Would you like to walk with me through the liturgical year?

Each membership level I offer invites us to explore more deeply the transforming impact of following the Church calendar year in and year out. Together we remember that we did not make it, but it is making us.

Daybook Meditations

Free

Subscribe to A Sacramental Life Daybook Meditations to receive curated collections of Scripture readings, music, art, prayer, and simple spiritual practices to help you look, listen, pray, and do daily practices of worship, love, and beauty. You'll receive a daily meditation during Advent, Christmastide, Lent, and the Easter Octave and each Sunday for the rest of the year to help you pay attention to God's presence in both the silence, celebration, fasting, and feasting of the liturgical year.

“The liturgical year is the year that sets out to attune the life of the Christian to the life of Jesus, the Christ. It proposes, year after year, to immerse us over and over again into the sense and substance of the Christian life until, eventually, we become what we say we are — followers of Jesus all the way to the heart of God. The liturgical year is an adventure in human growth, an exercise in spiritual ripening.”

— Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year

The Church Year*

The Liturgical Calendar divides the year into distinct seasons based on key periods of the Gospel narrative. Each season brings its own unique emphasis to the pattern of our corporate worship and individual lives. This is brought to life through changes to the color of church ornaments (the altar and the priest's garments), the liturgy (order and wording of elements within the service), and spiritual disciplines (such as prayer or fasting).

Advent | Season of Expectation

The Church Year begins with the season of Advent in late November; more specifically, it is the four weeks preceding Christmas. Advent means "arrival" or "coming" and parallels the beginning of the Gospel narrative. Just as the Hebrews of the Old Testament waited for the promised Messiah. Advent is a time of eager expectation as we reflect on the promise of Christ's birth and is coming return. During this season, the church is adorned in purple to symbolize the royalty of our coming king and the church emphasizes the practice of prayer.

Christmas | Season of Joy

The Christmas season begins on December 24th -- Christmas Eve -- and lasts until January 6th -- Epiphany or The Feast of the Magi. You have likely heard the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which refers to the twelve days of this season in which our eager expectation is realized in the celebration of the birth of Christ our King. During this season, the church is adorned in white to symbolize Christ's purity and is marked with joyful celebration and feasting.

Epiphany | Season of Presence

Epiphany is the season immediately following Christmas; it begins on January 6th -- the day of Epiphany -- and lasts until February 2nd. It parallels the Gospel narrative from Christ's birth to the beginning of his ministry on earth and is marked with celebrations of events such as Christ's presentation at the temple, baptism by John, and the wedding feast at Cana. During this season, the church is adorned in white or green and we emphasize Christ's presence made manifest in our lives.

Lent | Season of Penitence

Lent begins in February with Ash Wednesday and lasts until Easter. Lent is a season of solemn reflection and penitent preparation. We reflect on the weight of our sin and prepare our hearts for the celebration of salvation in Christ (reflected in the Easter season). During this season, the church is adorned in purple -- again a reminder of Christ's royalty -- and all other ornaments or decorations are veiled or replaced with simpler versions emphasizing that this is a season of penitence. The congregation is encouraged to participate in spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer, reflection, and silence and we remove the word "Alleluia" from our liturgy.

Holy Week | Season of Passion

Holy Week is a time at the end of Lent set aside to remember Christ's passion. A series of Holy Days lead us through the events of the Gospel narrative from: Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday, and his resurrection on Easter morning. It is a time for reflection on Christ's sacrifice for our salvation and is marked with the same colors and practices as Lent.

Easter | Season of Celebration

The Easter season begins with a celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter morning and lasts until the celebration of Pentecost seven weeks later -- a fifty day period paralleling the 50 days Christ spent on earth after his resurrection. It is a time of celebration for the new life and salvation we find in Christ. During this season, the church is adorned in white symbolizing Christ's purity and our sanctification as believers and is marked with feasting and celebration.

Pentecost | Season of Mission

Ordinary Time | Season of Work & Rest

The longest season of the Church Year, Ordinary Time, begins with the celebration of Pentecost seven weeks after Easter and lasts until Christ the King Sunday in late November. Beginning with Pentecost -- marking the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples in Jerusalem -- this season emphasizes the work of Christ's people in bringing his kingdom on earth. During this season, the church is adorned in green symbolizing new life and growth in Christ. The church emphasizes Christ's call to live out the work of his kingdom through evangelism and discipleship as we practice life in community with one another.

*Thank you to Christ the King Anglican Church in Fayetteville, AR for the content on this page.