Following the Christian Calendar
Following the Christian Calendar
An Explanation
In 1963 a “Joint Liturgical Group” was formed in Britain, representing eight churches. Its unofficial report was entitled The Calendar and Lectionary: A Reconsideration. It proposed a calendar in which the Advent period (December) would focus on preparation for the first coming of Christ, without the awkwardness of trying to celebrate both his comings simultaneously. It would also extend backward toward the Sundays after Pentecost. In this way the cycle of the church’s year would be more or less complete.
Since then several further attempts have been made to provide the church with an agreed calendar and lectionary, particularly for public worship on Sundays.
My concern, however, is rather to offer a resource for daily private devotion. It should enable us, whether we belong to a so-called liturgical church or not, to recapitulate every year the whole biblical story from the creation in Genesis to the consummation in Revelation 22. Moreover, when the church’s year is conceived in this way, it divides itself naturally into three equal periods of four months each.
The first period runs from the beginning of September (when the Eastern Orthodox church year begins and when European churches hold their harvest festival) until Christmas. It enables us to relive the Old Testament story from the creation until the coming of Christ.
The second period runs from the beginning of January to the end of April, culminating in Whitsun, or Pentecost. It enables us to relive the story of Jesus in the Gospels, from his birth, through his ministry, to his death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit.
The third period runs from the beginning of May to the end of August and consists of the weeks that follow Pentecost. It enables us to relive the story of the Acts and to recall that the Holy Spirit is both God’s power for living now and his pledge of our final inheritance when Christ returns. During this period we reflect on the Christian life and the Christian hope as set forth in the Letters and the Revelation.
Thus the church calendar unfolds in three periods, the Bible divides itself into three sections, and Almighty God is seen to have revealed himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Moreover, these three threes may be superimposed on one another in a healthy trinitarian structure. It covers the whole biblical story. In period one (September to December), we reflect on the work of God the Father and on his preparation of his people through the Old Testament for the coming of the Messiah. In period two (January to April), we reflect on the work of God the Son and on his saving ministry as described in the Gospels. In period three (May to August), we reflect on the work of God the Holy Spirit and on his activity as documented in the Acts, the Letters, and the book of Revelation.
To recall, relive, and celebrate annually this divine story should lead us into a wholesome and balanced trinitarian faith, should increase our familiarity with the framework and content of the Bible, and should establish our confidence in the God of history who has been and still is working out his purpose before, during, and after the incarnate life of our Lord Jesus Christ until he comes in power and glory.
A Note to the Reader about Easter
The text of Through the Bible Through the Year is organized in such a way that the user can start reading at any of its three parts.
For example, it is natural to begin with “Creation” at week 1 (in September) and follow the biblical story from its beginning to its end.
But some readers will prefer to wait until December/January so as to begin with “The Nativity” at week 17.
A third option is to begin with Easter in March/April. Since the date of Easter is movable (within the five weeks between March 22 and April 25), it is not possible to fix it, or to fix the other great Christian festivals which find their place in relation to Easter Day.
The best way to keep in step with the Christian calendar is to pinpoint the date of Easter in the year in which you are using this book. Then during the two weeks before it (Passion Week and Holy Week) we can read the meditations set for Week 31 (“The Seven Words from the Cross”) and Week 32 (“The Meaning of the Cross”). On Easter Day itself, and during the remaining days of Easter Week, we can then read the meditations for Week 33 (“The Resurrection Appearances”), and during the following week the meditations set for Week 34 (“The Significance of the Resurrection”).
This will ensure that during the vital weeks before and after Easter Week we will be reading appropriate texts and reflections. It will also be possible for us to fit dislodged and left-over weeks into the remaining gaps, and to observe Ascension Day (forty days after Easter) and Pentecost Sunday (ten days later still). Trinity Sunday is the climax; it is always the Sunday after Pentecost.