The Dialogue is the newsletter of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in St. Joseph, MO. Oftentimes, I'll post here on the blog my columns for the weekly newsletter. I mention it just so that folks who read the snail-mail version can skip this post if they've already read it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!
You may think that I’m rushing things a bit. After all, we just got through with Thanksgiving and are now fully on the road to Christmas, so why am I talking about New Year’s Day? Sure, the calendar on the wall doesn’t flip over until January 1, but the calendar of the church starts anew this Sunday. I’m speaking about the liturgical or worship calendar, of course, and not the fiscal year of the church. The liturgical calendar starts every year on the first Sunday of Advent, which happens to be this coming Sunday.
Centuries of tradition by various churches and denominations have boiled down more or less to a worship calendar that begins with the season of Advent (four Sundays prior to Christmas) and runs until Advent begins again the next year. Through the church year, we move through the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and the Sundays following Pentecost, often called Ordinary Time. This practice varies by denomination. For example, the Orthodox or Eastern churches use a separate system of dates for their seasons than churches that trace their development to the Western church. Some churches and denominations do not follow these seasons at all. For example, the Baptist churches I grew up in paid little if any attention to these seasons. Yet, among churches like ours, it is common to find each of these seasons marked with different traditions and for the church year to begin anew four Sundays prior to Christmas Day.
Thinking about beginning a new year at a time when our culture is madly intent upon concluding its year can be a difficult task. It is hard not to think of the year ending on December 31st when everything from your vacation schedule to your taxes ends that day too. Yet, I believe that there is wisdom in beginning to think of a new season and a new year prior to Christmas. We can set our spiritual clocks and calendars that guide us internally to a different rhythm than the deadlines that so dominate our lives culturally and economically.
We begin our worship year in Advent, the season of anticipation for what God will do in our lives and our world. We remember the longing for peace and justice in ancient Israel and celebrate how God answered those desires in Jesus Christ that first Christmas. We also look to our future as we await a time when God will conclude God’s work in the world to bring peace and justice today.
Then with Christmas Day, we begin the practice of reflecting upon the life of Jesus when he walked among humanity during his earthly ministry. We wonder anew at the mystery of God becoming human and experiencing our joys and pain. In Epiphany, we celebrate the spiritual light of Christ that came through the incarnation of Jesus Christ and reflect once again upon our God who continues to surprise us and speak to us in new ways. In Lent, we recall Jesus’ steady movement towards suffering and death in order to demonstrate God’s love and to experience the worst the powers of evil had to offer. In Easter, we celebrate God’s ability to triumph over death and to bring hope where all hope is lost. Then at Pentecost, we begin a season where we take notice of how God’s spirit impacts our lives in subtle and dynamic ways, especially as we experience God’s presence in the spiritual community we call the church. After that we start all over again.
Take a moment this week to breathe and reflect upon God’s movement in your life. Seek to attune your spirit to the work of God. Adjust your soul’s calendar to God’s marvelous ability to offer us new life and new opportunities for change as we begin this new year.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
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