Summary of the Christian Year

Orienting Our Lives Around the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ

The Christian year is comprised of a number of seasons and holy days that echo the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we journey through the Christian year, we are reenacting the journey of Christ’s life. We follow Jesus from his birth, into his ministry, and on through his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Then we continue in his steps as he gives us the Spirit and expands his kingdom through the building of his church. The Christian year ends with the expectation of his second coming (or advent), which in turn starts us off on another year together as a community of believers.

The Christian Seasons and Important Days of Worship

(Note: Many dates change from year to year based on when Christmas and Easter fall.)

Advent – The 4 Sundays Before Christmas

Advent means coming or arrival. During the Season of Advent, we celebrate Christ’s first coming as a baby at Bethlehem and anticipate his second coming. This is a time of preparation but also of joy and excitement, looking ahead to how God will reveal himself to us in Christ.

Christmas – 12 Days from December 25 to January 5

At Christmas we recognize God’s special gift to the world, his son Jesus Christ. We follow his example and offer gifts to each other during this season. Though the exact date of Christ’s birth is unknown, we gather on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to celebrate his incarnation: the eternal Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1.14).

Epiphany – January 6 (also called Three Kings Day); the 4 to 7 weeks following January 6 to the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday)

The term epiphany means ‘to make known’ or ‘to reveal.’ On this day we remember the Magi who brought gifts to the Christ child, a revelation of Jesus to the world as Lord and King.
Note 1: Epiphany Sunday is often celebrated on the Sunday just prior to January 6.
Note 2: Christ’s Baptism is often celebrated on the Sunday following Epiphany.
Note 3: Some traditions refer to the Season of Epiphany, others call it Ordinary Time.

Lent – 40 Days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (the night before Easter)

Lent is a penitential season of preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for forty days, since the six Sundays within the season are not counted.

Key Days of Worship During Lent: Ash Wednesday; then Holy Week which includes: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

“Ash Wednesday, the 7th Wednesday before Easter Sunday, refers to the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshippers’ foreheads as a sign of humility before God, a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. It not only prefigures the mourning at the death of Jesus, but also places the worshipper in a position to realize the consequences of sin.”  (Dennis Bratcher)

Easter – 7 Weeks of Easter: 50 Days from Easter to Pentecost Sunday

The date of Easter is determined by a system based on a formula decided by the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. In this system, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. This usually occurs on March 21, which means the date of Easter can range between March 22 and April 25 depending on the lunar cycle. (Bratcher)

Note 1: The Easter Season includes Ascension Day, always on a Thursday, 10 days before Pentecost. It is often celebrated on the Sunday before Pentecost.
Note 2: Though ‘Easter’ is not a specifically Christian term, the day is definitely not a simple celebration of spring. ‘Resurrection Sunday’ might be a better term for this most holy of days in the Christian year.

Pentecost Sunday – 50 days After Easter

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit (recorded in Acts 2) occurred 50 days (penta = 50) after the resurrection. This ‘upper room’ experience fulfilled the prophecies of Joel 2 and promises of Jesus (Acts 1:8). The emphasis is on the work of God’s Holy Spirit to enable the people of God to witness to Jesus the Christ.

Ordinary Time – From Trinity Sunday to Christ the King Sunday
Trinity Sunday – the Sunday after Pentecost, Celebrates God’s Triune Nature
Christ the King Sunday –  the Sunday before Advent, Celebrates Christ’s Kingly Return

In the final few weeks of Ordinary Time, many churches direct attention to the coming of the Kingdom of God, thus ending the Christian year with an eschatological theme (referring to the end times). This brings us back to the Season of Advent, the coming of Christ, which begins a new liturgical calendar.

Note: Ordinary Time comes from the word ordinal, which simply means counted.

(Acknowledgment: Much of this material was adapted from Dennis Bratcher’s website, The Voice: http://www.crivoice.org/chyear.html)

Why Observe the Christian Calendar?

I've heard some believers object to celebrating various holy days and feasts and seasons of the Christian year because there isn't a particular proof-text to point to that says, "You should observe Ash Wednesday or Lent or Trinity Sunday." But they celebrate Christmas and Easter.

The trouble is, we generally don't celebrate Christmas and Easter very well. We've relegated them both to one day holidays. The season of Christmas lasts 12 days and Easter lasts 7 weeks. Do most people know this? Probably not. No wonder some believers don't think we should recognize other Christian holidays...they don't know what they're celebrating even when it comes to the 2 Big Ones.

So in this short post, I want to offer some suggestions as to why it's okay, and even necessary, to observe the Christian calendar.

Some Thoughts and Questions to Consider

• Observing a calendar cycle (living our lives according to an annual pattern) is right and natural. The seasons, for example, are a part of God’s created order (Genesis 8.22; see Ecclesiastes 3). We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, etc., so obviously it's okay to honor specific days and occasions.

• We already observe a secular calendar and adjust our lives to a secular cycle of celebration. What does this say about our priorities and mindset? Who/what is at the center of our lives? Are we adjusting our lives to the world’s pattern? Wouldn’t it be more biblical and God-honoring to adjust our lives to a Christian yearly cycle? Otherwise, by default, we are saying the 'school year' or 'fiscal year' or 'sports calendar' is more important to us.

• A Christian calendar reminds us that the center of our lives is Jesus Christ. The liturgical year is patterned after the events of Christ’s life: the expectation of the coming Messiah, Jesus’s birth, his baptism, ministry, preaching, passion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, giving of the Spirit, the proclamation of the gospel, expansion of God’s kingdom, and his second coming. A biblical basis for this is the Apostle Paul’s desire and declaration to ‘preach the whole counsel of God.’ (Acts 20.27)

• A Christian calendar pre-dates our American ‘cycle of celebration’ by many centuries, obviously. Why have we cherry-picked only certain holidays to observe? It seems we’ve selected only certain Christian holidays (like Christmas and Easter) because they match the secular seasons, and in the process, we’ve shrunk those two feasts to one day each. This is a sad commentary.

• A Christian calendar has its roots in the Jewish Festivals, seven of which were instituted by God as prophetic pointers to Jesus Christ. (See Leviticus 23; then also Colossians 2.16,17.) Therefore, a true understanding of feasts and holidays brings to mind Christ’s fulfillment of all the prophecies and festivals of the Scripture. Just as God's people in the Old Testament celebrated biblical feasts, God's New Testament people can celebrate feasts that fulfill the past promises.

• Jesus celebrated the Jewish Festivals, including Hanukkah (John 10.22) which was not specifically instituted by God. His example gives us permission, then, to observe holidays that are not explicitly commanded in scripture. (Though, of course, we are not to be enslaved by them. See Galatians 4.10.) The Christian calendar is intended to keep our eyes on Christ.

So it seems to me that we do a disservice to our Christian heritage and demonstrate a myopic view of our faith if we do not take advantage of this wonderful tool (the liturgical year) that has its roots in the texts of scripture and the very early church.

Addendum: Some Helpful Sources Regarding Old Testament Jewish Festivals
• http://www.gotquestions.org/Jewish-festivals.html 
• http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/feasts-and-festivals-of-israel.html
• http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Introduction/introduction.html