December Book of the Month: Sacred Seasons

Over the past months, our Book of the Month selections and classes have been moving us toward a deeper understanding of the rhythms of the church year:

• October BOTM: The Anglican Way: A Guidebook By Thomas Mckenzie
• Anglican 101 Classes
• November BOTM: Advent: The Season of Hope by Tish Harrison Warren

All of these are leading us to explore how the liturgical calendar can meaningfully shape our faith and daily lives. For the average person, a calendar helps with everyday life:

1. Keeping track of dates and time
2. Planning and scheduling
3. Managing responsibilities
4. Setting goals and routines
5. Reducing stress

A calendar keeps us organized, grounded, and prepared. In The Anglican Way, McKenzie writes: “measuring time is an essential human characteristic. We live our lives by calendars. When you’re a student you plan your days according to the scholastic calendar. Your job probably has a calendar of shift schedules, upcoming events and quarterly reports. The secular world has assembled an endless series of holidays, each of which has its own marketing schemes and special sales. All of these are designed to form you into a more effective student, or employee, or consumer”. (pg 124))

So if we rely on calendars to shape our practical lives, why not also allow the church calendar to shape our spiritual lives? In Advent (November BOTM), Tish Harrison Warren reminds us: “By practicing the liturgical year, the church “does” the story of God…the church calendar is a way to walk through the story of Scripture each year” (page 41)

About Sacred Seasons

Caroline Kolts (Redeemer member) describes the impact of this book in her own life:
 
“Sacred Seasons was a much needed launching point for us. I had been learning about liturgies and the church calendar for years, but my implementation looked a lot like me finding out about a feast and then trying to celebrate that feast the following day. There was a lot of retroactive planning because I didn't want to miss out on all the richness that the church calendar brought. But the rhythm was so entirely different from the calendar/ event schedule that I actually could not keep all the dates straight. This book taught me to look ahead, even WAY ahead so that the calendar became a priority. We have used the recipes, the background and histories, and the suggestions for observing each season well”

As Caroline says, the author includes, in each season, a simple background and history. There are loads of suggestions for celebrating each one and yes recipes! For example, In the Advent chapter alone you’ll find recipes like:

• No-Knead Bread
• Jen’s Hot Buttered Rum
• Mom’s Cherry Almond Biscotti

Caroline also notes that,
 
“I think it was most helpful for me as the rhythm setter in our house because it gave me a framework-- something to build on and change over the years. I still use it and some of the things we started with that book have become traditions. What I found most helpful, though, was the way it formed me and helped give flesh to the bones of my desire to pencil in our calendar squares first with the seasons and then with everything else life throws at us. Also, I'm available if anyone wants to chat about it”!

No Guilt, Just Guidance

There is no shame or expectation about how you have used (or not used) the church calendar up to now. The purpose of choosing Sacred Seasons as our December BOTM is to:

• Provide a practical and grace-filled resource
• Offer tools to grow in understanding the liturgical year
• Encourage each of us to shape our lives around the story of Jesus

Hitchen explains,

“In our own celebration of the church year, we are called to make the exceptional past work of God present in our own time and place, in our own hearts and lives. And year after year, through this remembrance, God’s work is accomplished” (pg 20-21)

As we enter this Advent season, may we allow the calendar not only to organize our time—but to shape our hearts.  

I love this book. I keep it open on my desk, because it’s the kind of book I return to again and again. My progress in applying the suggestions is slow, but I’m completely at peace with that. I want the changes I make to be thoughtful and rooted in celebrating the seasons for the right reasons—not change for the sake of change, but change that comes with clarity, intention, and understanding.
 
Redeemer, my hope is that this book weaves together the past few Books of the Month in a meaningful way. I pray that we continue to grow together in our understanding of God’s Word and His plan for both our church and each of us individually.

Warmly,
Karen