Liturgical Year: We are in the Season of Epiphany. Already, we have passed Advent and the Season of Christmas. Next will be the Lenten season. The church year progresses rapidly at the beginning, progressing from one season to another. I was preaching at a church in another city at the beginning of December, which happened to be the first Sunday of Advent, and I greeted the congregation by wishing them “Happy New Year.” Advent means beginning, and in the church calendar, the Season of Advent signals the beginning of a new liturgical year.
If you are a follower of the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) used by many Christian denominations, then we are in Year C and the featured Gospel is the third writer, Saint Luke. There are three years in the rotation, and we are currently in the third year. But what about Saint John, you ask? Don’t worry, the Gospel of John is used many times in all three years of the rotation. For example, during Holy Week (this year in mid-April), John is featured for reasons I will write about as the season gets closer.