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Book Review: Living the Christian Year by Bobby Gross

Bobby Gross, Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009. 332 pages. $17.00, soft cover.

 

You can’t get anymore counter-cultural as a Christian than having a completely different calendar than the broader society. For some, this is a good thing and a goal to aspire to. For others, the thought is laughable and strange. For Bobby Gross in Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God the first option is more attractive. Admittedly, it is not Gross’ goal in the book to form a counter-cultural society, but rather the starting point is more of an effort to regain Christian spirituality within the context of the Church calendar. Why it is Christians have these things called Advent and Epiphany and so on is more of the crux for what Gross is calling his reader to learn about—instead of giving into common secularized myths about why Christmas is really on the 25^th of December (for example).

The book is set to be a devotional read, but a person (like I did) can also read it straight through. Each chapter (or, week) is designed to do a variety of things. First, there is an introduction that is written in a beautiful prayer format expressing three core ideas: “approaching God”, “presenting myself”, and “inviting God’s presence”. These three core ideas to the opening prayer each week offer the reader a “state of mind” to which he or she ought to engage their spiritual experience. Additionally, the gist of the devotion for that week is split into two sections. The first section is entitled “Listening to God” while the second section is appropriately “Responding to God”. Within these two sections the reader will find Scripture quotations, as well as those Scriptures reflected on. Finally, the week ends with a closing prayer.

As I said, why it is not Gross’ main purpose for the book, I think a person can look at the church calendar as a way to engage, or respond to culture in a way that is appropriate (in addition to spiritual formation growth). The fact that Christianity had created a calendar that juxtaposes the calendar in which we find ourselves certainly raises eye-brows, at the least. What does this say about the purpose of Christianity and the way Christians ought to respond to their culture? Does it say that we want to be completely different from everything, just for the sake of being different? Perhaps it says that our calendar is better than the other one, in smug and pompous overtones. I don’t think those are two very good reasons for Christians to adopt the Church calendar into their Church and practice of piety.

For one, the original intent of the Church calendar was not to be different for difference sake. The original intent of the Church calendar was rather to shape the year (the world in which we find ourselves) in such a fashion as to put primacy for Holy events--- such as the resurrection of Christ over say, Flag Day or the Super Bowl. Granted, this is not to say that Christians should completely abandon the “other” calendar. Mayhem and confusion would ensue, and retreat from the secular form of the calendar is no way to witness to a watching world.

And that’s exactly where the Church calendar fits in. Although there is primacy with the Church calendar, notice how the Church calendar is not in stark opposition to the secularized calendar. It is entirely possible for the two calendars to co-mingle in such a matter that Christians can remember to have their taxes paid by April 15^th while in complete unison remember that the season of Epiphany begins on January 6^th. To oppose the secular calendar is pointless and arbitrary. But to place the Church calendar and its seasons in primacy shows the watching world that there is something other than what is offered. That is the key.

The something other taps into the innate soul of every created human that their Creator longs for them to return back in acknowledgement and repentance of their sin of pride and forgetting about God. The something other is on the mission not to abstain from the world, or even give up to the world’s temptations, but rather to create a culture in this world that shows an alternative--- an alternative that is rooted in reality, truth, and the longing of every soul to be made afresh with the loving sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

 Following in the time-tested pronouncements of the Church calendar is a beautiful way for individual Christians to gain a fuller formation of Christ-likeness and for the Church universal to unite in solid agreement that what we have to offer the world, in the form of the calendar, is not escapist, not threatening, but rather a beautiful expression of the historicity of the Gospel message played out not just on Christmas and Easter but throughout the entire year.