Like other seasons, the seasons of the Church Calendar offer the rich benefits of repetition. The accumulated events of the past seasons of our lives―winter, spring, summer and fall―are collected as we remember events, weather, colors, tragedies, celebrations, births and deaths. Layers of depth and variations of texture are added to our lives year-by-year. With the Church Calendar the key stories and events of the person and work of Jesus Christ are also seen and gradually built upon year-after-year in the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Depth of meaning and understanding grow as we hear sermons, sing songs and celebrate many other wonderful traditions. These seasonal cycles are a means of inculcating in us―the people of God―deeper, richer, and more complex awareness and appreciation for our Savior. These are some of the liturgies of life, providing a certain rhythm, routine and regularity. They help us establish and remember who we are as we gather with family and friends and order our lives around His.
Every community has its cycle of seasons and occasions of special commemoration. We do this as a nation when we observe days like New Years, Independence Day, Memorial Day, etc. The Christian Calendar marks the occasions that have to do with the life and death of Jesus: His conception, birth, baptism, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension. This is one means of marking memories and time and providing a liturgical formation of our identity as a community of God’s people.
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