There is a large range of opinions among various church bodies regarding the Church Year. A few churches refuse to celebrate any Christian holidays. The fact is, no one really knows when Jesus was born. A date was picked, and, according to some, it was picked to coincide with pagan observances. Although the date of Easter is much better known since it coincides with the Jewish Passover, the name, Easter comes from pagan sources.
This being said, since Christmas and Easter has become secular holidays, celebrated in the western world with bunnies and Santa, without any real regard from non-Christians to Christ’s birth or Resurrection, most Christian churches do celebrate at least these 2 events.
The Jewish religious year, grounded in the divinely revealed Law of the Hebrew Bible, is the foundation for the church year of Christians. The week of seven days, the observance of the Sabbath, Shavout (the Festival of Weeks), Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles), Pesach (Passover), and the other Jewish feasts are celebrations of God’s gifts and mighty works among the people of Israel. Observance of these days is required according to the Torah (the five books of Moses).
Jesus and His disciples followed the Jewish religious year. But, since Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, He was not so much concerned with outward conformity, as with the goal or spirit of these celebrations. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)
Christians believe that the life of grace promised by Jesus had dawned with his Resurrection, on “the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). By this event the Law was fulfilled. Now every day and time were viewed as holy for the celebration and remembrance of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. Many of his disciples continued to observe the special times and seasons of the Jewish Law. Others, free in Christ, felt following such observances is no longer needful. St. Paul, who observed Jewish feasts, considered the keeping of holy days a matter of conscience, provided the devotion be “in honor of the Lord” (Romans 14:5–9). He warned his converts not to judge one another with regard to “festivals, new moons, or sabbaths” (Colossians 2:16).
By the second century, a Christian Church year had already been developed, based on the life of Christ. The celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, His Ascension, Pentecost, and All Saints Day.
By the ninth century the structure of the Church Year was as it is currently observed: Advent (preparation for Christmas), Christmas, and the Sundays after Christmas, Epiphany, and the Sundays after Epiphany, The Transfiguration, Ash Wednesday, and the Season of Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday (the Institution of the Lord’s Supper), Good Friday, The Feast of the Resurrection, and the Easter Season, The Ascension of our Lord, Pentecost, Trinity, and the Sundays after Pentecost (or Sundays after Trinity), and All Saint’s Day. Other days, observing the Apostles, the Annunciation, the Visitation, etc. also are part of the Church year.
The church year provides continuity and structure for the life of the church. Those Churches that follow a church year also have a set of readings, called a pericopal system, which helps the church teach all aspects of the Life of Christ and the Christian Faith.
Since we are coming up on the Easter Cycle, which begins with Lent, I would share Platte Valley Lutheran Church’s observance of this special time.
All of our life and faith in Christ Jesus is a celebration of His victorious resurrection over sin, death, and the devil won for us on Easter morning. One way the Church prepares for this, the greatest Feast of our Lord, is by fasting. The fasting takes place in many ways: by denying ourselves various foods and pleasures, and liturgically, by denying ourselves parts of the Divine Liturgy. The fast increases in depth and seriousness in a two-part process: Lent and Holy Week. The Gospel readings assigned for this time of year do not focus on our Lord’s death, but make Lent a time of instruction in the theology of the cross. In other words, instructional and devotional teaching are the chief reason the ancient lessons, customs, and ceremonies are appointed as they are. It is only in the last two weeks of Lent that our attention is drawn closely into the suffering and death of our Lord.
In the Church from ancient times, Ash Wednesday has marked the first day of Lent. There are forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, if you don’t count the Sundays, because the Sundays in Lent were not fast days. The forty days of Lent are reminiscent of our Lord’s forty days fasting and Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, as well as Christ’s forty hours in the tomb.
The Gospel readings of Lent focus us on the temptation, cross, and trial that come with the grace of God. He provides the food that sees us through our temptation and crosses.
During Lent, we no longer have flowers on the altar, and the organ selections are quiet and somber. Often, we leave the nave in silence. The color of the season is deep violet: the color of royal mourning and penitence.
The Ash Wednesday Communion is preceded by the imposition of ashes. The ancient tradition of receiving the sign of the cross on your forehead in ashes reminds us of our human frailty and is a sign of our repentance, sorrow, and our need for God’s grace. It also reminds us of our being sealed to Christ Jesus through faith given to us at our Baptism, as well as the many blessings we receive through His cross. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, we will gather each week for a mid-week service as extra devotion and discipline during this most holy season.
The Church then finds its high point and center in Holy Week, when we celebrate the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord. No other week of the Church year is celebrated with such solemnity, devotion, and reverence.
During Holy Week the Church accompanies her Lord on His way to the cross and to the grave and rejoices in His victory over death. It is the week toward which the entire church year moves and from which it receives its meaning and content. Here the Church’s services crowd together as she sings her most earnest laments and her songs of penitence, and then again rejoices most heartily in its victory.
Liturgically, each service in Holy Week is unique. On Palm Sunday we remember our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
On Good Friday, the day of the once-for-all-sacrifice of the God-Man, Christ Jesus, the altar is starkly bare. A somber mood of quiet reflection completes Christ’s Payment for our sins. We leave in silence with no postlude.
The culmination is Easter! This service sees the return of all the Liturgy’s glory and praises. The organ peals forth, Easter lilies spill over onto the chancel floor, the sanctuary is resplendent and decked out in light. The color is white. Here the Risen Lord feeds us with His very Body and Blood. Here with unrestrained joy we celebrate the victorious life we have obtained through His death and resurrection by His undeserved grace and steadfast mercy. We shall surely proclaim on that day: He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Thanks be to God for He is good! And His mercy endures forever. Amen!
May God truly Bless you as you Journey with Jesus to the Cross, and beyond. If you have any questions about what was written or anything else, feel free to contact Pastor Schnack at (307) 343-2314.
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