The Sacredness of a Calendar

We often think of our calendars as just a tool to keep track of appointments, meetings, and deadlines, but what if we began to see our calendars as a mirror, rather than a tool? When thinking about our calendars this way, they can reveal something about our lives. Think about your calendar, it is a reflection of your families interests, your priorities, and to what your time is dedicated. Calendars are meant to manage a resource that is precious to us all, time. And the ways that we choose to shape our time are naturally going to shape us in return.

In the year 386, a pastor in the ancient city of Antioch, John Chrysostom (his name means “One with a Golden Mouth”, that’s how good of a preacher he was), preached a sermon where he declared to his congregation that their tradition of celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25th, was really catching on. While Chrysostom could not possibly imagine the festivities, parties, decorations, and traditions his church’s Advent feast would inspire, he did recognize that this celebration was important, more important than one day could ever hold. He says in this Christmas sermon, “from this feast, the Theophany and the holy Passover and the Ascension and the Pentecost take their origin and foundation.” The ancient preachers point may be masked in language that we no longer use, but his point is simple, the coming of Christ cannot transform our idea of one day, it must change the whole calendar.

The church, up to this point, had been celebrating certain “feasts,” like they had in the Jewish tradition. They celebrated Passover to mark Christ’s atoning death and resurrection. They celebrated Ascension to mark Christ’s return to the right hand of the Father, where He rules and reigns. They celebrated a feast to recognize the coming of the Holy Spirit with the Feast of Pentecost. Just a few weeks after Christmas, Chrysostom’s church celebrated Epiphany, which was the end of the Advent season and recognized the day that the Magi visited the young Jesus.

These days are not relegated to the ancient past, many church traditions still celebrate them to this day. In fact, just a few days ago, January 6th, was the Day of Epiphany. As the snow quickly rose around our house, Darcy and I were taking down our Christmas decorations and using that time to mark the end of the Advent season, the time of waiting for the Lord, and transitioning into a season of remembrance of his work and ministry, which will culminate in the celebration of Easter! And while I don’t believe celebrating these liturgical dates is an imperative dictated by Scripture, I do believe that it can help us reorient our hearts and minds to a Biblical command even more ancient than Advent.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” This is the first paragraph of a section of Scripture called The Shema, which is Hebrew for listen, and these verse were central to Jewish culture. It is used in numerous Jewish ceremonies and is commonly used as a morning and bedtime prayer. These verses capture what the church in Antioch was seeking to do with their feasts throughout the year and what we should each seek to do in our lives, organizing our time around the Word of God.

Deuteronomy 6 teaches many things, but one of the most important is that the Word of the Lord is to be on the heart of His people. This is not just in a generic sense, but the Word of God should be the central element of our lives. According to these verses, there should not be a time that we are not talking about, reciting, and teaching the Word of God.

On this side of the New Covenant, we understand that this command is not just about the commands that God has given us, but rather, it is about the revealed Word of God spoken of in John 1. Jesus Christ is the Word of God revealed, so He should be the focus of our speaking and teaching as we walk, lie down, and rise up. Jesus is who we should be reminded of with the “signs on our hands” or the “doorposts of our house.” The fact of the matter is that the people of God cannot be content with anything less than Jesus being the central focus of our lives.

So, what might this look like practically? There are a multitude of ways that this reality might play out in your life, but allow me to suggest one. The early church, in creating these festivals that marked the passing of the calendar, were creating a way that they could structure their year around the story of Scripture. They wanted to daily be reminded of the person, the work, the life, the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ. That is a noble effort! And while we may not recognize the Holy Days in the same way that they do, we can still organize our calendars in a way that can honor God and bring the person of Jesus to our attention in a greater degree.

Obviously, the first way that we can use our calendars to remind ourselves of God’s work and character is by organizing our calendars like He did. The seven-day week is not a human creation, it is a divine creation. God used six days to work, and the seventh day He used to rest. The Sabbath, given in the 4th Commandment, formalized what God had already demonstrated. So then, in turn, we should take a day for Sabbath rest. We should step away from distractions on our screens, jobs, and commitments to enjoy the world and the people that God has given us. I believe that this is related to what the author of Hebrews mean in Hebrews 10:25 when he writes “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.”

Weekly church attendance is not driven by just a command from God or a family tradition, it is to be a source of encouragement and a “stirring up” for love and good in the week ahead. Beginning a week gathered with people who love you and want to encourage you in your spiritual growth is essential to living a life that is intent on remembering Christ in all things. And in my opinion, the good and beautiful work that is happening during this gathering is not worth sacrificing for any game, hobby, or extra time of sleep.

Outside of church attendance, how might we sanctify our calendars and ensure that we are remembering Christ as we go? One thing you might try is tracking your hours in a day and how you spend them. How much time working? How much time scrolling on your phone or watching TV? Or how much time with your family? When you have that data, ask yourself how, or if, you are considering the Lord during those times. Look, I am not a monk, so I am not suggesting that you only spend time in the Bible and in prayer; I love a movie night, a football game, or a good book as a measure of relaxation. But asking yourself how those things which bring you joy might point you to the greater joy in Christ is an excellent first step in orienting your calendar to honoring Christ. This practice may reveal that you need to cut back on some hours on your phone to spend more time personally studying the Bible or in prayer. Or, it may reveal that you just need to practice “taking every thought captive” and leverage the way you spend your time to remember Christ.

Lastly, consider the “immovable objects” on your calendar. What are the things that you refuse to miss? Is it watching the big game of the week? Maybe a child’s practice or rehearsal? Perhaps your morning workout? Or a hobby that you schedule each week? Then ask yourself, “Why is this an essential part of my week?” I’m not advocating for giving up any of these things, but there is a dangerous reality that our calendars, and in turn, our lives, can unknowingly revolve around something we never intended it to. The culture of our lives is defined by what we tolerate and what we celebrate. What do our calendars celebrate? What will you tolerate, or not tolerate, on your calendar?

Our time is sacred. The ancient church recognized this, which why they ordered their year around the divine life of Jesus Christ. God recognizes this, which is why He instructed His people to order their daily lives around the recitation and teaching of His word. Likewise, we too must recognize the sanctity of our time and commit our calendars to the One who entered time to give us all the time in the world and beyond.