Post Bible Study Reflections

At yesterday's weekly bible study, I gave a brief overview of the Christian calendar or the liturgical year since this Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year.

This topic generated a lot of interest with folks wanting to have more information about the liturgical calendar. A great website for the church calendar and seasons is "The Voice." Keep in mind that this web page is about to change from the 2008/2009 year to the 2009/2010 year since the 1st Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new church year is just around the corner (November 29.)

Here are some advantages of understanding the liturgical calendar:

• The focus of the calendar is around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ so that every year, we grow in what it means to be his followers and disciples.
• It helps us to celebrate the high moments of our faith (feast days such as Easter & Ascension Day) and it guides us during the more confessional, anticipatory, and reflective journeys of our faith (such as Advent & Lent.)
• It helps us to shape our daily time of scripture and prayer with God to be in alignment with the seasons. For a daily devotional plan that ties in with the seasons, "The Daily Office" is probably the best resource and one that I enjoy using.
• We are better able to find a rhythm in our faith by moving from season to season rather than focusing on various seasons haphazardly.

Here, at Lancaster First UMC, we are intentional about following the liturgical calendar with appropriate worship themes, litanies, sermons, scriptures, and music.