4. The Church Calendar

The Church Calendar

There seems to be a growing practice among many Protestant Churches of observing the "Church Calendar."

A church calender - or "liturgical calendar," as it is often called - consists of a cycle of liturgical seasons in which emphasis is placed on certain events in the life and ministry of Christ. This cycle often prescribes the observance of certain "holy days" and the portions of Scripture are to be read in worship services, often using prescribed liturgies.

One reason given for following a church calendar is that it offers a central pattern for ordering worship in relationship to important occasions and events in the life of Jesus.  Days and seasons observed in such a calender include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.  Other days may also be observed, such as the Baptism of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trinity Sunday, All Saints Day, and Christ the King.

Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with worship or Bible study and preaching that follows the events of the life of Jesus. Many a Sunday School lesson has been taught and many sermons have been preached using such an outline.

However, you may notice that I do not place emphasis on adherence to a liturgical calender and that worship services at NCPC generally do not focus on such.

There are reasons for this!  Among those reasons are:

1)  Scripture does not call for such. In fact, Scripture warns against such by saying, "You are observing special days and months and seasons and year!  I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you" (Galatians 4:10-11).  Paul obviously had reason to caution the Galatians about their practice. As a general observation, we have reason to be cautious of ceremonies, days, and rituals not commanded in Scripture.

2)  Scripture contains no reference to the actual dates of the events celebrated in the liturgical calendar.  Obvious, God chose to not make these dates know to us in His Word for His own wise reasons, one of those reasons perhaps being that we would attach more importance to a particular date than to the reality of the truth proclaimed.

3)  Scripture is better taught by weekly expository preaching than by the use of calender themes and lectionary readings.  Topical preaching on chosen themes or events in the life of Jesus can be a helpful and good thing to do without making having adherence to a liturgical calendar as the framework of worship.

A liturgical calendar was not introduced until after 350 A. D.  It is historically tied to beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church that were rejected during the Reformation. In fact, Presbyterianism has historically rejected a liturgical calendar with its focus on certain “holy days.”  Many of those who practice such observances today may not even ask the reason for doing so.

A liturgical calendar seems more likely to be followed by congregations of mainline Protestant denominations (such as the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church, and others) than by those of more theologically conservative, evangelical denominations.  Congregations of theologically conservative denominations may differ to some extent on the degree and the manner on which emphasis is placed on seasons such as Christmas and Easter.  In fact, differences over this have varied throughout history, with some Christians of Puritan New England intentionally working on Christmas Day in order to demonstrate their rejection of the day as a “holy day” whose observance is commanded by God.


For these reasons, I  believe there is wisdom in Terry Johnson's statement that "While the revival of the liturgical calendar has become popular in some circles, we recommend moderation or abstinence...." (Leading in Worship, edited by Terry Johnson).

As an observation, it seems that many congregations that adhere to a liturgical calendar have departed from a high view of the authority of Scripture.  Denominations and congregations holding to a high view of Scripture, as historically understood, emphasize the expository preaching of God’s Word in the weekly pattern of corporate worship as commanded by the Lord.  Our pattern in worship, as stated by others, is to preach God’s Word, to sing God’s Word, to pray God’s Word, and to see God’s Word portrayed through the two sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism.

Does this mean no services that celebrate the birth of Christ or His resurrection?  Not at all.  Emphasis and focus can still be placed on the biblical account of events in the life of Jesus and in the history of redemption without being overshadowed by adherence to a liturgical calendar.

In an article written in 1979, Douglas F. Kelly wrote:

“Our Presbyterian forefathers did not do this [make reforms in worship] because they wanted to be negative but because they wanted to leave the way open for the great positive to be expressed: the pure, powerful worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the life-changing proclamation of His Gospel every Lords Day” (from “No Church Year for Presbyterians”).