The grand narrative of God’s Word is no tall tale. It is a historical record of real events with real people in real places in real time. As Paul makes plain in his letter to the church at Corinth, if Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection did not actually take place in time, space, and history—then all is lost. We of all people are most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:9).
Further, God not only authored the Bible’s true story, He’s its lead actor. Behind the flood, the call of Abraham, the Exodus, the rise of King David, the exile and return of Israel, and every other redemptive act—God is present and the prime mover. On every page of the Bible, God is the hero of the story. And as author and hero of redemption, God calls His people to remember the great things He has done (Deuteronomy 8:1-3).
One of the means God used to stir the mind and imaginations of His people to remembrance was a calendar. From the Day of Atonement to the weekly Sabbath, to the annual feasts and festivals, God calendared salvation history in order to help the prone-to-forgetfulness Israelites remember and relive redemption each year (Leviticus 23).
Rightfully so, the shadow of the Old Testament calendar faded in the bright light of Christ’s fulfillment (Colossians 2:16-17), and though God issued no new calendar requirement for the New Testament church, He gave His people the freedom to order their days while maintaining the commitment to remember the redemption of Jesus Christ (Romans 15:4-9, Galatians 3:1-14, Romans 6:5-11, 2 Peter 1:3-11).
As the early church increasingly realized that Christ was the fulfillment of everything the Old Testament calendar pointed to, it seemed good and wise to them to “sanctify time” by ordering their days according to the story of salvation. Not as a biblical requirement but as a discipleship tool, they started setting aside certain seasons of the year for remembrance and reflection on key fulfillments of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and His Church.
· The season of Advent marked the time for remembering the Savior’s coming.
· The season of Epiphany marked the time for remembering the Savior’s life and ministry.
· The season of Lent marked the time for remembering the Savior’s trials, temptations, sufferings.
· The season of Easter marked the time for remembering the Savior’s victory over the grave.
· The day of Ascension marked the time for remembering the Savior’s enthronement and reign.
· The season of Pentecost marked the time for remembering the ongoing work of the Savior in the Church through the presence and power of Holy Spirit.
Many Christians throughout the centuries have kept the practice of following a Christian calendar, finding it a helpful means of remembering the life and ministry of Christ and the reality of His ongoing work in the church, reaching around the world and across generations.
It’s in that spirit that we invite you to join us for the forty days of Lent, as we prayerfully prepare for the heartbreaking and heart-mending climax of the Christian year—the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior.