The Story behind our Calendar!

When we talk about the Plan, we are talking about a spiritual formation strategy for the Hagan family. We like to frame this plan around the calendar. But in the midst of the calendar we use, there is another calendar based on the story of our beliefs called the liturgical church calendar. Here is some background on the two calendars.

Whether you knew it or not, we follow a Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar (aka Western or Christian calendar) is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on February 24, 1582. The reformed calendar was adopted later that year by a handful of countries, with other countries adopting it over the following centuries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar).

Though not steering away from this calendar that we still use, the other calendar, the liturgical church calendar, places the beginning of the year in November at the beginning of Advent and instead of the months of the year marking new chapters, it is the important moments or traditions in our Christian history that mark the chapters – moments like Advent, Christmas, Passover, Easter, Lent and so on.

It goes back again to the greater story – Father God’s story from the very beginning of his pursuit and love for us and in following this liturgical church calendar along with our Gregorian calendar, there is a greater richness to your days. It is an opportunity to worship, celebrate, remember and thus pass down these important stories and traditions to our children.

A dear family that Ron and I know blend the two calendars in their family too, and I asked her to explain why? Listen to some of her words.

“This calendar ties our year to the life of Christ and his ministry so that we have a seasonal perspective of his story. It is a physical thing to hang on to that points to the spiritual truths in our life. It also ties us to believers across the millennium. We are so physical, and we need reminders to celebrate, mark and make part of our lives the spiritual truths that are our foundation.”

So, as you to dive into the Plan, here is a little background on the ideas behind it, at least the calendars behind it! As we seek to create this “spiritual identity” that George Barna speaks of in Revolutionary Parenting, we believe it is important to create regular habits and places in our calendar for intentional conversations.

blessings on your days!