The Christian Church does not reckon time according to the civil year.  It goes by its own system, called the church year, and its calendar differs in many respects from the civil one.  It is not determined by scientific exactness, but by spiritual experience.  In the civil year, days and seasons are determined by the revolution of the earth about the sun.  In the church year, however, the formative principle is the life and teaching of the Son of Righteousness. –Luther D. Reed, in Worship, p. 34. The Greeks had two words for time.  The first, “chronos” (from which we get our word “chronological”) refers to...

With Lent just two weeks around the corner, I’m curious how your congregation is observing it. How does the sanctuary change? Are there different pieces of art? Different paraments? Do you have a sermon series or theme for the season? Do you prepare and/or use Lenten devotions. Do you have Wednesday services in Lent? A soup supper? How are these attended? And what about education? Is there a special adult or youth education emphasis for Lent? Do you have an adult forum series or book study? From the earliest time of the church, Lent has been a time for instruction in the faith. In fact, the season began as a time for those who wished to...