ChurchLL

Worship Ways offers: a variety of prayers,
liturgies, and “how-to” articles for use on
Sundays, Festivals, and special UCC calendar
days. These resources come from all settings of
the UCC; they are written by pastors,
educators, musicians and covenanted ministry
staff members. They are based on the Sunday
readings found in the Revised Common
Lectionary.

Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year and is the four week long season during
which the Christian church awaits not only the coming of the Christmas child, but also
remembers also the coming of the future realm of God.

The Christmas season is one of twelve days, ending with Epiphany, which marks the coming
of the magi to the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

Epiphany extends for a period of 4 to 9 weeks in which the believer follows the major events
of Christ's life, from his baptism which marks the start of his public ministry and ending with
Ash Wednesday.

During Lent, Christians follow Christ toward the culminating days of Holy Week and Easter
in which his confrontation with the "powers and principalities" of this world came to a
climax in his death, and then, the resurrection.

Following Easter, Christians remember the relatively short period during which the risen
Christ appeared to the disciples on earth. According to the creeds, he then "ascended" into
heaven; the church was not abandoned by God, however, but rather was blessed by the
presence of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday celebrates the birth of the Christian church and the coming of the gift of
the presence of the Spirit of the resurrected Christ. The season of Pentecost that follows is
24 weeks in duration and is often referred to as "Ordinary Time." It is the season in which
both the church and the individual believer focus on the work they are called to do in the
world as the living "body of Christ."

All Saint's Day is marked on November 1st and celebrates the contribution of the "saints
departed" and often commemorates those Christians who have died during the past calendar
year.