What Is the Church Year, or the Christian Liturgical Calendar?
Lately, I’ve noticed a rise in evangelical circles showing an interest in celebrating the church year. As someone who grew up in a liturgical context, I think this is awesome! I find it rather unfortunate that the richness of these traditions were done away with in many evangelical churches. I’ve always loved the church year and celebrating through the cycle of the whole Story of the Bible. In this post, I will be breaking down the structure, seasons, and value of the church year. If you are new to the church year and what it’s all about, this post is for you!
The Structure of the Church Year
The church year, or liturgical calendar, is a tool used to keep one in Story – the grand narrative of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
The first half of the church year includes the seasons of Advent, Christmas, the Season after Epiphany, Lent, and Easter, and celebrates the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It takes place roughly from December through May.
The second half of the church year consists of the season after Pentecost, which focuses on the birth and work of the Church and reminds us of our worldwide connection to other believers. It begins with Pentecost Sunday (typically in June) and lasts until the season of Advent begins at the end of November or beginning of December.
Many times, you will see the seasons of the church year depicted in a wheel, like the image below.
The Seasons of the Church Year
As I mentioned above, there are six major seasons of the church year. Just like our secular calendar has the seasons of fall, winter, spring, and summer, so the church year has its own seasons.
Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. While our secular calendar likes to extend Christmas ahead of December 25th, this is actually the season of Advent in the church year. Advent is a season of anticipation looking forward to Christ’s coming incarnation. This period of waiting is much like the one we are actively in as we wait for His second coming (which is also an aspect that is celebrated in Advent).
The season of Christmas begins on December 25th and goes through January 5th – these are the 12 days of Christmas! In contrast to Advent, Christmas celebrates the fact that Christ has come in the flesh as the Savior of the world – God became flesh and dwells among us.
There are two seasons of the church year that are sometimes referred to as “Ordinary Time.” The first of these is the season after Epiphany, which celebrates the various epiphanies of Jesus (e.g. revelations of Jesus as the Christ and Son of God) and His life—from the visit of the Magi, to His baptism, to His transfiguration. It begins on January 6, a day on which the coming of the Magi is typically celebrated, and lasts until Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent.
The season of Lent lasts 40 days, or 6 weeks (not counting Sundays, which are considered “mini-Easters”). It begins with Ash Wednesday and culminates with Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is to lead us into Easter. Lent allows us to reflect on our sinful mortality and to remember the depth of Christ’s love for us; it points us toward and reminds us of the One who has redeemed us from it all and has given us the gifts of eternal life and salvation.
The season of Easter begins on Easter Sunday and lasts 50 days and includes the celebration of Christ’s Ascension (40 days after Easter). It ends with Pentecost (literally “fiftieth day” in Greek). The Easter season focuses on several essential doctrines of the Christian faith, including the significance of the resurrection and what it means for us as Christians, the implications of a bodily resurrection and ascension, and the theology surrounding us as embodied souls. It is also a time to dwell on the triumphant victory of our Risen King over death, sin, and the devil.
The season after Pentecost naturally begins after Pentecost Sunday, which takes place 50 days after Easter (10 days after Ascension Day). Pentecost Sunday commemorates the time when the Holy Spirit appeared to the disciples by tongues of fire, as recorded in the book of Acts. The season after Pentecost is the second period of the church year that may be referred to as “Ordinary Time.”
The Value of the Church Year
The church year is an ecumenical tool to see the invisible Church as a unified body and to find connection to other Christians in doing so. Celebrating the liturgical church year connects us to the whole of the whole history of Christianity; it is enriching to realize and see that for all times and in all places around the world, the Christian church has united around the same festivals and feast days throughout the year.
As humans, we are cyclical, routine creatures, who thrive on rhythms and repetition. I find celebrating the church year incredibly valuable. By recognizing the various seasons of the church year, we keep the redemptive narrative of the Bible at the forefront of our lives by focusing on various aspects of the story of Jesus and the Church.
While the reality for us today is that Christ has come, that He died and rose from the dead, and that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came, we can’t really dwell on all these things at once, so spreading it out helps remind us of the greater narrative. For example, while every Sunday can be an Easter in and of itself because of the reality that Christ IS risen, observing it at a particular time of year helps to remind us of that reality.
I hope this was a helpful introduction for you in learning what is the church year. If you are interested in more resources concerning the church year, check out my Church Year Resources in my shop! I currently have guides and kits for Advent, Christmas, and Lent/Easter. Additionally, check out my blog post with my top 5 tips to get intentional and avoid overwhelm this holiday season!
