer, fasting, and self-examination. Purple signals Lent as a time of sober spiritual discipline before the joyous celebration of the Resurrection.
Purple visualizes the introspective quest to walk closer with God, providing seasonal context. It is why Advent and Lent feature less alleluias and more muted, contemplative worship.
Red
Red symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit, blood, martyrdom, and the passion of Christ. It is the color of Pentecost, when believers celebrate the Spirit’s arrival to empower Christians for ministry.
Red also symbolizes the sufferings of Jesus and Christian martyrs which led to salvation. It reminds believers that the church was founded through the shedding of blood. Redemption through suffering is a key part of the Passion story.
Some churches use red only for Pentecost, while others use it for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and the Feast of the Holy Cross to better link Jesus’ sacrifice and the meaning of following the cross in daily life.
When contrasted with somber Lenten purple, joyful Easter white, or growing green ordinary time, red signals special days which commemorate the work of the Spirit or Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Black
Black is rarely used in Western traditions, but when used, it has a somber, penitential meaning similar to purple. Black is the traditional color of funerals, representing grief, mourning, and death.
In some places, black replaces purple during Holy Week from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday. The color switch to black visually represents Jesus’ passion and death as mourning increases after his Last Supper and crucifixion. The absence of other colors highlights Christ’s sacrificial suffering and death on Good Friday.
Black is also employed by some churches on Ash Wednesday as a symbol of penance and contrition at the start of Lent. As a funerary color, black provokes somber preparation for Easter and the self-reflection of Lent.
Blue
Blue represents hope, constancy, faithfulness, and eternity. It is sometimes used in Advent to distinguish from somber Lenten purple and highlight Advent’s more joyful, hopeful character.
As the color of the sky, blue symbolizes Christ’s heavenly origins, divine nature, and the hope of future glory. It reminds believers that Christ is the long-awaited Messiah who leads into eternal life.
Blue glass has been traditionally used for church windows, further linking blue to the transcendence, infinity, and light of God. Associating blue with Advent and Christ’s first coming foreshadows the greater fulfillment of divine hope when Christ returns.
Rose
Rose is occasionally used on the Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent. These Sundays are joyful breaks in the otherwise somber preparation of the seasons.
The rose color represents joy and gladness amidst repentance and therefore serves as a refreshment midpoint through the penitence of Advent and Lent. It reminds worshipers that God’s grace brings gladness even in seasons of discipline and reflection.
The lighter rose visually brightens up purple or blue vestments and altar cloths to signal these Sundays as celebrations of refreshment and encouragement before believers enter the final stretch of preparation.
Gold or Silver
In some traditions, gold or silver substitutes for white on very special holy days like Easter and Christmas. The metallic shimmer of gold and silver conveys the radiance of the celestial feasts.
The preciousness of the metals also represents the priceless value of Christ’s birth and resurrection. As colors of nobility, gold and silver point to the Kingship of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
Gold and silver carry bright, shiny luster to underscore important holy days that celebrate the divine light which has dawned upon the world through Jesus. Their glow and sparkle communicate the transcendence of these festival Sundays.
Color Symbolism in Worship
Color symbolism serves several key functions within Christian worship services.
- Teaches the seasons of the liturgical calendar and their themes
- Establishes a worship environment oriented to the season
- Reminds worshipers of the underlying message of each season
- Connects weekly services into a coherent narrative throughout the year
- Reinforces the sermon message visually
- Focuses the congregation’s thoughts on Christ
As worshipers grow familiar with the color patterns over time, the colors alone convey liturgical meaning, even without changes in prayers, songs, or preaching. Visual cues allow the liturgy to imprint its yearly narrative on believers through repetition and association.
Color Preferences Vary by Denomination
Although the general symbolic meanings are fairly constant, preferred colors and calendar systems vary considerably by tradition, region, and denomination.
Some use a range of colors freely, while others limit the palette. Personal taste and interpretation also influence a church’s selection. The colors are not absolutes, but helpful guides churches adapt for their own contexts.
| Denomination | Typical Colors |
|---|---|
| Roman Catholic Church | White, Purple, Red, Green, Rose |
| Anglican/Episcopalian | White, Purple, Red, Green |
| Lutheran | White, Purple, Red, Green |
| Presbyterian | Purple, White, Red |
| Methodist | White, Purple, Red, Green |
| Baptist | Usually no colors |
Catholics use the richest palette, while some Protestant traditions are quite minimalist. Baptists and churches in the “free church” tradition make little or no use of color. Varied preferences result from theological and historical differences between denominations.
Meaningful Symbolism
Despite regional variations, liturgical colors remain a powerful, meaningful symbol system. The colors communicate Christian belief visually by illuminating the meanings of seasons and Sundays. Splashes of color throughout the worship space work together with songs, words, and rituals to remind worshipers of the Gospel.
While many contemporary churches have moved away from traditional Christian calendars and colors, they remain a simple yet profound way to infuse visual beauty and meaning into worship. Liturgical colors succinctly convey the themes of the seasons, enriching the Sunday worship experience.
Conclusion
Color plays a central yet subtle role in shaping and enriching the liturgical calendar. The traditional Christian palette of white, purple, red, green, and sometimes blue or black visually reinforces the mood and central themes of each season in the church year. Knowledgeable use of color in vestments and decorations serves as a visual catechism, teaching worshipers the Gospel story by engaging their senses. The strategic use of color in worship powerfully complements the spoken Word, allowing worshipers to associate biblical truths with liturgical hues. For Christian worship services, color choice is never arbitrary, but always filled with significance.
