Introduction to the Christian Calendar

Time marks life. Think about it. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and each new year. Your watch and calendar remind you of each new moment you live and how you intend to use it. You live based on the “tyranny of the urgent.” But what really is urgent? Who decides? In reality this means that you live for yourself, your  job, your school, or whoever orders your calendar.

What if God set your calendar?

For centuries, Christians have followed a different kind of rhythm. It is a rhythm that centers on the person and life of Jesus Christ. The Church calendar relives the story of God throughout the year. Consider this introduction to the church calendar from the Lutheran Treasury of Daily Prayer (page 8):

The Christian calendar is retained in Christian Church bodies throughout the world for several reasons. First, a regular calendar is helpful to keep the remembrances before us. Just as God commanded the Jewish people to recall how He delivered them in the past (e.g., the Passover, Exodus 12:14; Leviticus 23:4–8), so, too, early Christians recalled the historic time-related events that were important to their faith, as Jesus had encouraged His disciples to do (Luke 22:19). Second, following their Jewish predecessors, Christians consider the regularity of the holidays as teaching moments, with the celebrations of the events of Christ’s life used to tell and retell the Good News. Finally, Christians recognize that this life is not an end in itself. Christ’s victory over death means that daily life focuses beyond the mundane to eternity. A calendar of Christian events unites present-day believers with those of the past as well as the future.

How do I know what the season is?

In the world we live in, there are certain seasons that impossible to miss. In most climates summer, autumn, winter, and spring are clearly evident. Stores clammer over each other to be sure that we remember Valentines Day, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Turn on the radio, drive down main street, or walk into a store and you won’t miss which of these seasons is coming next.

Likewise, Christian churches and families should be sure to remind each other of the church seasons. Here are some of the ways that you can know the season:

1. Scripture readings, songs, and prayers
   This is the reason that the historic church has followed a 3-year cycle of Scripture readings. Each cycle tracks with the church calendar. Many hymnals are arranged according to where the songs fit in the church calendar. There are also parts of the liturgy and historic prayers that faithfully point God’s people to the church season.

2. Colors
   Each church season has a correlating color.  These colors are displayed prominently through banners, altar frontals, and pastoral vestments.  The colors provide you with a sense of the type of season.  Gold is used only on the  most  special feast days—Christmas and Easter. Purple is the color of repentance, waiting, and preparation  in Advent and Lent.  Red  is the color of the Holy Spirit and martyrdom.  White is the color of purity and forgiveness.  Green is the color of life and growth.

3. Family traditions
   Holiday (holy-day) traditions are no accident. Holy means “set apart.” By spending intentional time with family and friends around particular foods, activities, and music, we set apart certain seasons . Christmas traditions are familiar to us for the memories and wonder that they create especially among the young ones in our midst. There are also traditions that we might propose for families to set apart other seasons of the church, especially Advent, Lent, and Holy Week (stay tuned for future blog posts)!

A life-giving calendar

The rhythm of historic Christianity might at first seem strange. So why should we pay attention to it? The answer is simple. The church calendar centers our life on Christ—the One who gives true life to the world. The life-giving calendar of rest in Christ stands in beautiful contrast to all other human calendars!

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)