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Why
is there now so much emphasis within the Church of the Nazarene
on Advent, Lent, and other dates on the Christian calendar? |
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The value
of the Christian calendar is threefold: (1) it organizes our lives
around the major events of our Christian faith; (2) it teaches and
reminds us of the story of God and His redemptive work in the world;
and (3) it enables us to celebrate common time with other Christians
around the world.
From the earliest days, the people of God have organized their calendars
by salvation history events. Jewish celebrations and holidays revolved
around the Exodus from Egypt. Those included the feasts of Unleavened
Bread (Passover), Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah),
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Tabernacles, Dedication (Hanukkah),
and Purim. These festivals were intended to remind the Jewish people
of God’s
redemptive work in their past and His promised faithfulness for
their future.
The Christian Church has followed this pattern by focusing on the
life and ministry of Jesus. Major events include the promise of
His coming (Advent), His birth (Christmas), His ministry, His passion
(Lent), His resurrection (Easter), and the sending of His Spirit
(Pentecost). Theologically these events teach us the meaning of
the Incarnation and the Atonement and the purpose for the Church.
When we celebrate these events, the gospel is proclaimed, and the
plan of salvation is reviewed in the cycle of the Christian year.
Practically speaking, as a congregation moves through the church
calendar, it is presented with a purposeful, systematic way to talk
about, reflect upon, and respond to the most important aspects of
the Christian faith.—db
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Christians have always marked time in
ways different from the world. The Church measures time by celebrating
the events of Jesus’
birth (Advent), life (Epiphany), passion (Lent), resurrection (Easter),
ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost). Most Christian
leaders across the past 20 centuries have organized the life of their
congregations around these seasons.
Churches today too often order their corporate life by the secular
calendar, sometimes paying more attention to national holidays than
to Christian holy days. Consistently doing so blurs the vision of
who we are as the people of God. The annually repeated cycle of the
Christian seasons becomes a powerful teaching tool, helping us to
remember that our true identity comes not from important civic remembrances
but from being disciples of Jesus Christ and citizens of the kingdom
of God.
Many pastors in the Church of the Nazarene are gladly recovering a
truly Christian way of calling the Church to worship. This way centers
on the story of our Lord Jesus and not on the celebrations of our
increasingly pagan culture. This is why there is so much emphasis
now on the Christian calendar.—jr |
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This
month’s
Editor’s Forum: |
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db—David
Busic
is pastor of Central Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, Kansas,
and is coeditor of Preacher's
Magazine.
jr—Jeren
Rowell
is pastor of the Church
of the Nazarene in Shawnee, Kansas, and coeditor of Preacher's
Magazine. |
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