Crosses and Ashes

The church year is a cycle of events that are meant to keep us constantly focused upon what God is doing in the world and within each of us. At Good Shepherd we are more subtle about expressing the church year, but we do have practices that relate directly to it.

The church year begins at Advent. That's the four Sunday

prior to Christmas (usually beginning with the Sunday following Thanksgiving.) During Advent we celebrate the expectation of the coming of the birth of Christ. We know it has already happened, but remembering an event allows us to relive the important themes that led up to it.

We celebrate Christmas eve instead of Christmas day at Good Shepherd because we are more likely to see people in worship on the 24th rather than the 25th. It's tradition, and it's the tradition of most Christians.

The season of Epiphany is one that is much more subtle. Epiphany means "To be seen in the flesh." During this season the church celebrates the recognition that Christ is God in the flesh. At Good Shepherd we tend to do worship series that relate to how we as the body of Christ can interact with the world... to be God in the flesh to the world around us.

Lent comes next. It begins on Ash Wednesday which is the day we remember that if

not for the forgiveness won by Christ on the cross, we are nothing but dust and ashes. It is meant to be a time of humble reflection on the power of God and His gracious action of forgiveness through the cross. Some traditions have church members make crosses out of the palm branches that they get on Palm Sunday (near the end of Lent and one week before Easter.) On Ash Wednesday 325 (+/-) days later those crosses are burned and the ashes are used in worship. During worship the ashes are put on the forehead of each worshipper as an anointing to remind us that we are but dust and yet God lifts up the dust in honor through Christ.

This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. We'll have a service of communion and ashes at 6:30 pm. Hope you'll join us.

At another time I'll share the rest of the description of the church year with you. I

know you're on the edge of your seats waiting for that post.