liturgical time: walking the seasons: The Church Year: You Are Here --->

Monday, November 19, 2012

The Church Year: You Are Here --->

We are almost to the end of the Liturgical Year. Another one will be starting on December 2, 2012, the first day of Advent.

Wondering what the Liturgical Year (Church Year) is?
Wondering where we are in the whole thing?
Here are the Very Basics:

By Trounce (Own work)
[GFDL http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)

The Church Year is all about:
* Drawing us closer to Jesus
* Strengthening our Christian walk.
* Facilitating the strengthening of individuals and families.

The Church Year Consists of:
* A cycle of seasons
* A sequence of holidays (Holy Days)
* A sequence of scripture readings
* A sequence of liturgical colors

By FIRST CHRISTIAN (OLD AGE)
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Church Year is Beneficial Because:
* It tells the whole Gospel story each year.
* It keeps us reading all parts of the Bible (Old Testament,Gospels, Epistles) all year long.
* It infuses all of the holidays of the year with a focus on Jesus.
* It helps us understand the sequence of Jesus' life and mission, and how the Old testament ties in.

By flemming christiansen[CC-BY-SA-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

So, Where Are We in the Church Year?:
* We are currently in "Ordinary Time".
* We have one more holiday in the 2011-2012 church year, Christ the King, on November 25.
* On December 2, 2012, we will begin the 2012-2012 church year with Advent.

This will be the first of a series of posts on the church year for readers who would like to learn about the liturgical year, try incorporating it into their Christian family life, or just add to their observances. In the meantime, check out the beginnings of the Advent Collection 2012, for some ideas for the upcoming church season: