Unlike many of us today, many Christians of the past marked the passage of a year in two ways. One of them began with January and ended with December. The other began several Sundays before Christmas and ended not long after November 1st. This "church calendar" marked out holidays and commemorations important to Christians. Those who kept time by its days, weeks, and seasons were reminded each year of the faith’s greatest truths. In this four-part series, we take a look at the church calendar's first season, Advent. A season that prepares us for Christmas, Advent calls us to reflect on why Christ came.
Advent Series
Advent I: The Race to Christmas
Advent II: The Gift Under the Tree
Advent III: Reflect and Rejoice
Advent IV: When Violet Fades to White
Merry (12 Days of) Christmas! For many people today, Christmas is only one day long—December 25th, midnight to midnight. It lasts twelve days only in the popular Christmas carol. (“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . .”) For many Christians of the past, though, December 25th marks the first day of a season. For most Christians past and present, Christmas Day is a day of feasting and celebrating. It’s also a day for the giving and receiving of gifts. No wonder: we’re only imitating what God did at Bethlehem. He gave us the greatest gift ever given—the Gift who keeps giving.
