Many churches follow a rhythm of seasons through the year.
These seasons tell the story of Jesus – his birth, life, death, resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit – and they help us shape our own lives around God’s story.
The best-known seasons are Christmas and Easter. But there are others too, each with its own themes and traditions. Together they form a kind of circle that we walk year after year. It’s one of the ways the Church helps us remember that time itself belongs to God.
Some local churches follow a lectionary, which is a list of set Bible readings for each Sunday that relate to the theme of the season and that can help Christians learn and understand the breadth of faith.
Explore Christmas and Easter
We produce resources for individuals and churches every year
Why do the seasons matter?
The seasons of the Church year can be like a map that leads us through the story of Jesus again and again.
For some Methodists, the rhythm of the Christian year and its seasons plays an important role in how they worship and follow God in daily life; others hold the Church year more lightly.
However it is observed, the Church year can help us live the story of faith, not just hear it, and can remind us that every part of life – waiting and wondering, joy and sorrow, silence and celebration – is held within God’s love.
[Andy to include adapted graphic of the rural seasons Genially wheel]
Advent
The Church year begins with Advent, a season of waiting and preparation.
For four Sundays before Christmas we look forward to the coming of Jesus. We remember the people who waited centuries for a Messiah [LINK: who is God / JC], and we remind ourselves that we are still waiting too – for Christ to come again and make all things new.
Churches often light candles on an Advent wreath, one more each week, as a sign that light is growing in the darkness. It’s a season filled with hope, longing and promise.
The Methodist Church produces special resources for Advent [link to campaigns].
Christmas
Then comes Christmas, the joyful celebration of Jesus’ birth. We remember the story of Mary and Joseph, the angels and shepherds, the baby in the manger – God with us in the most vulnerable and surprising way.
Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and continues for twelve days, right up to 6 January. During this time we give thanks that God’s love took on flesh and lived among us. It’s a season of joy, light and wonder.
The Methodist Church produces special resources for Advent [link to campaigns].
Epiphany
Epiphany is celebrated on 6 January. The word Epiphany means ‘revealing’, and this day marks the visit of the Wise Men (or Magi) to the child Jesus, showing that Christ is revealed to people from all nations.
In the Methodist calendar, Epiphany is marked as a festival day rather than the start of a distinct season. The Baptism of Christ is celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany, and after that the Church returns to Ordinary Time, continuing to reflect on Jesus’ life and ministry
Lent
Lent lasts for 40 days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. It is a time to pause, reflect, and prepare for Easter. The forty days remind us of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and facing temptation, as he prepared for his ministry.
Some people give something up – like chocolate, social media, a bad habit, or shopping – as a way of making space for God. Others take something on – like daily prayer, reading the Bible or acts of kindness. Lent invites us to look honestly at ourselves, to say sorry where we need to, and to draw closer to God.
Shrove Tuesday is the final day before Lent. It is a day for confession. In the UK and other countries this is also Pancake Day, a tradition of using up the extra eggs, milk and butter in the house before Lent fasting began.
On Ash Wednesday, some Christians receive a cross of ash on their foreheads at a special service to remember our need for God’s mercy.
Holy Week
The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, and it takes us through the final days of Jesus’ life.
On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem, cheered by crowds waving palm branches.
A few days later, on Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus washing his friends’ feet, as a sign of his service to them, and sharing a last meal with them.
On Good Friday we remember Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. It is a solemn and painful day, but one that shows the depth of God’s love.
Holy Saturday is a day of quiet waiting. All of this leads us to the joy of Easter morning.
Easter
Easter is the heart of the Christian year. On Easter Sunday we celebrate that Jesus is alive – that death was not the end, and that God’s love is stronger than anything.
The season of Easter lasts for fifty days, all the way to Pentecost. During this time we rejoice in resurrection and new life. We remember how Jesus appeared to his followers in the Bible after his death, breathed peace on them, and promised the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Forty days after Easter we mark Ascension Day, when Jesus returned to the Father.
Pentecost
Ten days after Ascension we celebrate Pentecost, remembering the time when the Holy Spirit came like wind and fire and the Church was born (Acts 2). Methodists also celebrate 'Wesley Day' and 'Aldersgate Sunday' around this time.
Watch this video to find out more: https://youtu.be/0URrICpIIho
Ordinary Time
After all the great festivals comes a long stretch known as Ordinary Time. It may sound plain, but “ordinary” here simply means “ordered.” This is the season when we focus on the everyday life of discipleship – listening to Jesus’ teaching, learning how to live in God’s way, and growing in faith. It’s a time to remember that God is at work not only in big events, but in daily life too.
During Ordinary Time, many Methodists will use resources like Word in Time and the prayer for the day as part of their daily rhythm of worship.