The Christian Calendar on Celebrations

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The Surprise and Celebration of Easter
Author

Wesley Hill
Keywords
New Testament scholar and Anglican bishop N. T. Wright recalls being at a party once when someone decided to read a portion of the seventeenth-century Prayer Book for laughs. The Prayer Book includes ...
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Author

Brian D. McLaren
Keywords
These special holidays give rise to various liturgical calendars that suggest we should mark our days not only with the cycles of the moon and seasons, but also with occasions to tell our children the...
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Author

Chris Seay
Keywords
We need to take time to connect with the poor, resist our unceasing cravings, and pray. But we also need to gather with friends and family, share in God's good provision, eat delicious food, tell ...
liturgy

Lord of Hope and God of all that’s new—Father
Author

Richard Herman
Keywords
Scripture

Romans 12:12, Colossians 3:14, 1 Peter 3:8, Ephesians 4:2-3, Psalm 136:1
Lord of Hope and God of all that’s new—Father, Son and Holy Spirit: We’re filled with wonder, gratitude, and joy inspired by the gifts of new life You freely give us. There’s the joy and wonder of eve...
liturgy

Heavenly Father, as we live through the remainder
Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois
Keywords
Scripture

Joel 2:12-13, Isaiah 1:18, Jonah 3:5-10, Matthew 6:16-18, Psalm 51:10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Pastor: Heavenly Father, as we live through the remainder of this Ash Wednesday, may the crosses of ashes that mark our foreheads be a reminder to us and to those we meet that we belong to your Son....
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The Dicey Side of Christmas
Author

Emily Hunter McGowin
Keywords
- Christmas
- Christmas Gift-Giving
Scripture

Luke 2:10-11, Romans 12:2, Luke 2:8-20, Colossians 2:8, Matthew 5:16
Christmas (a shortened form of "Christ’s mass”) has been an embattled holiday for much of its history— and not just because talking heads on TV like to argue about the “war on Christmas” every ye...
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Christmas in Mosul
Author

Emily Hunter McGowin
Keywords
- Christmas
- Christmas Decorations
Scripture

John 1:5, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Matthew 5:10-12, Isaiah 61:3-4, Romans 8:35-37
Living rooms and shop windows aren’t the only places where decorations are meaningful features of Christmas. When Iraqi forces expelled the Islamic State from the predominantly Christian city of Mosul...
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Preaching the Resurrection
Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.
Keywords
Easter after Resurrection Sunday One of the challenges of the Christian calendar for pastors is that we often put so much energy into Holy Week, that by the time we reach Easter Sunday , and parti...
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The Kings’ Cake
Author

The Pastor's Workshop
Keywords
- The Epiphany
Scripture

Matthew 2:1-12
Though it has fallen out of favor in many English-speaking countries, it is traditional in many parts of the world to prepare and eat a Kings’ Cake on Twelfth Night (Jan 5) or Epiphany (Jan 6). Though...
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Author

Brian O’Connell
Keywords
The season of Epiphany is an invitation to follow Jesus into the ways of gratitude and joy,. We are no longer bound by the dissatisfaction of our consumer culture that tells us to keep striving for mo...
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The Twelfth Day of Christmas
Author

Emile Griffin
Keywords
Scripture

Matthew 2:1-2, Ephesians 3:6, 1 Kings 10:1-13, John 1:9, Philippians 2:10-11
In many Christian lands Epiphany is the most important feast of Christmas. Especially in Latin countries the arrival of the Wise Men, the Three Kings, looms large in the imagination. My native city, N...
liturgy

Inspired by Acts 2 (2)
Author

AnnMarie Kneebone
Keywords
- Pentecost
Scripture

Acts 2:null
Leader: Come, sing a new song of worship. People: Come, sing a new song of praise. Leader: Today is a day of a promise fulfilled. People: With joy we celebrate Pentecost. Leader: Pentecost – a...
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Last Minute Liturgy | Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
Author

The Pastor's Workshop
Keywords
Asking for a "Friend"... You are ready for Holy Week. You are probably reading this because you're already thinking about next year— you're just that organized and put together...
liturgy

Receive and Rejoice!
Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Keywords
Scripture

Luke 2:20
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. – Luke 2:20 Receive and Rejoice! A joy greater than words A great and glorious joy....
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Two Triumphal Entries
Author

Osheta Moore
Keywords
- Palm Sunday
Scripture

Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:8-11, Luke 19:36-44, John 12:16-19
Palm Sunday is the occasion on the Christian calendar when we commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem. The concept of a triumph requires some explanation, because it’s foreign to modern believ...
Quote
Author

Thomas Chatterton
Keywords
- Christmas
Scripture

Philippians 2:6-7, Isaiah 53:3, Luke 2:7, Revelation 5:11-12, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 2:9-11, Psalm 98:4-6
How shall we celebrate the day, When God appear’d in mortal clay; The mark of worldly scorn; When the Archangels heavenly lays, Attempted the Redeemer’s Praise And hailed Salvation’s Morn.
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Lent: Preparing for a Banquet
Author

Alan Jones
Keywords
- Lent
- Banquets
Not long ago, just as the season of Lent had got underway, a friend complained to me, “I know it’s Lent, but where’s the joy?” It is easy to understand why Lent is often misunderstood as a period of s...
liturgy

Dear Lord, We come to you this evening
Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 9:2, John 1:4-5, Luke 2:8-14, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Luke 19:1-10, Philippians 1:6, Matthew 6:33, Luke 10:38-42, Luke 2:11, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 2:1-12
Dear Lord, We come to you this evening with great expectations. Expectations that your Son Jesus has been born, and that his life is a light for us and all people. We come with expectations that He c...
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Chalking the Door
Author

The Pastor's Workshop
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12
In many parts of the world, on Epiphany, you will see a strange formula chalked above the doors of local homes. In 2024, it would read: 20 ✝ C ✝ M ✝  B ✝ 24 The “chalking of the doors” is an ...
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The Themes of Epiphany
Author

Fleming Rutledge
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 60:1-6 , Numbers 24:17 , 2 Kings 5:1-19 , Matthew 2:1-12 , John 1:29-34, Psalm 72:10-11
Serious attention paid to the themes of the season following the Feast of the Epiphany, in particular, can be a strong antidote to a weak Christology. To be sure, all of the church calendar is formed ...
liturgy

Blessings and Peace from Lord
Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois
Keywords
Scripture

Psalm 118:26, Isaiah 25:6-9, Exodus 12:, Revelation 19:7-9, Matthew 28:18-20
Pastor: Let us pray. We give thanks to You, heavenly Father, that You have given us a foretaste of the feast to come in the Holy Supper of Your Son’s body and blood. Send us now, we pray, to invite...
liturgy

In the midst of frenzied shopping and
Author

Ann Siddall
Keywords
- Advent
In the midst of frenzied shopping and end-of-year weariness, we spread out a purple cloth,(a purple cloth is spread over the communion table) read again the ancient stories,(a Bible is placed on th...
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All Saints' Day Liturgy and Prayers: Two Options for Your Church
Author

The Pastor's Workshop
Keywords
I wouldn’t be surprised if, as a Protestant pastor, you approach All Saints’ Day with a little unease. After all, because Protestant churches tend not to have a special class of canonized exemplars ...
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Baptism and Epiphany
Author

The Pastor's Workshop
Keywords
Before child baptism was common in the early Church, Epiphany was a special holy day for baptism. This is because Epiphany is traditionally associated with the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan. ...
liturgy

Awake to the day of triumph for our
Author

Austin D. Hill
Keywords
- Palm Sunday
Scripture

Psalm 118:26
Awake to the day of triumph for our Savior! Give thanks for this day that leads to the cross! Come with your branches, hosannas, and songs Fill the air with welcome to the Lord! Blessed is the...
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Author

Augustine of Hippo
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 1:14, Revelation 22:12, Hebrews 13:8, Galatians 4:4-5, Micah 5:2
Christmas is fast approaching. And now that Christ has aroused our seasonal expectations, he’ll soon fulfill them all!
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Author

Alfred Lord Tennyson
Keywords
Scripture

Isaiah 9:2, John 8:12, Malachi 4:2, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Revelation 22:16, Psalm 30:5
Rise, happy morn, rise, holy morn Draw forth the cheerful day from night; O Father, touch the east, and light The light that shone when Hope was born.
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The Plane Is Coming
Author

Emily Hunter McGowin
Keywords
Scripture

John 3:16, James 1:17, Matthew 2:11, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Romans 12:10, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians 5:2
In rural Msinga, a municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, the highlight of Christmas Day festivities is when men, newly returned home from work in the big cities, gather to sing a...
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Author

Laura Gale
Keywords
- Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is like a glimpse of Easter. It’s a little bit joyful after being somber during Lent.
liturgy

Preparing for Holy Week Events
Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois
Keywords
Scripture

Zechariah 9:9, Psalm 118:26, Zechariah 53:5-6, Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-29
Pastor: The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. People: Amen. Pastor: Blessed is He who comes in the name of th...