Gospel Time...

This is the time of year when the Christian calendar is most known. More people are aware of the events of Easter and the significance to the Christian story. Soon Easter will pass. The mainstream church, of which I used to be a part, will continue to celebrate time in a not-really-distinct secular manner. We will see opportunities to come together to celebrate moms, dads, patriotic holidays, even celebrations of Halloween will take place. This is a sad state of affairs. The calendar of the church has always meant much more. It has pointed to the Christian story. The Christ story. The Gospel.

The Gospel calendar begins at Easter. From the moment of resurrection time has changed for the one who is a Christian. We celebrate time differently. We celebrate with remembrance and expectation. The Gospel calendar moves backward from Easter Sunday to Advent. And then forward to Pentecost (which ends at Advent). This ordering of the calendar has real significance.

As we can see here the calendar displays 6 movements of time. Advent is a time of expectation, of waiting for Jesus to come into time...into our hearts...once again for consummation. Advent ends at Christmas where we celebrate the Son of God becoming man. Christmas lasts for 2 weeks (not one day). Christmas gives way to Epiphany where we celebrate Jesus being "manifested" (this is what epiphany means) through his teaching and miracles and it lasts for 9 Sundays. Lent begins after Epiphany as the Christian begins to celebrate renewal and restoration as a prelude to the resurrection event. This season takes us through mourning and suffering into victory and triumph. Easter lasts for 7 weeks!!! The resurrection and subsequent appearances by Christ to his followers revealed his glorified nature and purpose for all mankind. The final season is Pentecost. This is a time to celebrate all that the church is and what it means to live in this "Day of the Lord" in expectation and action.

We miss so much when we lay these significant moments aside. Worse, when we pick up less worthwhile celebrations that celebrate nothing of Christ and nothing of the purpose of the church. Our preaching and teaching could easily follow these celebrations as we spent half of our time focusing on the person and work of Christ and the other half on the purpose and function of the church.

I cannot fathom whatever made us trade so much for so little.

All of this is not said to press us to simply pay homage to a foregone era. This is not to remain in some sort of nostalgia about the way things used to be. This is said to press us to relay to our people a sense of who we are in Christ. As we engage the Gospel story we continue to grow. The Gospel calendar allows us to pause, reflect, celebrate, and recall exactly who we are. Through these sacred actions we are nourished, sustained, and compelled through grace.