The red for All Saints may be found in some of the older altar guild books, though I am not altogether sure which color may claim seniority.
The Gospel for All Saints contains "blessed are ye when men shall persecute . . ." which suggests that the "Saints" who are being honored on this day are primarily the martyrs; this is also indicated by the fact that the following day, All Souls, whose color is white, is for the commemoration of the remainder of the faithful departed.
The concession to Reformation Sunday is an acknowledgment of this common usage in the United States, and since Reformation itself is a late addition to the liturgical calendar, one could hardly argue that allowing it to become a movable feast is much of an innovation.
I've been a Lutheran pastor for about 35 years (LCMS), and have been here in Kewanee for about 17 of those years. Did I mention that I'm also the editor-in-chief of Gottesdienst? Check it out at www.gottesdienst.org. If you really want to see more about me, get on that Gottesdienst website and check out my cv.
4 comments:
It is nice to see violet used for gesima-tide, but why is Red used for All Saints' Day instead of white?
Jeff
also, why does a commemoration like Reformation Day trump the Sunday's pericopes?
Jeff
The red for All Saints may be found in some of the older altar guild books, though I am not altogether sure which color may claim seniority.
The Gospel for All Saints contains "blessed are ye when men shall persecute . . ." which suggests that the "Saints" who are being honored on this day are primarily the martyrs; this is also indicated by the fact that the following day, All Souls, whose color is white, is for the commemoration of the remainder of the faithful departed.
The concession to Reformation Sunday is an acknowledgment of this common usage in the United States, and since Reformation itself is a late addition to the liturgical calendar, one could hardly argue that allowing it to become a movable feast is much of an innovation.
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