The Christian Wheel of the Year is the Christian calendar, or liturgical year of the Church.
This calendar contains the seasons of the year and special days observed in each season. It is often depicted as a pie chart because it is cyclical, which is also why it is called the wheel of the year.
The Calendar and the Lectionary
The calendar and the Lectionary are connected. The Lectionary is a three year cycle of Scripture readings, appropriate to each season and holy day. For a little more on the Revised Common Lectionary, see my Advent Devotional Journal post.
The Roman and Orthodox churches are liturgical, but their calendar differs somewhat from the Protestant liturgical denominations. The most significant is that they observe far more feast days for saints. The Protestant liturgical denomination are Lutheran, Episcopal/Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian. The calendar and Lectionary are observed to varying degrees even in these churches. Where the Lectionary is not followed strictly, you will still usually find the seasons and colors in some way.
Understanding and using the Wheel of the Year can bring a wonderful rhythm to your spiritual practice. Share on XThe image below is the calendar or wheel as observed by most of the liturgical Protestant churches.
This image is from the Coopersville United Methodist Church website. Click the image to visit their website and read their explanation.
Though I am an ordained elder in the same denomination, no relationship exists between Coopersville UMC and TammyHicksJackson.com.
The calendar begins with Advent, which is the four Sundays before Christmas. It continues through Christmas, Ordinary time following Epiphany, into Lent and Easter to Pentecost, and then Ordinary time again until the year begins again.
Each season has an accompanying color. Advent and Lent are traditionally purple, though blue is increasingly used for Advent. Purple speaks to royalty and sacrifice. Ordinary time is green, for growth. Christmas and Easter are white. Red is used sparingly, but especially on Pentecost. In liturgically observant churches, you will see these colors reflected in the paraments in the worship space and vestments (clothing–robe and stoles) of the clergy.
This image is from Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. You may click the image to visit their website and read their explanation.
No relationship exists between WOLC and this website. The presence of this image does not imply reciprocal endorsement.
This image is one of the best I’ve seen. I like that it has the months and themes as well as the liturgical seasons and colors.
A Deeper Look at the Seasons
The first major portion of the wheel involves Advent-Christmas-Epiphany.
Advent
Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas. Sometimes all four fall in December, like in 2018, but much of the time one of the Sundays falls in November.
An Advent wreath is often used to mark the weeks. The themes of each week are, traditionally, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The Christ candle may be lit on Christmas Eve.
Christmas
Christmas BEGINS with Christmas day, and stretches for the twelve days after. That’s right! The Twelve Days of Christmas the twelve days AFTER, not before.
Christmas season ends with Epiphany, on January 6, and is observed in the church on the second Sunday after Christmas. This is the day that represents the arrival of the Wise Men with their gifts. In some cultures, the exchanging of gifts takes place on this day.
Just as an aside, this is why I do not put the Wise Men in the Nativity until after Christmas. For more on the Wise Men, see my post on them.
Ordinary Time (or Time After Epiphany)
This season is technically Ordinary Time, but may also be called the season of Epiphany or the season after Epiphany.
Typically, the Lectionary readings focus on the life of Christ. Year A uses Matthew’s gospel primarily. Year B uses Mark and Year C uses Luke. These three are called the synoptic gospels, meaning they are similar, while the gospel of John is dramatically different.
This image is from St. Raymond Catholic Church in Menlo Park, California. Click image to visit their website.
No relationship exists between St. Raymond’s church and this website.
The second major portion of the wheel is Lent-Easter-Pentecost.
Lent
Lent is the period of time 40 days before Easter. You may be familiar with “giving up something for Lent.” Traditionally, this is a time of fasting reflecting Jesus’ 40 days of temptation in the desert, and is a time for us to reexamine and renew our commitment.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which many churches observe with the imposition of ashes, remind us that life is finite and we must make the most of it. Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) is observed the day before–originally as a festival to use up all the stuff you would be giving up during Lent.
If you count the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, you will find 46 days rather than 40. The 40 days of Lent do not include the Sundays. Each Sunday is a little Easter, so they are excepted, and you may be released from your Lenten obligation (whatever you gave up) for the day.
Easter
Easter actually incorporates three holy days, called The Triduum, from Thursday evening until Sunday morning. Maundy Thursday remembers Jesus’ night in the Garden of Gethsemane, arrest and interrogation. Good Friday remember the crucifixion.
While Scripture clearly says Jesus was crucified during the time of Passover, Christians do not observe Easter using the Jewish calendar. Instead, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. This is why is moves from anywhere between March 22 and April 25 each year. [The Orthodox Church calculates this slightly differently, and therefore, they have a different Easter Sunday somewhat later.]
Pentecost
Pentecost is 50 days after Easter. Pente means 5 [remember your shapes–the pentagram or pentagon, with 5 sides]. This is the birthday of the church, and commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room.
The third major portion of the wheel is Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Time
This ordinary time lasts from Pentecost until Advent. This time is also called the Season After Pentecost. (Some people just dislike the word ordinary, I think.) The Sundays are called Propers.
The first Sunday is Trinity Sunday, when we attempt to explain and celebrate the mystery of the Trinity. The final Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, a relatively recent addition (1925) to the calendar. It celebrates the reign of Christ. Some people prefer to focus on Jesus’ second coming on this Sunday, finding celebrating two advents (a first and second coming) confusing. Others eschew it because of potentially nationalistic or political domination undertones.
Also within this portion of time is All Saints’s Day. All Saints is the day to remember those in the faith who have gone on before, that “great cloud of witnesses,” observed on November 1. Another name for it is All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas (Mass for the Hallowed). The evening before is All Hallows’ Eve, better known as Halloween.
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Would you like your own Revised Common Lectionary?