Welcome to the Liturgical Calendar - Year A (2022-2023)

The Christian season of Advent begins next week Sunday, 27 November 2022. This date also marks the beginning of the new Christian Calendar. While the official calendar that we all know and love begins on 1 January, the Christian calendar begins with the start of Advent. This gives us the perfect opportunity to make a commitment to regular bible study and reflection without waiting for the new year. I would like to assist you on this exciting journey.

The Revised Common Lectionary

Starting on Monday, I will be sending out weekly reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary scripture readings for the upcoming week.

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) is a schedule of weekly Scripture Readings that follows the Christian Calendar (shown above) over a three year cycle. Each week consists of a Gospel reading, an Old Testament reading, a New Testament Reading and a Psalm.

There are three main benefits to following the RCL in our reading of the bible:

1. Because so many churches throughout the world follow the same RCL, we will regularly be reflecting on the same passages of scripture as millions of other Christians throughout the world.
2. Second, because the RCL covers the majority of the bible in its three year cycle, we are forced to read and reflect on passages that we might have previously avoided for various reasons - perhaps they make us uncomfortable or challenge our understandings of God and the world.
3. Third, we are able to remain in tune with the seasons and festivals of the Christian Calendar. These seasons are designed to keep us in tune with the general flow of the life of the Church, both in our local communities and throughout the world.

My Lectionary Reflections

My weekly reflections will provide a brief summary of each Scripture Reading (Although I encourage you to read the full passages yourself). I will then provide some brief thoughts on the context and theme of the readings for the week. Lastly, I will reflect on some possible personal and communal applications of the text to our current lives.

The purpose of these reflections is not to be overly scholarly or theological, but rather to provide thoughtful, practical ways to apply each week's scripture readings to our current context. I also hope to educate readers about the different Christian seasons. Some of the reflections will challenge you. Others you might disagree with. Many will hopefully inspire you. I would love you to engage with the reflections and share your personal thoughts and feelings on the scripture readings for the week.

Year A - The Gospel of Matthew

As mentioned, the Revised Common Lectionary is split into a three year cycle. Next week begins Year A, the first year of the cycle. Each year focuses on a particular synoptic Gospel (Matthew, Mark and Luke) with the Gospel of John interspersed throughout. In Year A, our primary focus is the Gospel of Matthew. This means that the majority of the scripture readings that we will be looking at over the next 12 months will be found in Matthew's Gospel. The benefit of this is that we will get a good feel for Matthew's style and purpose for writing his gospel.

It will be good to gain a bit of an understanding of the context of Matthew's Gospel before we dive in. The Gospel of Matthew is said to be written for Jews, by a Jew. His sensitivity to Jewish concerns and interests can be seen throughout. It is believed that Matthew wrote primarily from a Jewish viewpoint to open the door for the Jewish people to encounter Jesus as Messiah and to remind the Gentiles of their Jewish roots.

Today, many Christians struggle to comprehend the Jewish customs that Jesus and the early Christians would have been immersed in. Matthew’s gospel gives us an opportunity to learn about the Jewish culture and practices.

Most scholars believe that Matthew (and Luke) used the gospel of Mark as a source document. Many of Matthew’s stories are also present in the other gospels. However, if we note what makes Matthew’s stories unique, we are able to learn more about Matthew’s focus and intention of writing his gospel.

Arguably the most important theme in Matthew's Gospel is The Kingdom of Heaven (God). His parables often begin with the words, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” Matthew spends much time explaining how the Kingdom of God is different to the Kingdoms of the world and to the Kingdom that the Jewish people expected to encounter with the coming Messiah. Other important themes in Matthew’s Gospel are: Faith, Righteousness and Judgment.

Advent

Our first reflections will begin next week with the Christian season of Advent. Advent is a four-week season where Christians wait and prepare for the upcoming Christmas season and Christ's incarnation into our world. The liturgical colour of Advent is blue or purple.

Interestingly, the practice of keeping an Advent calendar originates from this Christian season of Advent. Other practices associated with Advent are lighting Advent candles (representing hope, love, joy and peace), praying through an Advent devotional, and decorating a Christmas tree.

What has been your experience of Advent? What is your favourite memory of this time of the year?