Oakland follows the practice of the historical church in celebrating the life of Christ through the cycle of the Christian year. This cycle follows Christ from birth through resurrection and includes periods of preparation for some of the major church celebrations. Following the end of the life cycle of Christ, we observe the giving of the Holy Spirit and then enter an extended time of growth and study toward a mature faith.

Advent

Advent is considered to be the beginning of the church year though is was actually one of the last seasons of the year to be developed in the church calendar. Advent means "coming" and is a time of preparation for Christmas. This season begins four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. Because Advent is a time of penitence and preparation for the Christmas season, darker colors are used to express the mood of this season. Oakland uses the color blue in its antependia to represent this season.

During this season, the church lights one candle per week in the advent wreath in anticipation of Christmas. The advent wreath holds four blue candles. As each candle is lighted, more and more light radiates from the wreath, symbolizing the light of Christ coming into the world. Christmas Eve culminates with the lighting of the Christ Candle and the church's celebration of the Eucharist. Additional symbols include the various decorations which enhance our sanctuary from our Hanging of the Greens service, poinsettias, and the Chrismon tree filled with Christian symbols, all of which help us visually remember the focus of this season.

Christmas

Christmas day and the twelve days following compose the season of Christmas. This time of celebration reminds us of the joy of the birth of the Christ child, God's gift to us. The liturgical colors for this season are white and gold, representing joy and festivity.

Epiphany

The word Epiphany is from the Greek word epiphaneia which means "manifestation." On the Day of Epiphany, January 6, we celebrate Christ's revelation to the world through the visit of the Wise Men. A traditional symbol for this day is the star which led the Wise Men to Jesus. Light is another symbol and theme for this day as the light of Christ was made known to the world through the visit of the Wise Men. White continues to be the liturgical color for the day of Epiphany.

Season After the Epiphany

This season is known as Ordinary Time and lasts from four to nine Sundays, depending on the date of Easter. It is a season with no overarching central theme. Ordinary time is considered to be a time where the church focuses on spiritual growth, much like Jesus, who grew in understanding from early childhood. Due to this theme of growth, the liturgical color for the season is green. Two Sundays which are celebrated during the Season after the Epiphany are the Baptism of Our Lord, recalling Christ's baptism and Transfiguration Sunday, recalling Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain with Elijah and Moses. Both of these days were important points in the life of Jesus as he prepared for his ministry. During these two Sundays, the liturgical color is white.

Lent

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday which is forty days prior to Easter, not counting Sundays. Ash Wednesday focuses on the themes of sin, death and repentance. At Oakland, as in many churches, we focus on these themes during our Ash Wednesday service and conclude the service with the imposition of ashes. Ashes are a Biblical symbol of repentance. We begin this Lenten season by receiving the sign of the cross on our foreheads as a sign of our penitence.

Lent is a time of preparation for the church's most high and holy day, Easter. The word Lent comes from an old English word meaning "spring," the time of the lengthening of days. Initially, Lent was a time of preparation for new converts in anticipation of baptism at Easter. Eventually it became a time of reflection and self-examination for all Christians. The forty days of Lent is reminiscent of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness as he prepared for his ministry. Because this season is a time of intense preparation and repentance, the liturgical color is purple, a dark penitential color, which appears not only in our sanctuary but on the cross that is placed in the church yard.

Holy Week

The last week of Lent is known as Holy Week. During this week the church reenacts the last days of Christ beginning with the triumphant entry into Jerusalem which is celebrated on Palm Sunday. Palm branches, often distributed by our children, are one of the symbols used on this day. These remind us of the branches waved by the followers of Jesus as he made his way into Jerusalem. As the Palm Sunday service draws to a close, a heavy wooden cross constructed from the trunk of one of our Chrismon trees is brought into the sanctuary. It is draped in purple cloth, echoing the color that has been apparent during the Lenten season. The entry of this cross foreshadows the events that will take place in the life of Christ over the coming week.

Maundy Thursday or "command" Thursday is a remembrance service built around the theme of John 13:34 when Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." This is the command that Jesus gave to his disciples on the night of his last supper with them. This service includes Communion and sometimes foot washing, both of which Christ shared with his disciples on this night. Tradition has it that the paraments and all decorations are removed from the sanctuary on this evening in preparation for the solemnity of the Good Friday services.

Good Friday is the day of Christ's crucifixion. In Old English, good meant "of God." Good Friday is God's Friday: Jesus' death shows God's salvation. On this day the church focuses on the last words of Christ, his crucifixion and entombment. For this day, the cross should be draped in black, symbolic of death.

Easter Season

The Easter season begins at sunset on Easter Eve and continues through the Day of Pentecost. This is known as the Great Fifty Days. On Easter Sunday and for the next fifty days we celebrate the joy of Christ's resurrection. Easter is the most holy of days in the church calendar. It is a day of great festivity and joy. Colors for this season are white and gold symbolizing royalty, purity and joy.

Other symbols that fill our sanctuary for this holy day are the Easter lilies, green and flowering plants that grow from bulbs that seems lifeless, and the Paschal Candle, a large white candle that is burned throughout the Easter season symbolic of Jesus Christ, the Paschal Lamb. Ascension Sunday, the Sunday that we remember Christ's ascension into heaven, is celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter. Luke tells us in Acts 1 that Jesus appeared to disciples and others for forty days after his resurrection. It was then that he was taken up into heaven.

Pentecost

Pentecost is the fiftieth day after Easter. It was on this day the Holy Spirit was given to the people during the Jewish Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church because from this point on the disciples boldly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world. The color for Pentecost is red, representing the tongues of fire that came upon the people. The descending dove is a traditional symbol of Pentecost symbolizing the spirit of God descending upon the people.

Season after Pentecost

The period of time following Pentecost is called Ordinary Time. It is a period of growth for the church. During this time the church focuses on the teachings of Christ, the kingdom of God, developing spiritual life, and it engages issues of daily life of the community. Because growth is a major theme of Ordinary Time, (the longest period of the church year) the color for the season is green. During Ordinary Time the church celebrates other significant church days such as Trinity Sunday, All Saints Day, Reformation Sunday, and Christ the King Sunday. Trinity Sunday teaches us about the doctrine of the Trinity, All Saints Day is a time of remembrance of those saints who have gone before us, Reformation Sunday celebrates the Protestant Reformation from which we gained our roots, and Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian year when the church celebrates the coming reign of Jesus Christ. The color for Trinity Sunday, All Saints Day, and Christ the King Sunday is white. The color for Reformation Sunday, an important church day, is red. Red comes from the Pentecost celebration which commemorates the birth of the church. On Reformation Sunday we remember the formation of the Protestant church movement. This color is also used at Oakland to highlight special "in house" church-life days such as Anniversary Sunday.