Church Calendar
I think for most people coming to the Anglican Church, the Church Calander can be both overwhelming but also a welcomed addition to their life. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people I know that the Church seasons, the feast, and the fasts play very little in their personal lives. Not that they don't participate but that they consider it something that the Church orders its life to and they participate in the events just by attending Church. They think that Christmas is a season because that is how the Church identifies its Sundays. Lent is the time preceding Easter and is a more sobering and reflective time to prepare for Easter. They may or may not give something up for Lent and if they do then it is because the Church has encouraged them to do so.
Now let me be clear, if this is where someone is starting from, that is great! Trusting the Church to form you and learning through participation is a great way to grow in one's faith. However, we should all grow and mature in our faith so that it is not just something that your parish does but what you do as a member of your parish. The latter makes it personal first and moves into your life together in the parish. Learn why we order our Calander the way it is. Make feasting and fasting part of your own life and the life of your family. Just as someone should not only be a Christian at church, your faith can't remain at church either. You are a Christian wherever you are and your faith must go with you at all times and form your life.
Anglicans celebrate the Church Calendar as a way of conforming our lives to the life of Christ. It orients our bodies and our time to Christ, from his expected coming, to his resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Rather than being shaped by a secular calendar, we are formed in a way that unites us with the Church around the globe and centers us on Christ. The calendar brings our minds to think on deeply theological topics and forms our hope and desires by looking with expectation and longing for the coming of Christ, for the celebration of Christmas, for the hope of Easter.
When you come across someone new to Anglicanism or even as you parent your child, encourage them to live the Church calendar by bringing them into your celebration of it. Invite them to parties during the 12 days of Christmas, and throw parties during Christmas. Friends and children will learn the importance of something by seeing how you value it. Other ways to help them live the Christian life are to encourage them to fast during Lent, invite them to Advent studies, or celebrate with them during Easter. Help them to see that by ordering your life to the Church’s fasts and feasts we are ordering our bodies and minds to Scripture and the life of Christ.
The world around us would like us to orient our times according to worldly desires. What is most practical, what makes the most money, and what helps your company grow, these are often the questions that drive what we do. The Church often reorients us, and that is sometimes difficult. The Church has different priorities where we value beauty and truth over practicality and holiness over money or growth. By following the calendar of the Church and participating in its fasts and feasts we reorient our desires to be aligned more with the life of Christ and the truth of the Christian message.
The Church’s liturgical seasons are a way that helps confront our priorities and places us in times we are forced to reflect, withhold rich food, but also times to celebrate and feast. One simple way I remind myself of the Church’s priorities is by not wearing a watch during Holy Communion. Now, that is not to say I don't care about time. I know how long the service goes, I know how long I am going to preach for, etc., etc. But I am not on my time anymore, this is God's time. I know it might not be practical and I often have to ask someone who is serving if it is 10:15 yet. But I don't want to be glancing at my watch when I am elevating the host or chalice. We do not have to be slaves to the clock. Always respect it, but don't let the clock master your life. And allow for moments where you lose time and find yourself in the presence of God.
A concept that I think is difficult for many people to figure out is that leisure is not sloth. Leisure provides space, space to encounter the divine and to appreciate the work of God around us. It gives us the time to reflect, pray, ask questions, and worship. Holy leisure is the correcting of priorities, whereas sloth is misplacing priorities. Ultimately, it will come down, like most things, to the question of "Where is your heart?". Are you ignoring responsibilities or do you find yourself rightly prioritizing prayer? Are you so concerned with work that you decide not to find time to enjoy your family? Most of the things we think are important can wait, even if just 30 minutes. I am not promoting procrastination but I am asking that we reevaluate our priorities. And that we see leisure not as the enemy but as a gift that will help us to correct our priorities. Find some time this week and go for a walk in the woods, sit on your front porch, work in your garden, or whatever you do, quiet your mind, and expect to meet God, not in the earthquake or fire but in the "still small voice."
Peace of Christ,
Fr. Aaron