January 1 marks the start of the calendar year most of us follow. Students and teachers, of course, follow a year that begins in August or September and concludes in May. Corporate executives may navigate fiscal calendars that begin in other months.
The worship cycle of the church has a different rhythm than all these. The liturgical calendar, or Christian year, begins in November or December with the first Sunday of Advent.
In worship planning, Wilshire follows the Christian year, which may be better known among other Christian bodies than among Baptists.
The basic structure of the Christian year, which dates to the fourth century, is made up of two sequences incorporating the principal Christian feasts: Christmas and Easter. Christmas focuses on the birth and manifestation of Jesus, and the Easter season focuses on Jesus' pascha, or suffering, and resurrection.
The pattern in both sequences is preparation, feast and extension. The Christmas season begins with Advent, a time of preparation; continues with Christmas; and extends through Epiphany on Jan. 6, which is also considered a feast day, although not formally celebrated or noted in all Christian traditions.
The second sequence begins with Lent, 40 days before Easter. The final week of Lent is Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The season of Easter extends beyond Easter Sunday to Pentecost.
The Easter season is also called the "Great Fifty Days," as it marks the 50-day period of time from Resurrection Sunday through the feast of Pentecost.
The Advent/Christmas season and the Lent/Easter season have obvious organizing themes, but other times of the Christian year have no central focus, so they are referred to as "ordinary time." The extended periods of time that follow these two seasons are called "the season after Epiphany" and "the season after Pentecost."
The season after Epiphany recalls various important events in Jesus' life. For example, the first Sunday after Epiphany commemorates Jesus' baptism, and the final Sunday of the season marks his transfiguration.
The season after Pentecost occupies the longest period of time on the Christian calendar, up to 29 weeks, depending on the dates on which Easter and Christmas fall.
The colors of choir stoles and robes, as well as ministerial garments, are used at Wilshire to correspond with the liturgical colors for a particular day or season. During Advent and Lent, the color purple is used. White is the color for Christmas, Easter and Epiphany (Wilshire's choir stoles are white with purple trim). The Day of Pentecost features red to symbolize the coming of the Holy Spirit. During ordinary time, green is the color of choice.
Wilshire generally follows the liturgical year in choosing the Scriptures to be read each Sunday, and we celebrate some other key days, such as Reformation Sunday (the last Sunday in October) and All Souls' or All Saints' Day (the first Sunday in November).
The pastor does not randomly choose a Scripture of choice for the sermon each week. Rather, the sermon texts are drawn from a prescribed three-year cycle.
However, the choice of Scripture readings may be altered depending on who is preaching and as other special occasions and needs warrant. That flexibility is part of what makes us Baptist, as our joining with other Christians in following the liturgical year makes us part of the universal church.
