Christian Year (Essentials Red)
“For: The Institute of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Red Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.”
I haven’t really thought much about the “Christian Year” in my life. Not being raised in the church, I didn’t even really know much about it. I knew that Christmas was about Jesus being born, and Easter was about Jesus dieing. I also knew that Catholics did something after Mardi Gras where they put ashes on their foreheads, and stopped doing something for a month, but that was just weird to me as a kid, and I didn’t get it. Obviously, now I’m a little more learned in the things of God, and I know more about Lent, and Advent, and some of the other little things between the big holidays. But it still never meant much to me, I didn’t practice it.
Reading this book, “Ancient – Future Time” by Robert E. Webber, has really started to open up my mind, and my heart, to these practices. On pages 16 and 17 in the Introduction to the book, there is a chart listing the eight segments of the Christian year, and their importance. This alone was enough to challenge me. I never knew how deep it went, and why it was so important to a lot of people. I’m only a handful of chapters in, but already I’ve learned valuable stuff that I’ve taken to heart. I’ve also decided to follow the Christian year to the best of my ability. I’ve been praying about it, and asking God for His guidance, His help, but most of all His grace.
Right now, February 27, we are in the time of Lent, and according to Webber, “Lent is a time for repentance through self-examination and renewal through identification with the journey of Jesus. A time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.” (Ancient-Future Time pg. 16). I haven’t reached the section in the book that further explains Lent yet, so I’m not entirely sure what all it entails, but I plan do my best with what I know.
