Discipleship #13 - Ten Reasons Why the Church Calendar is Good for Us

March 5 is Ash Wednesday, an important day in the Church Calendar (also called the Liturgical Calendar). What even is the Church Calendar?

The first half of my life was spent worshipping in an Anglican Church that organised its year around this Calendar. It's a historic way of marking time that helps Christians walk through the story of Jesus each year, structured around key seasons—Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost—each emphasising different aspects of Christ’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Within those seasons, individual days in the calendar are observed, such as Good Friday, Pentecost or the Annunciation. Rather than merely a set of religious traditions, the Church Calendar serves as a spiritual rhythm that shapes our faith, worship, and daily lives, inviting us into a deeper engagement with the gospel and a shared experience of discipleship across generations and cultures.

Some modern–less traditional churches overlook the Church Calendar because they want to avoid traditions they perceive as overly ritualistic or tied to denominationalism. These churches often prioritise a more flexible, ‘Bible-centered', or thematic worship structure rather than following a set liturgical cycle. Additionally, they might see the Calendar as unnecessary for spiritual growth, with a preference for expository preaching, praise and worship, or contemporary ministry approaches that focus on personal faith and evangelism. However, the Church Calendar’s historic rhythm of worship offers profound benefits for our spiritual formation, community life, and mission. 

In How to Inhabit Time - Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now (2022), James K.A. Smith explores how faith is profoundly shaped by our experience of time, arguing that Christians often fail to recognise their embeddedness in history. He critiques the tendency to treat faith as timeless or ahistorical, instead urging us to embrace the reality that we live in a particular cultural and historical moment. Spiritual formation requires attentiveness to the past, an awareness of the present, and a hopeful orientation toward the future. Smith encourages us to cultivate a sense of "spiritual timekeeping," recognising how God works through history and personal experience unfolding. By embracing life's seasons — individually and collectively—he believes we can develop a more faithful and embodied way of living in time.

At Merri Creek, we have been a church that has been middle of the road observers of the Calendar. For our first few years, the booklets indicated the Calendar day (first Sunday in Lent, Ascension Sunday, tenth Sunday in Ordinary time etc…). We observe it on significant occasions such as Lent, Easter, and Advent. However, we could integrate the Calendar more intentionally. 

Here are ten reasons why the Church Calendar would be good for us:

1. It Immerses Us in the Gospel Story

The Church Calendar immerses us in the Gospel story by guiding us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in a rhythmic and intentional way. Beginning with Advent, we enter the longing and anticipation of Christ’s coming, both in His incarnation and His future return. Christmas celebrates the wonder of the Word made flesh, while Epiphany reveals His light to the nations. Lent calls us to repentance and prepares us for the suffering of Good Friday, where we witness the depth of Christ’s sacrifice. Easter then bursts forth with resurrection joy, proclaiming the victory of life over death. The season of Pentecost reminds us that the risen Christ empowers His Church through the Holy Spirit, sending us out as witnesses to His Kingdom. This cyclical journey shapes our faith, drawing us deeper into the Gospel’s transformative power, not just as a historical event but as the ongoing reality in which we live, move, and have our being.

2. It Shapes Our Spiritual Rhythms

It guides us through the story of Christ and the gospel year after year, providing a sacred structure that orients our hearts toward God's redemptive work, moving us through seasons of preparation, celebration, reflection, and renewal. Advent fosters anticipation and longing for Christ’s coming, while Christmas immerses us in the joy of the Incarnation. Lent calls us to repentance and self-examination, leading to the solemnity of Holy Week and the triumph of Easter, where we rejoice in Christ’s victory over sin and death. Pentecost reminds us of the Spirit’s power and the Church’s mission, while Ordinary Time helps us live faithfully in the everyday. By shaping our worship, prayers, and practices, the Church Calendar keeps us anchored in God’s story, countering the distractions of secular time and deepening our discipleship through rhythms of grace.

3. It Deepens Our Discipleship

The Church Calendar deepens our discipleship by immersing us in the life of Christ and shaping our spiritual rhythms around His story rather than our own. Through seasons like Advent, Lent, and Easter, we journey with Jesus—anticipating His coming, walking in repentance and renewal, celebrating His resurrection, and living in the power of Pentecost. This cyclical pattern of worship helps us cultivate a deeper awareness of God’s presence, aligning our hearts with His redemptive work in the world. By regularly engaging with the themes of waiting, suffering, joy, and mission, the Church Calendar forms us into disciples who are not merely shaped by cultural time but by sacred time—training us to see and live every moment through the lens of God’s eternal kingdom.

4. It Connects Us to the Historic Church

Following the Calendar year a fter year immerses us in the same rhythm of worship, reflection, and celebration that Christians have observed for centuries. Through each season we journey alongside believers from every age, remembering key events in Christ’s life and the story of salvation. This shared structure unites us with the early Church, the medieval Church, the Reformers, and the global Church today, reminding us that our faith is not isolated but deeply rooted in history. By following the Church Calendar, we participate in an ancient tradition that shapes our spiritual lives, forms our identity as God’s people, and keeps us connected to the timeless story of God’s redemptive work.

5. It Provides a Counter-Cultural Witness

It is counter-cultural to have your identity shaped around the life of Christ rather than the rhythms of secular society. In a world driven by consumerism and individualism, the Calendar reorients us to a different story—one of waiting in Advent rather than rushing into Christmas commercialism, of fasting in Lent rather than indulging in excess, and of celebrating Easter’s victory over death rather than being captive to fear and despair. It disrupts the relentless pursuit of productivity with seasons of reflection and rest, such as Sabbath-keeping and feast days, reminding us that our worth is found in God’s grace, not our achievements. Following a sacred rhythm that prioritises worship, repentance, and hope, it serves as a prophetic act, resisting the world’s temporal anxieties and calling the faithful to live by the eternal realities of God’s kingdom.

6. It Helps Us Engage Emotionally with Our Faith

We always need help to engage emotionally with our faith. The Calendar achieves this by guiding us through the rhythms of Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection, inviting us to experience the full range of human emotions in response to God's redemptive story. Seasons like Advent and Lent cultivate longing, repentance, and anticipation, deepening our sense of need for Christ. Christmas and Easter burst forth with joy, celebration, and gratitude for His coming and victory over sin and death. Ordinary Time (between Christmas and Lent, and then from Pentecost to Asvent) provides space for steady growth, reflection, and discipleship, helping us to integrate faith into everyday life. By following this sacred pattern, we are drawn into a spiritual journey that mirrors the highs and lows of life, shaping our hearts and affections in alignment with the gospel.

7. It Creates Natural Opportunities for Mission

The rhythms of the Calendar highlight the special moments that engage believers and those outside the Church. Seasons like Advent and Christmas naturally draw people into church communities, as many have cultural connections to these celebrations, making them ideal times for evangelistic events, carol services, and acts of hospitality. Similarly, Lent and Easter offer profound moments to reflect on sin, grace, and resurrection hope, inviting seekers to explore the gospel. Pentecost emphasises the power of the Holy Spirit in mission, inspiring outreach and engagement. Even less prominent seasons, like Ordinary Time, provide space for ongoing discipleship, community service, and mission-focused initiatives. By aligning with these seasons, the Church can integrate mission into its worship and witness in a way that resonates with the world's broader cultural and spiritual rhythms.

8. It Encourages Communal Worship

The Calendar fosters communal worship by regularly gathering people for devotion, reflection, and celebration. It guides the congregation through key aspects of Christ’s life, inviting collective participation in worship, prayer, and repentance. This structured cycle deepens a sense of belonging as we gather for significant feasts, fasts, and liturgical observances, reinforcing shared faith and traditions. By aligning our individual spiritual practices with the broader Christian community, the Calendar strengthens corporate worship, fostering unity across generations and cultures within the body of Christ.

9. It Integrates Faith into Everyday Life

You might be surprised, by the Calendar actually weaves faith into everyday life by structuring time around the life of Christ and the rhythms of Christian discipleship. Through each season we are invited to reflect on key aspects of Christ’s work—His incarnation, suffering, resurrection, and the sending of the Spirit. This cyclical pattern helps us engage with our faith on Sundays and throughout the year, shaping our prayers, scripture readings, and daily habits. It encourages us to live in sacred time by aligning our personal and communal life with the story of redemption, reminding us that our lives are part of God’s greater plan.

10. It Keeps Our Focus on Christ

Most importantly, the Church Calendar helps keep our focus on Christ by structuring our year around His life, ministry, death, and resurrection. We journey through the gospel story, reminding ourselves of God’s redemptive work in Christ. Each season invites reflection on different aspects of our faith—Advent fosters anticipation of Christ’s coming, Lent calls us to repentance and renewal, and Easter celebrates His victory over sin and death. By immersing ourselves in this rhythm, we are drawn away from the distractions of the world and into a Christ-centered life of worship, discipleship, and mission.

Conclusion

The Church Calendar is not about empty rituals but about shaping our hearts and lives around the story of Christ. By engaging with it, we can grow in discipleship, strengthen our witness, and experience a more profound, meaningful faith journey. Whether you are new to the Church Calendar or have followed it for years, its rhythms offer a powerful way to walk faithfully with Jesus throughout the year.