What roles do calendars play in our lives?
For some of us they allow us to operate in the world in a schedule that we can count on, they allow us to stay organized, they keep us focused. For others they simply tell us what date it is.
However regardless of your connection to a calendar it is almost certain that it plays some role in your life.
Did you know that the church also operates on a calendar? For most denominations it is called the lectionary and allows pastors to be able to follow a pattern throughout the year.
The lectionary is an important tool in the life of worship. Much like a personal calendar whether it is used a little or a lot is up to those in leadership, there is no right or wrong way to operate a lectionary, it is there for support in ministry. And like a calendar helps us determine different seasons in our secular world, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, our church calendar helps us determine the seasons for our faith journey Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost.
This Sunday we will be celebrating the last Sunday of our church year, which is known as Christ The King Sunday. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us “For everything that happens in life there is a season, a right tome for everything under heaven”, and Christ the King Sunday allows us to celebrate each season of our faith journey.
It is a transitional Sunday that allows us as communities of faith to move from Pentecost to Advent.
Added to the lectionary in 1952, this is the newest day in the liturgical year across the Western Church. At the Kelseyville and Middletown United Methodist churches, we will use this Sunday as a time to learn and celebrate each season of the Christian Year with readings, songs, and customs. This is a time for us to dig deeper into the roots of our faith while also giving us a chance to educate ourselves on the structure of our church calendar and know a little bit more about why we do what we do!
I hope you will join us.
Melissa Hurley is Pastor at Kelseyville United Methodist Church and Middletown Community United Methodist Church. Please join us in Kelseyville at 9 a.m. or Middletown at 11 a.m. as we explore the book of Philippians and it’s relevance in our modern lives . All are welcome.
