Happy June, everyone! We’re at the halfway point of 2025…can you believe that!! Maybe we’ll actually get some warm and beautiful weather soon too!
As I was looking at the calendar to see what has already happened and looking ahead to what is to come, it made me think about our own system in the church of marking days, times, and seasons. We call this whole system the liturgical calendar. Some of you may be familiar with this and for some this may be a new system.
For the vast majority of the year, we are in “Ordinary Time” which is represented with the color green. Ordinary is not to make a point like what God does during these times isn’t extraordinary. Simply, it’s the standard time of God at work with us and us with God but not with any major holidays, festivals or seasons.
The next two largest seasons of the church’s life are Advent (before Christmas) and Lent (before Easter) signified by the color purple. Purple is considered a color of preparation but also the color of royalty. Both of these seasons indicate the coming of the royal Christ (either his birth or his resurrection).
A small season is the Christmas season which does not begin until December 25 and lasts until January 6 and slightly longer is the seasons of Easter which lasts from Easter Sunday until the Sunday before Pentecost.
We also have individual holidays which are often found within other periods of the church’s life and worship. Obviously the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter) and Christmas Day. There’s also holidays like Christ the King, Baptism of the Lord, Ascension of the Lord, Epiphany, All Saints Day, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Transfiguration of the Lord, and Trinity Sunday.
So, why all these special seasons and holidays?
Think about the church calendar like you think about your own. In our personal lives during the year, we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries (our own and those of others). Some people
celebrate a special day of overcoming a disease or traumatic period in their lives. Others remember the day of death for a loved one or friend. We all collectively celebrate special holidays in our personal and civic lives too.
The liturgical calendar is meant to act similar to our own. Instead of reflecting our personal lives, the liturgical calendar projects a story of the life of Christ’s Church. It helps us to hear the stories of God’s overcoming death, forgiving sin, granting new life, and continuing to inspire and give life to the church. When we celebrate the seasons and festivals of the church, we are actively participating in God’s work of salvation and love. We, as the Church, embody these festivals not just as remembrances but also as launching pads from which we grow and move. We take the inspiration and power of these seasons to fill our hearts and minds to move beyond the specific dates to making them real and whole in our worship and acts of faith.
Take a look at your calendar again. See what lessons God is trying to teach you and how God is inviting you to participate actively in all that God is doing!