Seasons of the Church
There are only 53 days to Christmas from today. Then there are 101 days until Easter.
We’re gonna celebrate Jesus birth on Christmas and then his crucifixion and
resurrection on Easter, and then that’s it, right? We can take off the rest of the year until
next Christmas. My pastor at one time in my life told me I was a CE Christian. I came
to church on Christmas and Easter. So, we just had back to church Sunday a little over
a month ago. The church actually calls this period that we’re in now “ordinary time”. So
Jesus 33 years of life and his 3 year ministry on earth comes down to a little more than
3 months a year for us to celebrate and worship together. Is that it? We can take the
rest of the year off. OK, I’m done....NOT!
So, what did the 12 disciples do after Jesus was no longer with them. Did they just say,
“well, that’s it”? Apparently, they were very nervous for a while, of course. They had
just seen what happened to Jesus, their Lord. Then at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came
down upon them and they went on spreading the good news of Jesus teachings and
resurrection.
Peter appears to have preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia
(Turkey)
Andrew went to the "land of the man-eaters" in what was the Soviet Union. Christians there
claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-
day Turkey, and Greece
James is believed to have preached in Judea and Samaria after his calling by Jesus. He later
traveled to Spain
John went to Asia, but later returned to Ephesus (Greece).
Philip possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and Asia Minor, where he
converted the wife of a Roman proconsul.
Bartholomew had widespread missionary travels to India with Thomas and back to Armenia,
Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia.
Thomas was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far
east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder.
Matthew was the writer of a Gospel and ministered in Persia (Iran) and Ethiopia.
James, the son of Alpheus is believed to have ministered in Syria.
The Apostle Thaddeus (also known as Addai) was sent to Edessa (Turkey) to preach the Gospel
after the ascension of Jesus. He was chosen as one of the seventy disciples and began his
missionary work there, converting King Abgar and many others to Christianity. Thaddeus
performed miracles, established a church, and continued to preach in various cities, including
Beirut, where he is believed to have founded a church.
Simon, the zealot, ministered in Persia. (Iran)
Matthias, who replaced Judas, went to Syria with Andrew.
So, the life of the church is not just from Christmas to Easter. But, you knew that. We
do know a few more seasons of the church, don’t we?
We are heading towards Advent now. It begins on the 4 th Sunday before Christmas.
Advent is a time for us to prepare for the coming of Jesus. It is a joyful time of optimism
and expectation. We typically decorate the church and start singing Christmas carols,
bake cookies, shop for gifts, and get ready for one of the big Christian holidays. At
some point in the past we used to go caroling around the village with folks from Holy
Name and then come back for cookies and hot chocolate. For a couple of years we had
a Christmas light contest where we went out around Otisville to find certain displays.
Advent calendar anyone? I see you can find versions with all kinds of daily gifts now.
Then, of course, it’s Christmas! For many people, and definitely kids, this is the
greatest holiday.
There is another season called Christmastide. It is, as you might guess, 12 days. It is
from Christmas to Epiphany, when the wise men arrived. Nope, they were not standing
around the stable for the live nativity and the photo shot. But, their presence adds a
little to the look for us.
Next there is Lent. Starting on Ash Wednesday, or Fat Tuesday, it’s the 40 days before
Easter. My Mom called it Shrove Tuesday, and some places they call it pancake day. It
is 40 days up to Easter.
Leading up to Easter is Holy Week. It starts with Palm Sunday, includes Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, and finally Easter. Wow, that sounds like a lot in just one week.
We talked about Eastertide earlier this year. It is the time from Easter to Pentacost.
Then, of course, the holy spirit comes down and fills God’s people.
Then we get to ordinary time. We gotta have some rest, no?
Well, the folks who come to the food pantry still want to eat. Go figure... So, we need to
keep working on this huge project.
If there’s a hurricane, or tornado, or flooding, some of our folks might need to go when
they need the help. In fact, last year they left on Easter night. But, it could be anytime.
And people need our prayers, and maybe some companionship, and maybe just
compassion when things in their life just get very hard. This really has no season either.
Well, so there really is no off season for God’s people.
A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying
not to be late for Sunday School. As she ran she prayed, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t
let me be late! Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late!’
While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her
clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started
running again!
As she ran she once again began to pray, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late but, please don't shove me either.
Amen.