As someone who grew up in a tradition that never mentioned the Saints or the feasts, or the church calendar at all, having a sincere desire to "do it all" can sometimes feel like drinking from a fire hose. I'm doing my best to be content to only learn what I am actually able to put into practice. The difficulty for me comes, not from a fear of missing out, necessarily, but a sincere desire to connect to the church at large, because I often feel so disconnected from the majority of my brothers and sisters. Help me, Lord, to find rest in you, as you walk with me through this season of discovery.
I'm right there with you - for my own part, I didn't grow up going to church...and when I began exploring churches as an adult, all these beautiful nuances of the calendar seemed hidden. When I stumbled upon them, though, I felt like I wanted (needed!) to dive into them ALL, all the way! That connection across time with the cloud of witnesses really comforted me...but my tendency for completionism led to an attitude of almost "collecting" the various holidays. Once I stepped back a bit and forced myself to slow down, the patterns started to root in me in new, enlivening ways.
Kristin, thank you as always for the thought, heart, and beauty you put into writing these gems!
Some ways we adapt the liturgical celebrations to our time and place -- these are things we did at my church growing up, or that I've seen done in other churches:
- Put a few willow branches in water at the beginning of Lent. By Easter, they will have budded all over with green leaves. A perfect metaphor for the enlivening of our souls.
- Use greenery from local trees or bushes to decorate for Pentecost (again, the life imagery: the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life).
- (This one isn't specific to NorCal, but more so the 21st century): bless cars on Prophet Elijah's feastday on July 20 (he went up to heaven in a fiery chariot...)
- Bless apples on Christmas ("Jesus Christ the apple tree")
Aw thank you, Catie - I'm so glad you enjoyed reading! And THANK YOU for sharing these beautiful suggestions...these are all fantastic, locally-oriented ways of celebrating.
I love this. I could never do it all. We have moved a lot, so we don't have a close community, but I try to make the best of it. Having lived in the West Coast, Midwest, and now South, I really lean into the culture and seasons the way I see the church doing through the development of the liturgical year. It can be both fun and challenging to adapt things! For example, there's ne'er a White Christmas in Southern California! And my town in the Midwest was super Polish, so I could enjoy paczki's for Mardi Gras at any one of a dozen shops. My new city has Korean, West Syriac, East Syriac, Vietnamese, and Latin parishes all within 35 minutes, so my interest in global cultural traditions is piqued! It might go on my bucket list to visit as many liturgies as possible in the spirit of "every tongue, tribe, and nation."
Morgan, this is all SO beautiful and apt..."It can be both fun and challenging to adapt things!" I think adaptability is probably the most life-giving posture in approaching the calendar! I'm excited to hear about all the new ways of celebrating you discover in your new city!
I love the idea that we can allow ourselves to be a little more flexible in celebrating the liturgical year. It's one of the things I love about the church--open to so many different ways of enriching our faith. I first thought about this in terms of art but as a curious new follower of the liturgical year this is a breath of fresh air.
I was just reading about a Christian who could not read the Little House Series because Laura didn't pledge to be submissive to her husband. What a pity to be so rigid in your faith.
I'm so glad you connected with this...I think a lot of our modern world approaches things in zero-sum terms. With the liturgical calendar, that ends up provoking this sense of urgency and completionism, as if we're doing it "wrong" if we don't do it all.
So sad to think about missing out on the Little House series because of rigidity - sometimes it makes me wonder what walls I've built around myself that I'm not even aware of yet!
Thank you for this, Kristin: "Online access makes that easy to forget. Despite our best efforts, we see the onslaught of daily celebration and feel like we, too, need to do it all - or we’re somehow failing. I call rubbish on this! Let’s build a culture of liturgical curiosity, not of completionism. A balance of fixed & flexible, universal & local." Well said. I used to become overwhelmed attempting to honor each and every festival with my little one...eventually I recognized being held hostage by hashtag 'holidays' was not the foundation on which I wished to build my family's traditions (although, I just found some photos of my little one making a Martinmas lantern and it made me a little bit weepy). Your posts are nudging me to revisit many of our early celebrations.
Also, is it weird that I used cacophony in a draft this morning? I used it to describe my windchimes! ♡
Somehow, I'm not surprised that we were both using the same word while typing this morning! Kindred connections abound!
I'm so glad you enjoyed reading - thanks for your kind words. It's such a delicate balance, isn't it? On one hand, that sense of completionism pushes me to try new things and gather new experiences...but it's my motivation that feels "off" when I realize I'm driven less by faithfulness and more by a desire to "keep up." Held hostage by hashtag 'holidays'...what a perfect way to phrase it. It's so true.
Great! I've made a start by mapping out November in both 1962 and 1970 calendars. I will be adding all the british saints ( I'm composing a lost very slowly) with a smattering of benedictine saints too. Lots to go at with the seasonal things too!
As someone who grew up in a tradition that never mentioned the Saints or the feasts, or the church calendar at all, having a sincere desire to "do it all" can sometimes feel like drinking from a fire hose. I'm doing my best to be content to only learn what I am actually able to put into practice. The difficulty for me comes, not from a fear of missing out, necessarily, but a sincere desire to connect to the church at large, because I often feel so disconnected from the majority of my brothers and sisters. Help me, Lord, to find rest in you, as you walk with me through this season of discovery.
I'm right there with you - for my own part, I didn't grow up going to church...and when I began exploring churches as an adult, all these beautiful nuances of the calendar seemed hidden. When I stumbled upon them, though, I felt like I wanted (needed!) to dive into them ALL, all the way! That connection across time with the cloud of witnesses really comforted me...but my tendency for completionism led to an attitude of almost "collecting" the various holidays. Once I stepped back a bit and forced myself to slow down, the patterns started to root in me in new, enlivening ways.
Blessings & prayers on your journey, Jason!
Kristin, thank you as always for the thought, heart, and beauty you put into writing these gems!
Some ways we adapt the liturgical celebrations to our time and place -- these are things we did at my church growing up, or that I've seen done in other churches:
- Put a few willow branches in water at the beginning of Lent. By Easter, they will have budded all over with green leaves. A perfect metaphor for the enlivening of our souls.
- Use greenery from local trees or bushes to decorate for Pentecost (again, the life imagery: the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life).
- (This one isn't specific to NorCal, but more so the 21st century): bless cars on Prophet Elijah's feastday on July 20 (he went up to heaven in a fiery chariot...)
- Bless apples on Christmas ("Jesus Christ the apple tree")
Aw thank you, Catie - I'm so glad you enjoyed reading! And THANK YOU for sharing these beautiful suggestions...these are all fantastic, locally-oriented ways of celebrating.
I love this. I could never do it all. We have moved a lot, so we don't have a close community, but I try to make the best of it. Having lived in the West Coast, Midwest, and now South, I really lean into the culture and seasons the way I see the church doing through the development of the liturgical year. It can be both fun and challenging to adapt things! For example, there's ne'er a White Christmas in Southern California! And my town in the Midwest was super Polish, so I could enjoy paczki's for Mardi Gras at any one of a dozen shops. My new city has Korean, West Syriac, East Syriac, Vietnamese, and Latin parishes all within 35 minutes, so my interest in global cultural traditions is piqued! It might go on my bucket list to visit as many liturgies as possible in the spirit of "every tongue, tribe, and nation."
Morgan, this is all SO beautiful and apt..."It can be both fun and challenging to adapt things!" I think adaptability is probably the most life-giving posture in approaching the calendar! I'm excited to hear about all the new ways of celebrating you discover in your new city!
I love the idea that we can allow ourselves to be a little more flexible in celebrating the liturgical year. It's one of the things I love about the church--open to so many different ways of enriching our faith. I first thought about this in terms of art but as a curious new follower of the liturgical year this is a breath of fresh air.
I was just reading about a Christian who could not read the Little House Series because Laura didn't pledge to be submissive to her husband. What a pity to be so rigid in your faith.
I'm so glad you connected with this...I think a lot of our modern world approaches things in zero-sum terms. With the liturgical calendar, that ends up provoking this sense of urgency and completionism, as if we're doing it "wrong" if we don't do it all.
So sad to think about missing out on the Little House series because of rigidity - sometimes it makes me wonder what walls I've built around myself that I'm not even aware of yet!
Thank you for this, Kristin: "Online access makes that easy to forget. Despite our best efforts, we see the onslaught of daily celebration and feel like we, too, need to do it all - or we’re somehow failing. I call rubbish on this! Let’s build a culture of liturgical curiosity, not of completionism. A balance of fixed & flexible, universal & local." Well said. I used to become overwhelmed attempting to honor each and every festival with my little one...eventually I recognized being held hostage by hashtag 'holidays' was not the foundation on which I wished to build my family's traditions (although, I just found some photos of my little one making a Martinmas lantern and it made me a little bit weepy). Your posts are nudging me to revisit many of our early celebrations.
Also, is it weird that I used cacophony in a draft this morning? I used it to describe my windchimes! ♡
Somehow, I'm not surprised that we were both using the same word while typing this morning! Kindred connections abound!
I'm so glad you enjoyed reading - thanks for your kind words. It's such a delicate balance, isn't it? On one hand, that sense of completionism pushes me to try new things and gather new experiences...but it's my motivation that feels "off" when I realize I'm driven less by faithfulness and more by a desire to "keep up." Held hostage by hashtag 'holidays'...what a perfect way to phrase it. It's so true.
Very interesting and I’m re-reading tonight!
Thanks so much, Diane!
Great! I've made a start by mapping out November in both 1962 and 1970 calendars. I will be adding all the british saints ( I'm composing a lost very slowly) with a smattering of benedictine saints too. Lots to go at with the seasonal things too!
Perfection! I'm going to tag you in a Note here soon with a couple of photos that may be helpful. And yay British saints!