"The Christian celebrates the saving events of God in Jesus Christ by marking those particular events in which God's saving purposes were made known. The most common term for the yearly celebration of time in worship is the - Christian Year." NLT Praise and Worship Study Bible. (No longer being published)
As can be seen from the quote above the "new year" for the Christian community is not the same as it is for everyone else. It does not line up with secular timetable, but, nonetheless Christians everywhere acknowledges the "Christian Year" in addition to the new year that begins in January.
The term Christian Year is chosen due to the many events revolving around the Jewish people and Jesus. However, many Churches, even in Broad Brook, considers the Christian Year the basis of what they call the Church Calendar or Year. It is from this calendar the church's plans for the year are laid out. It is the foundational building block from which the church plans it's events, services, activities and functions on a corporate scale.
Not all religious denomination that claim to be Christian celebrate all the same events. Each denomination has it's own calendars and events that they follow or adhere to. For example -
- Some denominations don't celebrate Pentecost or Advent while others do.
- Some denominations celebrate Easter but not Christmas.
- And some denominations celebrate Passover while others don't.
This is just a few examples of how denominations vary from one another while still believing and reading the same bible.
While the Christian calendar is filled with special days and observances, there is always a difference from one to the next. However, the Christian calendar is based on the main events that took place in antiquity and has been recognized as the "new time" in history (New Testament Christian).
The events that make up the Christian Year looks something like this -
- Passover and Easter
- Pentecost
- Advent and Christmas
- Epiphany
- Lent and Ash Wednesday
These special days and observances are a mere outline of the Christian Calendar. There is more, but for the most part, all Christian denominations can agree that these events are the most important ones to use in marking what is called the new life in the Christian year. Also each of these have their own reasons and purposes for being considered special days or observances. It is never as plain and simple as it may appear to be.
The upcoming events to be observed or celebrated in the Christian Year are Ash Wednesday and Lent. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. It falls on Feb. 13 and continues for forty days leading up to Holy Week. This is a very solemn time of year for the Christian community. It is a period of time, before Easter, dedicated to prayer, repentance, self-examination and renewal. It's ending is marked in the celebration of Resurrection Sunday when the minister cries--
Comments