Dear saints of God,
Happy New Year! (Pastor’s lost his marbles. He doesn’t even know what time of year it is.) While the first statement may be true, I am certain it is a new year – a new Christian year. The redeemed understand that time as the world counts it is coming to an end. We are counting down to the return of our Lord when our eternal rest will begin. And the way we prepare is by constantly focusing our attention on the words and work of Jesus for our salvation.
That is how and why the Church Year (or the liturgical year) developed. God commanded the Israelites at the exodus from Egypt “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.” (Ex. 12:2) God’s people marked time according to the saving work of God. Similarly, we now mark time according to the greater deliverance – the incarnation and Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of man.
Thus, the Church Year revolves around Christ. Its whole point is to keep our attention on the things of salvation. The Church Year helps keep preachers from getting on their personal hobby horses, favorite topics, or just getting swept along by whatever is going on at the time. We are always proclaiming Jesus for sinners!
The Church Year is divided into two sections – the festival half and the non-festival half. The festival half of the Church Year is so named because it focuses on the earthly life of Christ from His incarnation through the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Within this half of the Church Year we have various seasons that are marked by readings emphasizing the earthly life and work of Jesus – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, the Gesima Sundays, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. We’ll look at each of these seasons in turn beginning with Advent and Christmas.
The Church Year itself is a wonderful living out of Law and Gospel. The two highest and holiest days, days filled with joy and exaltation – The Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and The Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord – are preceded by penitential seasons – Advent and Lent. During Advent and Lent we are forced to slow down and remember what makes Christmas and Easter truly so joyous. The appointed readings remind us of our need for salvation and call us to repentance. Wisely then, our forefathers in the faith appointed times of fasting and repentance so that we are “forced” to confront our sin and are therefore prepared to receive the Gospel with repentant faith and joy.
Advent, which means “coming”, begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and runs through Compline (the last prayer office the day) of December 23rd. The color of the church changes to violet (penitential). It is not as somber as Lent (e.g. the Gloria Patris are never omitted). Some of the elements of the liturgy change such as the Gloria in Excelsis being removed, flowers removed from the altar except on Advent 3, the organ only played to accompany the congregation and choirs. During this season, the appointed readings focus our attention on the three advents of our Lord – His advent in the flesh, His advent in Word and Sacrament, and His advent at the end of time. Traditionally, on the third Sunday (Gaudete), the color has changed from violet to rose (rose being a mixture of white and violet) and flowers are again placed on the altar to indicate the more joyous tone of the readings. We still see this in the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath!
The Advent wreath is one of the most well-known traditions of Advent (which highlights the increasing prophetic clarity as our Lord’s incarnation drew nearer). I strongly encourage you to purchase or even make an Advent wreath to be used in your home. Let your children light the candles and teach them what they mean and what we are waiting for. Also, the great “O Antiphons” which are said before and after the Magnificat at Vespers. It is also a laudable custom to practice some kind of fasting during the penitential seasons. This is not to merit God’s favor but to practice disciplining the sinful flesh so that we may give greater attention to prayer, to hearing the Word of God and receiving Holy Communion, and to the practice of individual Confession and Absolution, all things that we have as a fruits of our Lord’s incarnation.
Perhaps the most well-known added practice of Advent is the Midweek service, which affords us yet another opportunity to gather in prayer and to hear the Word of God. Various themes surrounding our Lord’s incarnation are highlighted (canticles, prophecy, etc.). Setting aside the additional time for worship is one example of fasting – sacrificing your own desires for that time so that God might again feed and nourish you (and these days, who couldn’t use a lot more of that?!).
Another custom, one that originated with the German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries, is that of the Advent calendar. These calendars help count down the days to Christmas and help to build the anticipation. They help teach children about the season, why we wait, and what we are waiting for.
A lesser-known tradition that occurs not only during Advent but also a few other times throughout the liturgical year is what are called Ember days – special days of repentance that occur on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Advent 3 (Gaudete), Lent 1 (Invocavit), Pentecost, and Holy Cross Day. Again, fasting and devoting more time to prayer and the reading and hearing of Scripture are encouraged along with singing hymns dealing with the holy ministry.
Finally, after four weeks of waiting and pondering our need for salvation, we are blessed to break forth in shouts and songs of joy with the angels as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. The waiting makes the celebration even more joyous as we hear again what God’s people longed to hear for so many years “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk 2:11) Glory to God in the highest, indeed!
The Christmas season, which actually begins with Matins of Christmas Eve, is a relatively short season, at least in name, continuing until January 5th (the 12 days of Christmas). The actual Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord has what is referred to as an octave, an eight-day celebration, because of its tremendous importance for our salvation. One day is simply not enough! There are traditionally three Divine Services associated with Christmas – Christmas Midnight, Christmas Morning, and Christmas Day – each with its own appointed readings (the announcement of the angels to the shepherds, the shepherds’ visit to the Christ-child, and the prologue to St. John’s Gospel describing the Word made flesh).
The penitential violet gives way to the joyous white and the hymns no longer speak of waiting but of fulfillment and thanksgiving. The answer to our need for salvation has been given from heaven! How can our joy be restrained any longer? The brilliant red of the poinsettias is a wonderful reminder that this child will shed His Blood on Calvary to deliver us from sin and death.
The Christmas tree is a wonderful reminder of the Tree of Life and that it is filled with lights is a constant reminder that Jesus is the Light of the world, as is the custom of having a candlelight service on Christmas Eve. That the tree is an evergreen reminds us of the eternal ife that Jesus gives and the chrismons that adorn it teach us about the work of our Savior.
Another laudable custom is the placing of the manger at the foot of the chancel on the Gospel side (lectern side) on Christmas Eve. Flowers and candles can be placed around it to highlight and remind us of the importance of the incarnation of Jesus.
Even our giving of gifts is rooted in God’s giving of the gift of salvation. I would encourage everyone, if you don’t already, make plans this year to include attending the Divine Service on Christmas Day (even if you came Christmas Eve) part of your family’s celebration of Christmas. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord.” (Pslm 116:13)
I strongly encourage you to take some time to learn about the seasons of Advent and Christmas on your own as we prepare to observe them once again. They are seasons rich with the comfort of God’s Word. Take advantage of the monumental work of those who have gone before us in the faith to provide us with such a rich treasure of practices all with the singular purpose of pointing us to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh, who comes still today, and who will come again in glory to take us to heaven.
Soli Deo Gloria! (To God alone be the glory!)
Pastor Ulmer