Church Year Life: Recent Episodes
Church Year Life - Living the church year in your home
The life of the church follows a pattern. Join with me to learn about and celebrate the life of the church through daily living. We will explore the history and learn about the feast days and the saints behind them. We will discuss how to make liturgical living or Church Year Living a part of your life.
Jesus is born!! The angels have proclaimed the birth and the sound of a baby's cry has been heard. The promises of God in the Garden of Eden and through the prophets have been fulfilled. God has done great things for us. We greet the change from Advent to Christmas with a sense of awe and wonder. The gift of Emmanuel, God with us, our Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace is here. May you enjoy this Christmastide season with your family and friends and may you have a Merry Christmas this year!
These third and fourth weeks of Advent are upon us and with it comes the joy of the Christian life and the love that is so clearly reflected in the gift of our Savior's birth. The other name for 3rd Sunday of Advent is Gaudete, the Latin word for rejoicing. May you find a peace in the season as you contemplate the gift that has come, is coming in the season and will come again in the final days. The love that God the Father has shown to us is evident in the gifts He has and continues to bestow on us! May you enjoy the final two weeks of Advent as we march ever on to the wonderful Holy Night!
Advent is almost here and this episode focuses on the history of the season, the first two weeks of Advent and some ways you might celebrate or observe this time with your family! The first week of Advent is about waiting. It is a time to remember the prophecies of old and see their fulfillment in them. To see the birth of the Christ Child as a blessed gift long awaited. The second week of Advent is about preparing. It is time to prepare our hearts not only for welcoming the babe on Christmas morn but also for when Jesus Christ shall return on the final day to judge both the living and the dead. May you enjoy this Advent season and take some time to be still and know that He is God!
The Reformation is remembered as a day and as the beginning of a movement that would change the world. It began on October 31, 1517 but the events that lead up to it and all that came to pass after it are varied in their breadth and scope. We focus on Martin Luther and the ideas he presented that stood in opposition to the church of the day. Why he felt it so necessary to make these truths he'd found so public and what was able to be achieved because of that stand. Join with me today as we discover the man and the Reformation!
The Liturgy is the historical practice of the Church, but what is it? What does it mean? Let's dive in and understand this historical practice and what it means for our lives. How that practice affects us as individuals and as corporate believers within the Church walls. The gift of liturgy has been passed down through the centuries and we can still hold it in our hands on Sundays through the dedication of those Church Fathers who have gone before.
Alleluia! Let the praises of His people ring loud and strong! Let the whole earth reverberate with the Good News of its salvation! This day is the highest feast of the church year. It is a day celebrated with lots of bells ringing, cannons blazing, people singing and laughter and joy all around! This is the climax of the story! It is our hope and our future! God's wrath has been satisfied. We need no longer fear! Praise the One who breaks the darkness! Happy Easter and may God's peace and hope rest with you today! Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia!
Oh how great a love is this? Walk these final days to Calvary with Christ and learn more about how the early Church and those around the world remember this time. Whether you call it Holy Week, The Sacred & Great Week or The Week of Salvation, it is the highest of holy days for the Church. It is the climax of the story! Join us today to learn more about these days and how they've been celebrated since Christ died. It is still a mournful time, but we hear the low drumbeat of the song about to come. The tension is rising, the conquest is coming, but the cross stands in the way. Darkness will descend and light will break forth. The curtain of the Temple will be torn in two. The separation between God and man lasts only a little bit longer but this trail is one with a bitter cup. It does us good to remember what our sins cost and how we could never pay for them. Only one could and did! Let us with grateful hearts understand this gift!
Passion Sunday begins the time of Passiontide an older liturgical season than Lent. It begins the final 14 days of our Lord's walk to the cross and turns our hearts from penitential thoughts regarding our own lives to those of Christ as His Passion unfolds. We walk through this week into Palm Sunday, where we like the Jews can cry Hosannah or I beg you to save! What a glorious gift this time is...we can see the work of redemption begun from the very foundation of the world. No detail was left undone! Join us today to learn more about Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday!
Rejoice, O Jerusalem is the phrase of the day for this Sunday in Lent. It is the middle Sunday of Lent and has a great history going back to the Early Church. Join us today to learn more about why it is a day of rejoicing, the colors used on this Sunday and their significance and some other fun tidbits about this day in the Church Year! As always, please let us know if you have any thoughts or comments at www.churchyearlife.com.
Incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary and Made Man...
The words of the creed echo the words of Gabriel. Mary, a young betrothed Jew is called upon to be the Theotokos or "God-bearer". She accepts the words with grace and models for us the true heart of a follower of Christ, the Messiah. Come along to learn more about this special feast and why it is such an important part of our Church.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world on the 17th of March. Join us today to learn more about this man, why he is the patron saint of Ireland and revered throughout the Church. He was born in 389 and died on March 17, 461. He was taken captive from his homeland of Roman Briton by Irish pirates and forced into work as an animalherd. Six years of captivity brought him a clearer vision of what his life was and whom he wanted to serve for the remainder!
The season of Lent continues with fasting and prayer, but what are other ways we can mark these days? Here are a few other options I found for marking the time well in our homes and with our families. May they be of benefit for you as you walk this road with your family both in your home and in your church congregation.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and continues for over 40 days. It is a time to focus our attention on the heart and our desire to be right with God. The history of Lent and the traditional fast offer us a wealth of opportunity to reflect on our own sinfulness and the grace of our Lord. Join us to learn about some of the history of Lent, common practices and ways you might be able to apply the ideas to your own life!
Today we'll wrap up our learning of the signs and the symbols used within the Church. We might come back to others someday, but for now, join us in our final round-up of images we use in our worship!
Have you ever wondered where the phrase came from? What is this day and time of the year about and how do we celebrate it? Join me in learning about the history of the day, some of the foods enjoyed around the world and how we can incorporate the best of the day into our own lives!
Join us today to learn more about the animals and flowers used in the symbols of the Church. The history and symbolic meaning behind these decorations can enrich our life in the Church when we understand the context in which they are displayed.
Signs and symbols allow us to have a common focus within the Church as a whole. Learn about what they mean and some of the history behind them today!
Paraments, vestments and all the other decorations that bring life to our sanctuaries serve a great purpose. Join me to learn more about these wonderful decorations and how we can see our salvation story through them.
The use of color in our worship offers us an opportunity to see more of God's glory within our sanctuaries. These colors display the beauty of the world around us and the gifts given to us in His creation. Join me to learn more about living the church year in your home!
Today's episode will cover the times of the church year. We will lay a foundation for understanding the seasons, the timelines and the origins of the feasts in the Bible. Join us at Church Year Life to learn more about living the church year in your home!