At Chilhowie UMC, we follow the Christian calendar
(liturgical year) and celebrate the various events of Jesus' life and ministry.
What is the Liturgical Year?
Humanity has always sought ways to mark the passing of time.
Our current calendar divides the year up into twelve months with varying
numbers of days within each month. The liturgical year, however, does not
follow a standard calendar year. Rather, the liturgical year is based upon
the events of Christ's life and ministry. These events help to form the
various seasons of the liturgical year.
The liturgical year begins four Sundays prior to Christmas
each year with a season that is called Advent. This season is a time for
Christians to remember the prophecies that told of a coming Messiah. It
leads into the season of Christmas during which we celebrate the birth
of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This season in turn leads into the season
of Epiphany which begins with the celebration of the Transfiguration of
Our Lord and has a varying number of Sundays depending upon the date of
Easter in any particular year. Following the Season of Epiphany, we enter
the season of Lent which is a period of forty days, exclusive of Sundays,
prior to Easter Sunday. The season of Easter begins on Easter Sunday and
runs through the next seven Sundays, until we celebrate Pentecost Sunday,
which remembers the birth of the church. The Sundays after Pentecost help
us to reflect upon the mission of the church and the teachings of Jesus
Christ.
To learn more about any of these seasons, and some of the
special events we celebrate within them, please follow the links listed
below:
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