Saints and Seasons
What is the Liturgical Calendar all about and why do we remember seasons and saints from our Christian heritage?
In honoring and meditating on these holy events we celebrate God's intimate involvement with his people over the ages. The cycle of the Christian year recalls the timeless truths of our Lord Jesus Christ's birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection and final return. These foundations of our faith are cause to rejoice.
Read on to learn more.
Epiphany begins the season in which we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles. Three different Bible stories are often read during Epiphany: the visitation of the magi, the wedding feast of Cana, and the baptism of our Lord.
On the first Sunday of Epiphany the baptism of our Lord is recognized. In this act of meekness and humility, Jesus submits to John's baptism of repentance to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:11-17). By doing so, the obedient Son exemplifies complete devotion to the Father. Furthermore, he leads us through the waters of slavery and death and into new life. And finally, our Redeemer demonstrates that with new life in the Spirit we can follow him freely into God's promised land. The Messiah has come, and the promises of God, which for centuries were exclusively for Israel, now belong to all through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Confession of St. Peter marks when our Lord commends the apostle Peter for his insight into Christ's identity. The narrative opens with Jesus asking his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
After hearing their answers, Jesus then asks, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus tells Peter that he is blessed because he received this revelation from God. Jesus also says Peter is a rock, "...and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…" (Matthew 16:13-20)
Peter's revelation was pivotal for Jesus' followers for several reasons. Now they knew and understood that their teacher was the Messiah–their divine and sovereign Lord. This confession powerfully unified that band of believers. Today we still recognize the power of unified confession by proclaiming the Nicene Creed in corporate worship. Additionally, St. Peter's confession was a key doctrinal element for the newborn Church. His proclamation of Jesus' identity gave the growing church a firm foundation as it matured and grew. Without this bedrock of understanding the church would have been swept away. Finally, this confessional faith strengthened Jesus' followers to withstand hellish persecution, loss and death. It proclaimed that Jesus, as God, is our ultimate reward and gave access to the kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Few conversions to Christianity are as dramatic as that of the fanatical Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul the Apostle. Filled with hatred for Christians, Saul procured permission from the high priest to hunt down and arrest any followers of Christ he found in Damascus. Along the way, however, he had a supernatural encounter with the risen Christ.
…suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…"
Saul was blinded by this blast from heaven and remained without sight for three days until the Lord healed him through Ananias' intercession. However, Saul probably "saw" more during those three days of blindness than he had his whole life. He saw that he was a sinner, that he needed forgiveness, and that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Light of the World graciously stopped Saul and changed his direction. The Light that blinded gave him true insight.
Like Saul, we need a revelation of Jesus' true identity. Our longing is for the Light of the World to illuminate our hearts. Whether his light brings welcoming warmth or blinding revelation, we must then be ready to respond in humility and faith. God has chosen to show himself to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. That's what Epiphany is all about.
