Liturgical seasons observed; Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost celebrated
Congregational churches observe the major Christian festivals, including Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. Historical New England Congregationalism had a complicated relationship with Christmas — strict Puritans rejected its observance as an unscriptural human tradition, and Christmas was not widely observed in New England until the nineteenth century — but this Puritan reticence has long since faded.
The United Church of Christ uses the Revised Common Lectionary and celebrates the liturgical year as a framework for Christian formation. The UCC Book of Worship provides resources for all major Christian festivals. The denomination's contemporary practice is fully integrated into the liturgical calendar common to mainline Protestantism. Saints' days are not formally observed in the Congregational tradition, though significant figures in the church's history are occasionally commemorated. There is no controversy within the UCC about observing Christmas, Easter, and other Christian festivals.
Key Distinctions
- Christmas easter observed:
- observed — Christmas and Easter are core celebrations of the Christian calendar
- Biblical feasts observed:
- not formally observed; OT feasts are fulfilled in Christ
- Rationale:
- historical events of the Incarnation and Resurrection are celebrated liturgically
Scripture References
Sources
- UCC Book of Worship (current edition)
- UCC Lectionary and Worship Planning resources (current edition)
- Savoy Declaration, Chapter XXI (on worship, 1658)