A Beginner’s Guide to the Liturgical Calendar
As human beings, we’re all designed for a life full of rhythms — day and night, summer and winter, work and rest. When we observe these rhythms, we thrive.
The church, too, has historically followed rhythms. Since the Old Testament days of festivals and feasts, we’ve allowed the calendar to deepen our faith as we celebrate, grieve, wait, and remember.
Today, many Christians around the world observe these rhythms through the liturgical calendar.
If you’re new to the idea of the liturgical calendar, don’t worry — it’s a lovely practice to step into at any time! It can serve as a great tool in teaching our kids about faith, and it can teach us a lot about our own faith (and ourselves!) too.
Whether or not you come from a tradition that follows the liturgical calendar, you’ve probably at least heard of a few of its high points: Advent, which points to Christmas, and Lent, which points to Easter. But this only just scratches the surface of all the church calendar has to offer.
Here’s a quick overview: the liturgical calendar is an annual cycle that structures the entire year around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the work of the church in response. It’s a beautiful way to reflect upon the foundations of the Christian faith in every season—and it’s a great tool to teach our kids about the faith as well. As we honor the rhythms of each season, we allow ourselves to meditate deeply on the life of Christ, the history of the church, and what this means for our own faith.
There are six liturgical seasons, plus what I like to think of as a season within a season:
Advent
The season of Advent begins four weeks before Christmas. This season is a time to meditate on the theme of waiting, both waiting to celebrate Jesus’ first coming and waiting for Christ’s return.Christmas
Christmas
The season of Christmas runs from December 25 through January 5. These twelve days are a time to celebrate the incarnation—God became human and lived among us!
Epiphany, or Ordinary Time I
The season of Epiphany runs from January 6 through the Tuesday before Lent. During this season, Christians focus on the theme of hospitality through the story of the magi—the hospitality God shows by inviting gentiles into God’s people and the hospitality the kings showed to the Holy Family through their gifts and their warnings of Herod’s danger.
Lent
The season of Lent begins forty days before Holy Week. During this fasting season, Christians reflect on our need for God. We allow ourselves to hunger so that we can appreciate the gifts of God all the more.
Holy Week (the season within a season!)
Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. Technically it is still a part of the season of Lent, but it is also distinct from the rest of the season. During this week, we journey with Jesus from his entry into Jerusalem through his final days. We grieve his death before finally celebrating his resurrection.
Eastertide
The season of Eastertide runs for seven weeks, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. During this season, we continue celebrating Jesus’ defeat of sin and death!
Pentecost, or Ordinary Time II
Ordinary Time is the season that runs from Pentecost until the start of Advent. This season is a time to focus on the work of the church throughout history as well as God’s work in our own lives.
Check out our tea towels for each season of the church year.
Even if you don’t attend a church that observes these seasons, you can absolutely engage with each one in your own home, with your family, or in a group of friends.
These resources can help you do just that!
Bake and Pray by Kendall Vanderslice
This book was designed to help you incorporate spiritual practices into your everyday baking. Inside, you’ll find breadmaking liturgies and historical recipes to bake through a variety of liturgical holidays and seasons! It’s a great companion all year long.
Sacred Seasons by Danielle Hitchens
If you want to embark on a family journey through the liturgical year, Danielle’s book provides an engaging, meaningful, and fun roadmap! It’s full of activities, recipes, and liturgies to help you follow along with each season.
Little Way Chapel
Little Way Chapel is a fantastic online resource that centers around following Jesus by following the church calendar. With an affordable monthly membership for families and lots of beautiful standalone resources, it’s a simple, meaningful way to teach your kids about the seasons of the liturgical calendar.