Why do we have liturgical colors?

The liturgical dressing up of the church and pastor is something that goes back before the time of Christ.  The ancestors of the Christian church, the Jews, wore special clothing when they worshipped.  In fact, all the way back in the second book of the Old Testament, Exodus, we are given instructions about how the worship space should look and what the priests should wear.  Things have changed over the centuries and what we do here at Immanuel is pretty much middle of the road in the Lutheran church.  There are churches that do much more in the form of liturgy and dressing up the church and the pastor, and there are Lutheran churches that do absolutely nothing liturgical.

We aren’t really sure why we dress up the church the way we do but there are some theories.  The one I believe makes the most sense explains that since worship services are feasts and celebrations, the liturgical dressings of the church and pastor are the decorations that go into any celebration.  Look at how we decorate for birthday parties and weddings.  And by continuing to dress the church and pastor in liturgical colors, we are keeping that connection to the church and saints of the past.