Encore Post: As a liturgical church, the Lutheran Church organizes its worship life around the church year, a calendar of themes, Scripture readings, worship services, practices, symbols, and prayers. It shares much of this organization with other liturgical churches and even some non-liturgical faith traditions.
The most general division in the Church Year is the semester. Tradition divides the church calendar into two parts. The first begins with the first Sunday of Advent and ends with the Day of Pentecost. It is known by several names. Most often, it is called either the Festival Season or the Semester of our Lord. During this half-year, the church focuses on the life and earthly ministry of Jesus.
After the Day of Pentecost, the second half of the year, known as the Semester of the Church, begins. It is also called Ordinary Time, the Season of Pentecost or the Season of Trinity. The focus is on how Christians should live in this fallen world. Some pieces of the liturgy change at about week ten in the season of Pentecost and then again after the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The list of readings, known as the lectionary, shifts from a list geared to the reading’s place in the season (nth Sunday in Lent, etc.) to one based on its position on secular calendars. These sets of readings are called Proper 1, Proper 2, Proper 3, etc. This is to keep the readings on the same Sunday, more or less, each year.
This means that a bit of variety is always part of our worship, even in its most traditional forms. As we receive God’s gifts, we hear most of the Scripture read to us. At the same time, we study and pray in unity with the church in every time and place.
Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog
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Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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