Mariel and I went to over 65 different churches during our time on the road. And they weren’t all Methodist. We’ve been to Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Foursquare, Cowboy, Church of Christ, Baptist, and a few others. That got me to thinking about all the different symbols and ceremonies that we saw. One of the things that I noticed was that the colors in the church all changed throughout the year. Why?
Someone, somewhere decided that they needed to redecorate their sanctuary based on the season of the year. As far as I can tell, it didn’t come from the Bible unless it’s in the book of Thessophesians.
Since I’m now lazy, I’ve asked an AI to do the research for me. This is what it said… let me know if there are any errors!
When did the church start using colors?
Churches didn’t start out with a universal “color calendar.” Early Christians certainly used special vesture and beautiful materials, but a standardized, church‑wide system of assigning specific colors to specific seasons emerged gradually in the Western church and was largely systematized in the Middle Ages. By the late 1100s/early 1200s, Pope Innocent III described an organized set of liturgical colors for the Roman Rite that became the backbone for later practice. Later, the 1570 Roman Missal of Pope Pius V helped solidify and spread a more uniform scheme in the Latin (Roman Catholic) West.
Why did the church start doing it?
The point wasn’t “because the Bible says so,” but because the church found that color is a simple, powerful way to teach and reinforce the meaning (mood, theology, emphasis) of the season or feast—penitence, celebration, martyrdom, resurrection, “ordinary” growth, etc. Sources describing the practice note that it helps clergy and people “feel the mood and spirit” of a feast/season and marks transitions through the Christian year.
Methodist Liturgical Colors
In the Methodist tradition, the colors are less about a strict rule and more about using visual symbols to help tell the story of the Christian year (the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—and the life of the Church).
| Season / Day | 2026 Calendar | Color | At-a-glance meaning |
| Advent | Nov 29-Dec 24 | Purple or Blue | Preparation for Christ’s coming; purple often highlights repentance/royal expectation, while blue highlights hope and watchful waiting. |
| Christmas Season | Dec 25-Jan 10 | White / Gold | Joy and celebration of the Incarnation; light, glory, and praise. |
| Lent (incl. Holy Week) | Feb 18-Apr 4 | Purple | Repentance, prayer, self-examination, and the road to the cross. |
| Easter Season | Apr 5-May 23 | White / Gold | Resurrection joy; victory, new life, and God’s renewing power. |
| Pentecost | May 24 | Red | Holy Spirit and fire; the Church sent into mission and witness. |
| Ordinary Time (most weeks) | Jan 12-Feb 17 May 25-Nov 21 | Green | Growth in discipleship and everyday faithfulness; life and maturity. |
| Other major festival days (examples) | Transfiguration: Feb 15 Trinity: May 31 All Saints: Nov 1 Christ the King: Nov 22 | White / Gold | Celebration of key moments in Christ’s life and the Church year. |
Methodist resources also point out that special holy days can override the standard seasonal color (for example, white on Transfiguration Sunday or Trinity Sunday), and they encourage some local creativity with worship visuals as long as the symbols help proclaim the gospel clearly.
So, the colors aren’t mere decoration. There is thought and purpose behind everything that happens in the church including the color of the materials at the altar and the banners in the sanctuary.