The Church Year

We need to be re-formed in God’s presence, not removed FROM His presence. So it is with our holidays. While the reformation rightly removed many saints’ days, several of our holidays need to be reformed, not removed.

The church began to celebrate All Saints' day in the 300s, celebrating the victorious saints at rest with Christ. Over time, superstition and error came in. Halloween means "all saints’ eve." It was an early version of the carnal Mardi Gras before the spiritual Lent.

But let’s get the big picture here. The Christian calendar year begins in December with Advent and Xmas, when we celebrate the coming of the light of the world at our coldest and darkest hour. We then celebrate His death and resurrection in the spring, the time of new life. We celebrate Ascension, then Pentecost, and the coming of the Spirit, the source of our growth. During the summer, the Spirit yields its fruit in us until the fields are white for harvest. So we commemorate Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and Spirit sending, and realize that it is all pointing to the vindication of His saints, as they appear with Christ, when He comes again for the final harvest. We need to reform and recover this holiday - All Saints' Day. Instead of trying to replace it with something different, let us return thanks to God for fruitful saints now at rest with Christ.

11/1/09