Why Churches Use Liturgical Colors
Walk into a church on a Sunday morning, and you may notice that the colors have changed.
Purple appears during Lent.
White and gold brighten Easter morning.
Red arrives at Pentecost.
Green quietly stretches across much of the year.
For some traditions, these changes are carefully prescribed and centuries old. For others, they are interpreted more loosely or joyfully expanded upon according to the spirit of the congregation.
I believe that there’s room for all of that in this conversation.
Because at their best, liturgical colors are not about rigid rule-following. They are about helping people see the rhythm of the church year.
A Brief History
The use of liturgical colors developed gradually in the Western church over centuries. Early Christians certainly used symbolic colors, but a more organized color system began to emerge in the medieval church.
By the 12th and 13th centuries, churches increasingly associated certain colors with particular seasons and holy days. Over time, these practices became more standardized, especially within Roman Catholic traditions.
Many Protestant denominations later carried portions of this visual language forward, particularly Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others who retained aspects of the liturgical calendar.
And then some churches adapted the tradition more freely, blending historic symbolism with local culture, artistic expression, or congregational identity.
A collection of Carrot Top Studio stoles waiting for the right season to be used! Isn’t this a great way to store them?
Why Colors Matter
Colors communicate quickly. Before a scripture is read or a sermon begins, color is already shaping expectation and emotion. Think about how instinctively we respond to color in everyday life:
red feels energetic or urgent
blue can feel contemplative
green often suggests growth and life
The church uses color in much the same way. Liturgical colors become a visual language that helps worshippers enter the season together.
Purple: Preparation and Reflection
Purple is most often associated with Advent and Lent.
Historically, purple was expensive and connected to royalty, which made it fitting for seasons that prepare us for Christ. But emotionally, purple also carries depth. It feels quiet and contemplative.
During Lent especially, purple invites reflection, repentance, and inward attention.
In Advent, however, some churches choose to use deep blue instead of purple. For many, blue better captures the feeling of the season, not penitence, but hopeful waiting. It evokes twilight skies, early morning light, and the sense that something holy is drawing near.
Whether purple or blue is used, both colors invite the church into a season of preparation and anticipation.
White and Gold: Celebration and Light
White and gold appear during the great festivals of the church year:
Christmas
Easter
Baptisms
Weddings
Special feast days
These colors speak of joy, resurrection, celebration, and the radiant presence of God.
After the restraint of Lent, Easter white feels especially powerful. The sanctuary itself seems to exhale.
Red: Fire, Spirit, and Courage
Red arrives dramatically at Pentecost. As we’ve recently discussed in this article, it represents: the fire of the Holy Spirit, passion and energy, courage and witness.
Some churches also use red for ordinations, confirmations, or martyrs’ days. Red is difficult to ignore, and that is partly the point. Pentecost is not a quiet story!
Green: Growth and the Everyday Work of Faith
Green fills what is called “Ordinary Time.” There is something lovely about that name. Ordinary here does not mean unimportant. It simply refers to the ordered weeks that make up much of the church year.
Green symbolizes: growth, life, stability, and discipleship unfolding over time.
In many ways, green reflects the reality of faith best, not dramatic mountaintop moments, but the quieter work of becoming.
Showing up.
Learning.
Serving.
Trying again.
Green reminds us that faith grows slowly, much like a garden. Not all at once. Not always visibly. But steadily. And because Ordinary Time spans much of the calendar, many churches and artists use green as an opportunity for creativity. You’ll often see imagery tied to creation, wheat, vines, water, flowers, or trees, all visual reminders that spiritual growth is alive and ongoing.
More Than Decoration
At their best, liturgical colors are not about getting everything “right.” They are about creating a visual rhythm that helps people enter the story of faith with their whole selves. Colors help mark time. They help signal change. They help us feel the movement of the seasons before a word is spoken.
And perhaps most importantly, they remind us that faith is not static. There are seasons of waiting. Seasons of joy.
Seasons of reflection. Seasons of fire and movement. And long stretches of ordinary growth in between.
The colors of the church year simply help us notice where we are.
