Along the Canterbury Trail: A Charismatic Discovers the Beauty and Power of Lent

Today begins the season of Lent. That's Lent with an e, not an i.

The only "lint" I experienced as a child was the stuff I had to clean out of the clothes dryer, and the pesky pet hair we'd have to brush off our "Sunday best" before heading to service. Having a menagerie of dogs and cats necessitated having a good lint brush around, or at least a roll of duct tape.

  I heard the other LENT was some sort of ceremony practiced by Catholics.

I heard they put ashes on their foreheads and acted really sorry for being bad.

I heard that some of them gave up their favorite foods right before Easter in order to prove to God they were serious about doing better.


Our evangelical church never practiced Lent. When it was mentioned, it was usually criticized as Roman rubbish.

I recall being at a restaurant after the mid-week service when some of those people walked in with the smudge on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. We whispered in eerie tones, "They do that thing called "Lent." We tried to cover a snicker or two as we watched them--each with a distinctive blob of dirt above the nose--eat and chat away as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

God's sense of humor contains a stinging "gotcha!" that all of us need to watch out for when we take hearsay for facts, and judge others from inside our comfortable, but confining perceptions.

After attending an Ash Wednesday service a few years back, I was woefully stung at the Golden Corral following the evening service. A woman and her daughter brushed by while I was debating between a topping of cottage cheese or chicken salad. I heard the Mom say as they passed, "Quit staring. She's a Catholic."

"What's a cat tick?" the little girl asked with fear in her voice, as if the word had terrorist-like connotations.

"I'll tell you later," the mother replied.

Despite my chuckle, that's exactly what bothers me. What did she tell her child?

The same lies...excuse me--misrepresentations I heard at an early age? The same falsehoods that shaped my belief system for most of my Christian life? I acknowledge that most of the things I heard were spread by well-meaning, but misinformed believers who accepted without question what others had passed down through their denomination or particular church--their little place of Heaven.

But let's clear things up to prove my point.

I am NOT a Roman Catholic (nothing against them). I attend a conservative Anglican church. We are also a charismatic fellowship, which the mom probably never would have guessed. After all, how many Pentecostals get ashes rubbed on their foreheads at church?

Dancing in the aisles? Maybe. Ashes from last year's dried and burned Palm Sunday branches? Uh, no. We're on a roll, so let's clear up a widely believed error right now:

There was no Roman Catholic Church until 1054 A.D., when trouble that had been festering for years finally split the Church into two expressions--the West (guided by Rome) and the Eastern Church (Constantinople--Orthodox).

Very few Christians today take time to chew on the glorious truth that there was only ONE church on earth for over a thousand years after the Day of Pentecost!

If a visitor arrived in Corinth, for example, he would ask, "Where does THE Church meet in your city?" Although assembling in different cities and homes (and later in buildings), it was ONE Church which adhered to the doctrine of Christ and His Apostles, guarded it against heresies from within and persecutions from without, and worshiped in manifested unity.

All of us--Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant--owe a lot to St. Athanasius. His explanation and defense of the Trinity against divisive elements within the early Church helped clarify and ground the Trinitarian doctrine. Athanasius was also the first person to identify the same 27 books of the New Testament that other Church leaders later canonized (made official).

We learn from historical records that Athanasius--in 331 A.D.--was instructing the Church toward a forty-day period of introspection and repentance in order to properly prepare for Resurrection Sunday. By 339 A.D., after having traveled to Rome and over the greater part of Europe, Athanasius wrote in the strongest terms to urge this observance to be universally practiced. And so it began…when EVERY Christian was catholic (little "c"--meaning a part of something universal).

Really, aren't we all catholics (little c's)? I trust you believe you are a part of the seamless Body of Christ--past, present and future--in Heaven and on earth.

I agree that there are important doctrinal measures that define the true faith and cannot be compromised--e.g., the Trinity, the Incarnation of Christ (fully man and fully God) His bodily resurrection and physical return to earth--but we must focus on our unity in Christ and not turn minor, non-salvific traditions into legalistic dogma that breeds suspicion and cripples our witness.

Now you know that Lent was not invented over in Rome to offend Protestants. Face it. If you were a believer living anywhere from 330.A.D. onward until the Reformation (1517), you observed the Lenten Season. That's a long time.

But guess what? Protestants took the practice with them, too. Today, Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Lutherans observe the season of Lent, along with many Methodist denominations. Only the more modern churches have abandoned the observance. Oops! Doesn't sound like these folks were "on the fringe" after all! Truthfully, they were smack dab in the center of Church practice from the beginning.

So, where does the word Lent come from and what does it mean?

Quadragesi is Latin for "fortieth day". No big revelation here.

The season begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days to the Saturday before Easter. Sundays are not counted in this season because every Sunday is the Lord's Day and is celebrated as a joyous, spiritual feast (or should be...Selah).

In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent ends on the Thursday before Easter. This day is known as Maundy Thursday, Holy Thursday, or Covenant Thursday throughout Christendom.  It commemorates the “Maundy” (New Commandment), and the Last Supper of Jesus with His Apostles.

Now, if you're an evangelical trodding through unknown territory in this article, then let me digress to give you a backdrop of information.

Not until I joined a liturgical/sacramental expression of Christ's Body did I realize that the Church follows its own calendar of worship that revolves around the life and work of Christ in seven seasons:

Advent: the two comings of Christ (God keeps His promises)
Christmas: the Incarnation "God With Us"
Epiphany: the revealing of Christ to the Gentile Magi and His Baptism in the River Jordan
Lenten: repentance, forgiveness, and restoration
Easter: Resurrection
Pentecost: the Holy Spirit
Kingdomtide: (also known as "Ordinary Time") growing in service and sanctification

Combined, these seasons teach the four doctrines of the Church:
The Incarnation
The Atonement
The Resurrection
The Holy Trinity

Oh, before we go any further, imagine my surprise when I also discovered the concept of such a calendar developed around 325 A.D! It's intended to help us stay focused on the life and ministry of Christ as repeatedly, year after year, we move rhythmically through the seasons.

Kingdom truths are like exquisite diamonds with multiple facets. The closer we draw to the treasure, the more details we can behold. Moving around the diamond also gives us perspectives we could not see from a previous position. We are going "from glory to glory". The seven seasons of the Church Year, as the diamond, remain unchanged. However, WE are the ones changing.

People can become so familiar with their liturgy or order of service that it can sadly deteriorate into mimicry--a corporate "going through the motions"--whether it's standing to sing Hymn # 429 or getting ready to celebrate Jesus' Resurrection.

I visited an Episcopal Church one Sunday and sat beside a young woman. We exchanged pleasantries as the service began. I was still rather "new" to liturgy, but I could tell she had it all down pat. She knew when to make the sign of the Cross and kneel; she knew the General Confession and Great Thanksgiving (Eucharist) by heart. I was impressed.

Nevertheless, during the homily (sermon), she took out a file and manicured her nails. When it came time to receive communion, she bounced up to the rail, received it, and left before the service ended.

May I tell you what she got that day? A nice-looking set of nails! Despite God being there to minister to her in a powerful, incarnate reality through His Body and Blood, she missed Him-- even though she said all the right things at the right time, and even drank the wine and ate the bread.

"Be it unto you according to your faith", right?

You'll only get out of Lent what you expect…and only if your faith takes you into the experience out of love for Christ. It bothers me to hear people brag about giving up something for Lent, as if our sacrifices for forty days of booze, cigarettes, and chocolate leave God breathless.

I'm more patient with those who've taken it a step further and are willing to lay aside TV time, electronic games, social networking sites--anything that seems to compete for the time and devotion that belongs to Christ.

But those are only outward distractions. The whole purpose of Lent is to give God permission to step across the carefully guarded threshold into where your deepest desires and real motives dwell...where out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and the issues of life flow. It's all there--your sexual passions, insecurities, lust for power. Greed is there, along with vanity, pride, selfishness, hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, lingering offenses, irrational fears, control and manipulation.

Being prepared for the Resurrection means something had to die. We all want the power that comes with rising from the dead, but very few of us want to go through the only way to get it.

Of course, I'm not talking about physical death, but a laying down of all self-absorption...the kind that fills us so full of ourselves that there's little room for the manifested life of Christ to be wrung out onto the dry places and thirsty people around us!

The colors, symbols, signs and motions of liturgical worship are simply to strike a chord in humanity's five senses to an inward work of grace that's occurring. For instance, the palm branch I so joyously waved as I processed into worship last year, has been neglected--left to dry up and wither. What was once vibrant and supple has lost its color and breaks at the slightest touch.

It is consumed in fire. From the remaining ashes, a mark is placed upon my forehead to remind me of how easily a creature from the dust can turn on His Creator. If we remember the gospel story, the same people that took Palms and welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem were the same people who days later yelled, "Crucify Him"!

God sees what we wave at Him when things are going good. He hears the praise reports and thanks. It's what lurks unaddressed deep inside of us that concerns our Heavenly Father; He knows the enemy will use it against us. At pivotal moments in our lives, we may betray or deny Christ. Adultery is betrayal...not only to one's spouse but to the Lord of that marriage. Refusing to take a stand when it counts because one doesn't want to sabotage a promotion is denying that Christ who was tortured to end the fear of man and its tyranny over us.

Yes. It's dirty work. When I watched my dad uproot an old tree stump, a lot of "groans" emerged from the ground as the deep root system began to surrender to the unrelenting pull of the chains. Decades of spreading, tangling, intertwined roots finally made their way to the top as the soil churned and dust flew.

Lent prepares you to fix your heart for your cross; and draw upon the strength and empowerment of the One who has gone before you with His Cross. You will walk out from some of your tombs this year. Maybe not all of them at once, but of this I can be assured:

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians 1:6)

If you lose your resolve along the way, if you begin to kick at the pricks and hold on instead of letting go, here's some good news: Lent will come again. You can repent and start anew!

I invite you to join me during this season for a series of messages that will get us ready to rise to a new level of life in Christ.

For each week in Lent, we'll approach an aspect of God’s forgiveness as it relates to the amazing merge of His holiness and love at the Cross. Some areas I’ll cover include:

1) Why God couldn't say to Adam and Eve, "Okay. That one didn't count."
2) What God did to right the wrong, and why the plan had to be bloody and brutal
3) How to respond to Christ's already secured gift of redemption
4) How to have a "perfect" heart toward God, as He demands.

I'm also planning to post articles taken from the Gospel accounts of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. His three temptations--to turn stones into bread, to jump from the pinnacle of the Temple, and to bow down in allegiance to satan--dealt with the same prevailing heart attitudes that Adam and Eve faced, but did not overcome.

Beloved, nothing has changed. The devil has no new M.O.'s. The times, places, and platforms are different, but all temptations known to humanity fall into one of three categories:

self-gratification, self-protection, self-empowerment...which are:

1) lust of the flesh
2) the pride of life
3) lust of the eyes

Post-Easter Heartburn

This past Easter, believers walked out of nicely decorated buildings and back onto the dusty roads of everyday life, not unlike Cleopas and his companion heading to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). These travelers were witnesses to the first Easter, and it was anything but glorious. The man they had pinned all their Messianic hopes upon had been crucified.

The movement was going so well--crowds thronged for healings, miracles occurred; many followers were sure that Israel's victorious deliverance from the oppressive Romans was at hand.

We’ve all experienced a lot of “but then” moments, haven’t we?  The followers of Jesus were thrown into three head-spinning days of confusion and despair. Bewildered, they watched their leader refuse to defend himself against the trumped-up charges. All hell broke loose! No one knew what to do. In the end, there was Jesus--bloodied and gasping for every breath on a cross. Now his friends feared for their lives. It seemed all of Jerusalem was stirred up about the claims of the carpenter turned lunatic.

We don’t know for sure, but Cleopas and his friend probably thought it wise to put some distance between themselves and the conflict. Perhaps in a quiet and safer place, they could come to terms with what happened. The latest rumors that Jesus’ body was missing and Mary's wild report of seeing Jesus alive added to their confusion. The men didn’t know what to believe!

On this year’s journey beyond the pristine church doors, maybe you’re traveling on your own Emmaus—a road between what is versus what you expected. With every dusty step, reality clashes with what you thought were sure promises from a good God. Like your fellow travelers from that first Easter, you’re no longer sure what to believe. With precious parts of your life ripped away, it appears God just stood by and watched.  Adding to your turmoil are conflicting, confusing “explanations” from family members and well-meaning Christians.

The two Emmaus-bound disciples in Luke’s account had much to discuss, much to try to reason with and perhaps, reason away. They were attempting to sort out all that had happened when a fellow traveler joined them. I believe the fog of analysis was so heavy that it clouded their ability to recognize their new companion.

(I refuse to count how many times, in trying hard to take control of a situation, I missed His “arrival”. Do you remember the Bible story of the disciples desperately toiling to keep control of their boat in a storm? It’s in Mark 6:45-52. Jesus came near, walking on the water. However, Mark’s report interestingly adds, “He would have passed by them.” The guys were so focused on the problem and the need to row themselves to safety that they almost missed the answer to their prayers. There was Jesus--standing on top of the very thing that was threatening to destroy them!)

Back on the road to Emmaus, Jesus briefly inquired into the nature of his traveling companions’ deep discussion. They reported in detail everything they had witnessed done by the hands of the Pharisees and the Romans, and the latest claims by the disciples--everything except what Jesus taught them on numerous occasions--all the news except the good news housed in the Scriptures confirming this redemptive moment in history!

Under fire, I tend to forget the Words of Jesus as well. I look everywhere for an answer but in the Bible. I listen more readily to the opinions and speculations of others. By the time I get around to prayer, my mind is filled with all kinds of vain imaginations. I may be a quick thinker, but my spiritual heart is often slow to grasp God’s truth.

In verse twenty-five, Jesus exclaimed, “You fools and slow of heart to believe…” The word for fools here in the Greek means “One who drops to a lower level of thinking—only using the intellect—that tends to lead to moral fault”. In other words, slow-hearted people can more easily err in their assessments.

After being called slow-hearted by a total ‘stranger”, stunned Cleopas and his friend were at a loss for words! (Maybe that’s what Jesus was after with his stinging rebuke!) They had heard many things, but it was time for them to listen.

This unusual traveler on the Emmaus Road began to teach from the Scriptures—from Moses to the prophets—on how the seemingly tragic events they witnessed back in Jerusalem were part of God’s triumphant plan all along (actually, since before the world began). This time, they got it!

The two disciples were amazed at the turn around in their understanding. What they assumed was a tragic loss for them as Christ’s followers was a gain for the whole world—Salvation...accomplished and secured for all who would believe—now and forever. The answers they sought had been right before them!

And another curious thing occurred: as they listened, their hearts began to burn deep within. (It’s not the kind of condition Prilosec or Tums can treat.) The Living Word Himself was burning away all the sludge from His slow-hearted friends. That’s how I know Jesus is communing with me—His words of life ignite a fire deep within, bypassing my intellect and fickle emotions, moving beyond my fears and stubborn mindsets.

When what has been clogging your vision is burned away, then whatever you picked up this year or had to put down against your will reveals itself in a different light. You start to see a redemptive story that you never could have imagined—one powerful enough to break any barrier in order to reach others who are broken and slow of heart.

Stay on your Emmaus Road a little longer. It’s right after Easter, so I expect Jesus will come alongside any time now. You may not recognize him at first, but just listen to your companion. You might get the best case of heartburn you’ve ever had.

(We’re not through with Cleopas and his friend’s encounter with the Risen Lord. In my next post, we’ll discover exactly when their eyes were open to behold Jesus, and the reward that comes when the focus shifts from wanting answers to needing fellowship.)

What Now?

For years, I felt frustrated at the end of each Easter service, as if I had truly missed something. I’d ponder “What now?” after the last hymn and dismissal from the Lily-decorated sanctuary. I didn't know how to take an historical event that I truly believed happened and make it an everyday reality in my Christian life thousands of Easters later.

What did I go there to celebrate? The glorious truth that Jesus rose from the dead, confirming everything He said was true. Because of my belief in Him, I will join Him in Heaven when I die and one day my physical body will be raised--just as His was--to be reunited with my spirit. Then all believers will live eternally in joy and peace. What wonderful news! For a far off day perhaps, but still--wonderful news!

So, I wrapped up Easter for another year and didn't think about it until the following spring. Memorial Day, graduation plans, and vacations were next on the calendar.

However, now I know that the Resurrection is an on-going, ever-growing gift to me. Its truth indwells and empowers me, and each Easter is no longer marked by going to church to memorialize what was, but a glorious expression of a present reality.

Throughout this Easter season, I’d like to share how my life began to change when I opened the Bible to see what transpired in the life of Jesus AFTER His Resurrection. Much to my surprise, I discovered He was very busy those forty days prior to His Ascension.

I particularly noticed how He took the initiative to appear to struggling, confused, and broken believers—yes, those ALREADY following Him--men and women who experienced a crisis of faith when the unexpected, the terrible, the “this doesn’t fit into my framework of positive religion” happened after His arrest and Crucifixion. Everyone who encountered Jesus during this time was transformed. Their faith was strengthened beyond a mere assent to facts.

In other words, they had their "What Now?" clearly answered!

Because Christ rose from the dead, so can we—not only one day from our physical graves, (a topic on which the Church tends to focus her Easter Sunday sermons), but from the here and now graves of deferred hopes and buried dreams, from the sepulchers of broken hearts and decaying faith.

That’s the real meaning of Easter. It began with Jesus’ Resurrection, but its continuing power is His gift to you and me today to expect and experience all kinds of resurrections right where we are--yes, in the mundane and challenging ruts of daily life--not once a year shielded behind stained glass windows.

We are in a season of our Lord’s love-filled appearing to weary travelers on their journey of faith, to sincere doubters behind closed doors, and to those who linger at tombs. It's time for heartburn, opened eyes, and the intimate breaking of bread with friends.

Invitations are going out for breakfast by the sea that you don't want to miss. Betrayers who feel all is lost are getting calls they never expected. The outdoor seminary at the feet of Jesus will soon begin.

Don’t let this extraordinary time pass you by!

Living by the Christian Calendar: How It Helps Me Stay Focused on the Author and Finisher of Another Year

 God created time and space, and gave them as gifts to His creation.

Such gifts bring order and definition to our universe, as well as a way to reference events that have already happened, things that are now occurring, and events yet to come.

Man was given the responsibility to manage these gifts.

You’re familiar with the phrase “Time waits for no one.” Time is the most valuable commodity we have; either we will waste it or invest it. We have only a measure of time on earth (Psalm 31:15); therefore, the greatest gift you can give to someone is your time. In essence, you consider that person worth the costly exchange.

The first Law established in the earth was the Law of Sowing and Reaping (Seedtime and Harvest--Gen. 8:22). If we make time for others (God first), the Lord will “stretch” our time--literally or figuratively. He will increase our productivity and effectiveness, and His blessings upon our use of time will result in what appears to be more “free” time.

“So I will restore to you the years (In the Hebrew, more akin to ‘opportunities’) that the swarming locusts has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust.” Joel 2:25 nkjv

Actual time wasted in sin and disobedience can never be regained. The consequences of our actions will leave marks upon time that others will reference. However, God in His mercy, who is the Lord of time and transcends it, offers to the penitent the restoration of many missed opportunities!

In an effort to use time wisely, man has invented many time-keeping devices--sun dials to printed calendars to gizmos with impressive bells and whistles. Whether managed electronically or by the “old-fashioned” ballpoint, the phrase “I’ll pencil you in” is Standard English (particularly in the West). Moms keep track of soccer practices, school plays, and dinner menus.

Dad skillfully manages his weekly work schedule, knowing that minutes, hours, and days translate into much needed income for his family. Children manage to “make time” for their extracurricular activities, but somehow lose that ability when it comes to managing homework deadlines. The saying, “We always seem to find the time for the things we consider important” is so true for all of us…at any age!

What about personal time with the Lord? What about time invested within the Christian community? These investments have a higher rate of return than all our other activities combined. We are eager to “pencil” in everything else, while our time with the Lord remains a flexible option.

Christians read in the Old Testament how God moved His people through a rhythmic calendar of seasons, feasts, and holy days that enabled the covenant community to stay focused on the spiritual in a material world. Some people say, “That’s no longer necessary”. I beg to differ. A church loosed from its ancient moorings is apt to drift through time. 

Modern Church life is often lived out incrementally--from Sunday to Sunday or event to event with no true sense of identity, why they worship, and where they’re going. There’s no link to the past…no connection to the now unfolding and future encompassing of the Kingdom of God.

Some time after the council of Nicea (A.D. 325), the concept of a Christian Year began to develop. It was designed to move around the person and work of Jesus Christ. Sadly, most churches today mark ecclesiastical time by who speaks from the pulpit, not Christ’s presence at the Altar. The modern Church calendar is packed with a flurry of diversely focused meetings, programs, and concerts--all designed to hopefully keep the busy family interested in “growing and going for Christ."

By contrast, the historic Church remains relatively faithful to the way the early Church marked time on earth and measured spiritual growth. Most of the elements of the Christian Year were combined together during the 4th and 5th centuries into the form we recognize today.

Very little has changed. You’ll find some feast dates rearranged in certain Communions, and the Scripture readings during the seasons will vary according to whether congregations use the Book of Common Prayer or the Revised Common Lectionary. Nevertheless, the focus of the calendar remain the same—teaching the Life of Christ.

The Christian Year begins on the first Sunday of Advent (the fourth Sunday before December 25). Festivals or “feast days” commemorate historical events in the life of Christ or in the experience of the early Church. Dates remembering the lives and contributions of the great saints and martyrs of the Church are also recorded in order for today’s faithful to emulate their courage and devotion to Christ.

The Seven Seasons of the Christian Year teach
the four major truths about Christ:
The Incarnation, The Atonement, The Resurrection and the Holy Trinity

Advent – Preparation
Color: Serum Blue (or purple) – the royalty of Christ as King
Significance: Begins the Christian Year/penitential season of reflective thankfulness
 for our Savior’s first coming as Servant and readiness for His return as Judge and King
Theme: The two comings of Christ to earth
Duration: It starts four Sundays prior to Christmas Day on the Sunday nearest November 30th and ends on Christmas Eve.
Lesser Feast:
St. Nicholas Dec. 6

Christmas – Celebration
Color:  White (or Gold) – the purity, holiness, and perfection of Christ
Significance:  Honors the birth of Christ
Theme:  The Incarnation
Duration:  It starts at the first Eucharist on Christmas Eve, ends on Epiphany Eve, January 5. It last 12 days (the Twelve Days of Christmas)
Major Feast:
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Dec. 25)
Lesser Feasts:
St. Stephen (Dec. 26)
St. John (Dec. 27)
Day of the Holy Innocents (Dec. 28--a feast for the children who were slain by Herod. they were Christianity’s first martyrs)
The Holy Name (Circumcision and naming of Christ--January 1)

Epiphany – A Showing Forth
Color: (Major Feast Days are White/ordinary days are green)
Significance:  The appearance and revelation of Christ to the world, as seen in the visit of The Magi (Gentiles) to the Christ Child
Theme: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Duration:  January 6 through the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) on February 2.
Feasts:
Feast of Epiphany (January 6)
Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ (1^st Sunday after Epiphany)
Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Jan. 2)

Ordinary Time after Epiphany
Color: Green– representing the renewal that comes from Christ
Significance: The Incarnation of Christ remains in the Church, as Jesus now continues His ministry through believers all over the world.
Theme: : “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27
Duration: Lasts from the day after Candlemas until Shrove Tuesday--the day before Ash Wednesday

Lenten – Repentance
Color:  Purple – represents penance, death, and Christ’s forgiveness
(During Holy Week the color is Ox Blood Red, denoting the shedding of Christ’s blood.)
Significance:  Introspection for the removal of sin
Theme:  Repentance, forgiveness, and restoration
Duration:  It lasts from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week--a period of 40 Days (excluding Sundays).
Major Observance:
Ash Wednesday (Dried palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday Procession are burned and the ashes are imposed on the penitent’s forehead.)

Holy Week Services: (Ox Blood Red)
Palm Sunday (“Hosanna!” Processional)
Maundy Thursday (means “New Commandment”/a day of joy because Christ gave us the Eucharist-Color is White)
Good Friday (Color-Black/Day of Atonement for our sins)
Holy Saturday (lasts until sunset)
The Great Easter Vigil (starts at sunset on Holy Saturday until Easter Sunday sunrise)
From the evening liturgy on Maundy Thursday through evening prayer on Resurrection Sunday is also known as The Paschal Triduum or "Three Days".

Easter – Resurrection
Color:  White (or Gold) – represents the purity, holiness, and perfection of Christ
Significance:  The bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, conquering sin and death
Theme:  Joy and renewal through the resurrection power of the living Christ,
who has redeemed and brought us eternally home to the Father
Duration:  It starts Easter Evening and last 50 days until Pentecost.
Major Feasts:
Resurrection Sunday (Easter)
The Feast of Ascension (Christ returned to sit at the Right Hand of the Father, having finished the work of redemption. He now builds and governs His Church through the Holy Spirit until His bodily return to earth to rule.)

Pentecost—Keys of the Kingdom
Color:  Red – Life in the blood of Christ and a representation of the power that was made available to the Church…also represents the “tongues of fire” that rested upon the heads of those gathered in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost
Significance:  We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit who saves, sanctifies, and empowers for service…the guide, governor, and guardian of the Church.
The Holy Spirit was given to the Church on the day of Pentecost. It was here Peter “unlocked” the Kingdom with the Keys of the Kingdom.
Baptismal candidates would wear white robes on this day, so Pentecost was often called “Whitsunday” or “White Sunday”. many Christian calendars, liturgies, and hymnals still use this term.
Theme:  The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
Duration:  Pentecost Sunday through Trinity Sunday
Major Feasts:
Trinity Sunday (White is the color) Observed the first Sunday after Pentecost
A time when we celebrate and ponder the majesty and mystery of our one God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Kingdomtide – Ordinary Time (Manifesting the Kingdom in Everyday Life)
(Also called the Season After Pentecost because the Christian growth is dependent upon the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.)
Color: Green – represents the growing Christian life
Significance: The Kingdom of God is an everyday reality in our lives and should not be marked by high’s and low’s, but steady progress.
Duration: It lasts from the day after Trinity Sunday until the day before Advent.
Major Feast:
Transfiguration of Our Lord (white--August 6)
Christ the King (White--Last Sunday before Advent)
Lesser Feasts:
All Saints Day (White…Nov. 1—honoring the heroes of the faith from the Bible and Church history)
All Souls Day (White Nov. 2--a time to honor all of our loved ones who have passed from this earthly existence into the rest of our Lord.)

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32  nkjv

The above verse is often quoted with the word “set”, but notice Jesus “makes” us free. This suggests a period of time--a process similar to peeling or unwrapping. As the Holy Spirit helps us to understand, embrace, and activate truth in our lives it will ultimately--without fail--begin to make us free!

Kingdom truths are like exquisite diamonds with multiple facets. The closer we are to the treasure, the more facets we can clearly locate and examine. Moving around the diamond also gives up perspectives we could not see from a static position. The enemy likes to keep us stuck in a rut, but God wants us to go from “glory to glory".

The Christian Calendar keeps up focused on the four major doctrines of Christ as we repeatedly, year after year, move rhythmically through the seven fixed seasons. They, like the diamond, remain unchanged. However, we are the ones changing--growing ever closer, gaining new perspectives as the Holy Spirit removes layers of self and man-centeredness to reveal a Christ consciousness.

We observe the birthdays of our loved ones every year at the same time. Nevertheless, these celebrations vary in meaning from year to year, becoming more poignant and precious with the passing of time and changing circumstances. So does the passing of holy days during our pilgrimage on earth.

We don’t gauge our spiritual growth by reading the latest “end time” book or attending a healing crusade, but by whether or not we know Jesus better--more intimately--than ever before! We compare ourselves…not to each other, but to Christ as He is increasingly revealed through time in these doctrines of the Church.

I must ask myself: Do I have a greater personal revelation of Christ’s Resurrection this year? Am I walking in a Kingdom reality of Pentecost that I was not able to grasp last year? How have these truths been working progressively, faithfully in my life over the past year to “make” me free in Christ? Can I tell a difference? Can others?

Yes, the Christian Year is the same; but am I? David proclaimed:

“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, you have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is nothing before You.” Psalm 39:4-5a  nkjv

After David died the Holy Spirit proclaimed: “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep…” Acts 13:36  nkjv

May we all be wise redeemers and stewards of the gift of time. May it also be said of us that AFTER serving our generation by the will of God, we took off our watches, closed our calendars, and felt the eternal embrace of God!