The Church Year
In our world each year is divided into months. In the church we divide each year into special times too. This is called the Church’s year or the liturgical calendar.
The Liturgical Year begins with:
Advent – starting from the Sunday falling on or closest to the 30th November. There are 4 Sundays in Advent as it lasts until 24th December, and it is a season when we prepare for Christmas, remembering when Christ was born, and also when we remember we are to wait for His Second Coming at the end of time. It is therefore a season of joyful expectation.
Christmas – the season of Christmas starts on the night of 24th December, its purpose being to celebrate Christ’s birth and the season lasts until February 2nd, although it is focussed on the twelve days leading up to January 6thNext to Easter, Christmas is the most sacred of the Church’s celebrations.
Lent – starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on the evening of Holy Thursday – Maundy Thursday. At our services on Ash Wednesday, palm crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burnt, and the ashes are used to place the sign of a cross on everyone’s forehead. There are six Sundays in Lent, and it is a time of preparation for Easter, ending with Holy Week. We hold a course each week in Lent when specific books or topics can be looked at in some detail.
Holy Week – a very special week in the life of the church – starts with Palm Sunday when everyone present is given a palm cross as we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. During Monday to Wednesday we hold a daily communion service at 8.30am and an evening service at 7pm.
Maundy Thursday, the day that our Queen hands out the royal Maundy Money, we hold a special service to celebrate the Last Supper. This is followed by a time of quiet prayer in our church, marking the time Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested.
Good Friday – After joining Christians Together in Lowestoft and District in a procession of witness in the town centre, we hold a three hour service. This is not as frightening as it sounds – it is broken up into sections, with a hymn and 3 short talks, followed by a time of silent meditation in the first hour; in the second hour we “walk with Jesus” as he is sentenced to death by Pilate until his body is laid in the tomb; in the final hour we commemorate the death of Jesus and receive communion in one kind only – reminding us of our thirst for God. People come and go throughout the 3 hours
Easter: The most important Festival in the Church Year, when we remember Jesus’ rising from the dead. It is a joyous occasion, usually with special music, and ends with the singing of Handel’s Halleluiah Chorus, led by the choir but with anyone who wishes joining them.
Ascension day: when we remember Christ’s ascension to heaven, is on the 40th day after Easter, and is followed by ...
Whitsunday – or Pentecost – celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles and all Christian believers.
Trinity Sunday – when we remember the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – is the Sunday after Pentecost.
All Saints: A Sunday when we commemorate the “faithful departed” - those who have died. We invite all families who have lost someone to join us for a special service.