"...the church calendar, if examined briefly, is entirely structured around the Story of Jesus. That is, the church calendar is a gospeling event too.
The church calendar is all about the Story of Jesus, and I know of nothing - other than regular soaking in the Bible - that can "gospelize" our life more than the church calendar. It begins with Advent, then Christmas, the Epiphany, then After Epiphany, the Lent, then the Great Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Paschal Vigil on Saturday evening), Easter, and then After Pentecost - with Ordinary Time shaping the calendar until Advent. Ordinary Time is the time to focus on the life and teachings of Jesus. Anyone who is half aware of the calendar in a church that is consciously devoted to focusing on these events in their theological and biblical contexts will be exposed every year to the whole gospel, to the whole Story of Israel coming to its saving completion in the Story of Jesus."
~ The King Jesus Gospel, Scot McKnight
4 comments:
What a good and interesting post. Having been raised in a church that in no way recognized the church calendar, I now find it so appealing, because the church calendar does exactly what McKnight said - presents the Gospel year after year.
I'm just happy to be in a church that presents the Gospel Sunday after Sunday. :)
Absolutely, Barbara! Judy, I didn't even know what the church calendar was until several years ago. While not being dogmatic about its observance, which is to me a form of slavery, I still will pick and choose what is meaningful to me for the time.
I like Advent. Love the time of preparation. Likewise, I like to read Frederick Leahy's The Cross He Bore: Meditations on the Sufferings of the Redeemer as Easter approaches.
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