One of those traditions is the liturgical calendar. Forget about those cute puppy calendars that you can choose from at any random mall kiosk. No, this calendar goes way back to the early centuries when the church was just getting started. Instead of cute puppies and sports team calendars, the main image for the liturgical calendar is Jesus Christ.
The liturgical calendar revolves around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here’s how this calendar works:
Advent
This marks the beginning of the liturgical calendar which happens around late November/early December every year. Unlike the secular calendar which begins in January, this calendar starts a month early to help us get ready for two very important events which are closely related. These include the coming birth of Jesus Christ as well as his 2nd coming when heaven and earth will become as one and all of creation will get a total makeover. This is the ultimate promise of the Christian faith. A day is coming when there will be no more suffering, sin, brokenness, pain, grief, or death!!!! No wonder that we need four weeks of Advent to help us prepare for all of this! The colors for this season are blue or purple to remind us to be patient and prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Christmas
Advent gives way to Christmastide which begins on Christmas Day and lasts for the next twelve days through January 6 which is Epiphany. I know that everyone and their brother want us to begin celebrating Christmas after Labor Day, but the true Christian nerd knows that the liturgical calendar has an entire 12 day Christmas celebration that occurs when everyone else and their brother is busy taking down their trees and packing up their Christmas decorations. The color used for these twelve days is white or gold which are the colors used whenever the liturgical calendar wants us to party.
Baptism of the Lord Sunday
I know. It’s probably weird that right after we celebrate the Christmas season, Jesus somehow has a growth spurt where he is suddently an adult, but remember, we only have 365 days to cover the full life of Christ so use your imagination., The Baptism of the Lord Sunday marks the official beginning of his ministry where we are told that a voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The color is white because this is meant to be a festive occasion where we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
The Sundays After the Epiphany
OK. I know what you’re thinking. Some of these church seasons have the most boring titles and this is one of them! During these weeks, the church follows the life of Christ where he teaches, heals, and proclaims the good news that God’s kingdom is at hand. This season is the little brother of Ordinary Time which we’ll talk about a little later that gets the award for being the longest season of the church year. This mini ordinary time serves as a little bridge between the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and Transfiguration Sunday. Oh, and the color for this season is green which reminds us of spiritual growth and renewal. If you live in Ohio when winters feels like it just drags on and on, we could use the color green. Plus, it’s my wife’s favorite color.
Transfiguration Sunday
Then there is this one week celebration of when Jesus was transfigured before the disciples on top of a mountain. This dazzling display where everything was shining so brightly that the disciples needed to wear sunglasses reminds us that Jesus is like no other. It gives us a little hint of when he will be dazzling again on Easter Sunday. The color for this Sunday is...you guessed it. White! Dazzling white!
Lent
Lent begins just three days after Transfiguration Sunday and marks a seven week time of preparation, contemplation, and repentance as we follow Jesus travel to Jerusalem where he will be crucified on a cross. To help us mark the beginning of this season, we get ashes smudged on our foreheads to remind us of our mortality, our brokenness, and our need for God’s grace. You’ll probably not hear too many “happy/clappy” songs during this long season because this is a time to get real about what’s in our souls and how God is calling us to be transformed. This season also includes Holy Week, the final days of Jesus’ life before he was arrested, tried, crucified and placed in a tomb. Christian nerds know this as Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The color for this season is purple, a subdued color to remind us to ponder, meditate and confess.
Easter
Easter Sunday, the day that Jesus was resurrected to new life is the high point of the liturgical calendar. Sorry, Christmas but you are a close 2nd. Easter, like Christmas is a season and not just a day. The Easter season is also known as “The Great Fifty Days” which will include the many times the risen Christ appeared to the disciples, his ascension to sit at the right hand of God in heaven, and when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church to empower us to be the presence of the Risen Christ in our broken and hurting world until he returns. The color for Eastertide is white except for the 50th day which is the Day of Pentecost and that day’s color is red which symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Trinity Sunday
The Sunday after the red of Pentecost is Trinity Sunday which focuses on...you guessed it, the Trinity! Trinity Sunday is a Sunday to help us wrap our heads around the holy mystery that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God but also three persons. It’s also a fun Sunday to attend to watch the preacher struggle in trying to explain this unexplainable doctrine. The color for this Sunday is white, another festive day for the church to celebrate!
Ordinary Time/Sundays After Pentecost
So, this is my wife’s favorite season because the color for this season is green. This wins the award for longest season of the liturgical calendar by far. It begins when we are mowing our yards twice a week and lasts all the way to the end of November when we need to rake leaves. Like the Sundays After Epiphany, this season follows the teaching/healing ministry of Jesus. It’s a time for us to experience steady spiritual growth while we are tanning on a beach somewhere.
All Saints’ Sunday
The Sunday following November 1st is always the celebration of All Saints’ Sunday which is a time time to give thanks for all of God’s people who have gone before us. In many churches, we light candles for each member of the church who passed away since the last All Saints’ Sunday. The color for this Sunday is white to remind us that even though we grieve the loss of those who have gone before us, we rejoice to know that one day all of God’s people will be reunited in God’s glorious kingdom. It’s one of my favorite Sundays on the church calendar.
Christ the King Sunday
Another white color Sunday, Christ the King serves as the final Sunday of the long liturgical season of Ordinary Time and focuses on the incredible good news that Christ is the true King over all creation.
There, you now have a quick summary of the liturgical calendar that all Christian nerds love to use every year. If you are a true Christian nerd, you will wear the color of the liturgical season every single day during that season.
OK, I’m just kidding. Or am I? Our dog, Lulu must be a Christian nerd.
2 comments:
The liturgical calendar has some usefulness in worship planning. However, whatever utility it offers is not without some room for criticism. Not surprisingly it often has little relevance to the needs of a local congregation. The scripture selections predicated on a three year cycle are at times simply without practical application to the needs of the congregation. It is restrictive in a not helpful way as one seeks to develop sermon series that are germain to the practical needs of the congregation one leads. For instance, a series of worship services/sermons addressing The Christian Family works very well between Mothers Day and Fathers Day. A series addressing God and Country is very useful during the period around July 4th. Laborers Together with Christ is a focus that naturally works around Labor Day. As well, one may simply be preaching a series of sermons on The Sermon on the Mount, or one of the books of the Bible. None of this works well when one tries to adapt it to the liturgical calendar.
Yes, sermon series are more difficult to do by following the liturgical calendar. There are times of the lectionary cycle when whole books are followed especially during Ordinary Time. I will be preaching on the life of David for most of this summer for example. The weakness you point out can also be the liturgical calendar’s strength because it forces us to look at scripture passages that we might not have given very much focus without the lectionary. Plus, it puts us into an annual rhythm in following the life of Christ which you don’t get when your’re tied up with several sermon series. I don’t mind tying in the secular holidays as you suggest as long as the liturgical calendar gets top billing and focus. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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