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Overview The circle of the church year Kids' Seasonal Worship Art

The Circle of the Church Year is a resource which comes to us from an approach to children’s worship called Godly Play.

Throughout the year we follow the traditional colours of the church with the children as a way of orienting ourselves to the rich tradition of seasons and holidays (“holy days”) that are celebrated in the Christian community worldwide:

  • The green, growing days of Ordinary Time (green) which take place during much of the Spring, Summer, and Fall.
  • Advent (blue), the time of waiting and anticipating God’s coming into the world at Christmas (white) in a small, vulnerable child named Jesus of Nazareth.
  • Epiphany (yellow), the season of light, when we look for signs of God’s bright hope during the darkness of winter.
  • During Lent (purple) we hear stories of how Jesus walked with his friends and followers, telling and showing them about the Kingdom of God on the journey towards Good Friday and the cross. For the church this is a time of hope that God knows all of our story and holds us well in the midst of it.
  • After Lent comes Easter (white). This is a season of great celebration: in the resurrection of Christ, renewed creation has begun! This is such great news that we celebrate the Easter season for six weeks.
  • Then we come to Pentecost (red). We go round the Circle of the Church Year, wondering with the children about how the seasons create meaning in our lives and – “Ouch! It’s hot! Pentecost is when God’s Spirit came to Jesus’ followers and they became more alive than they had ever been before. That’s why the colour of Pentecost is red like fire. Ouch! It’s still hot!” (The kids love this part!)

Please contact Melanie Colenutt (Director of Faith Formation for Children and Families) for more information.