Under the Old Covenant, there was a yearly liturgical cycle with prescribed annual Holy Days which revolved around the Lord God’s acts of salvation in the life of nation of Israel, also included in this cycle were some agricultural and lunar components and even some observances added by the Jewish people as well, and weekly a Sabbath on the seventh day of each week. Lev:23
This liturgical cycle was to be kept by Israel
as continuous reminders of who their God is and what he has done for them. This
liturgical cycle was enjoined upon the people of Israel and was enforced until
that Covenant came to its conclusion at the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This liturgical cycle was “generally”
divided into two cycles of Spring and Autumn.
The Apostolic
Church
For about the first decade of the Church all
members were Jewish, and as was their habit they continued to attend Synagogue
and went to Temple at Jerusalem still keeping the Covenants varies high days,
but all of that was to change.
We Have Considered
St. Paul wrote to the Christians at the Greek
city of Corinth, and he tells them, and we through Scripture, about the
consideration to the question as to the change in humanities relationship with
God, with the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus, what has changed in
humanities relationship with God?
“because
we have considered that one died for all, and therefore all died.” 2Cor:5:14b
What the early Church did, through having “considered”
this question and the realization that in Jesus all died and rose in him, what occurred
had within the Apostolic Church was the development of a Theology based on
Jesus and his saving work and acts of salvation on our behalf and whom ever
might freely receive him.
At
the outset understanding of the Apostolic Church on Pentecost 33 AD was that of
a Jewish Messiah for a Jewish nation, and a Jewish Church.
This relationship was the subject of and was
hotly debated at the Jerusalem conference in St. Luke’s account in the Book of
Acts the 15th chapter. It was at this conference that the Church leadership
came to see and determined that, as they then understood it, almost all Old
Covenant tenets were no longer enjoined under the New Covenant.
“The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After
much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some
time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips
the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed
that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to
us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their
hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the
necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to
bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are
saved, just as they are.” Acts: 15:6-11
Just as St. Peter declared to the assembled group.
“Now
then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke
that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe
it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
This Theology based upon Jesus shifted the
entire pyridine of the Church and challenged and changed their view regarding
God, Israel and all humanity.
St. Paul tells us that the leadership of the
Apostolic Church considered this very question. What this means, is, that, with
the realization that now a new day had dawned and even gentiles were admitted
into a Covenant relationship with God, as was demonstrated by the entrance of
the Roman Centurion Cornelius into the Church without having kept any of the
tenets of the Covenant enjoined upon Israel, but simply through faith in Jesus.
This realization shifted everything in the early Church including the Church’s
worship.
For a decade the Apostolic Church patterned its
worship much like the Synagogues which they attended on a weekly bias, but now
with the addition of the Communion symbols of the Bread and Cup. When
understood properly we see that Jesus himself inaugurated the new worship cycle
with transposition of the Passover to the institution of the Lord's Supper, Eucharist
or the Communion. Matt: 26:26
The loss of the
Church’s Jewishness
Up in until the calling of Cornelius, the
Church retained its “Jewishness”
for the Old Covenant had acted as an insulator for Israel which limited
interaction and fellowship with pagan gentile’s nations, but now, it was
evident that even gentiles were being called and this would no longer be the
case.
The Church would need to be transformed if was
to go beyond its culture into the wider world and fulfill the commission given
to it by Jesus to go into all the world starting Jerusalem. Acts: 1:1-8
If the Church had not come to recognize what
God’s divine intent was the Church movement would never have progressed very
far beyond Palestine; therefore, the Church would need to lose its “Jewishness” which limited
fellowship with gentiles.
A New Liturgical
Year
With the realization that a new day had
arrived in God and humanities relationship through Jesus and brought to us in
an all-New Covenant inaugurated and affirmed in Jesus, and that, it is now in
Jesus , that God’s Salvation acts were undertaken on behalf of humanity, and
that these Salvation acts should be recalled daily by believers it behooved the
Church to develop an ongoing means of doing just that.
Jesus himself established a sacrament which
points believers to these Salvation Acts accomplished in his own self for us,
taking the Old Covenant’s Annual Passover and transposing it into the New
Covenant’s Sacrament of Lord’s Super, Communion or Eucharist which is taken
without a fixed date, but can be taken at any time believers gather, to provide
a Eucharistic moment for the Church.
When understood properly we see that Jesus himself inaugurated the
new worship cycle with transposition of the Passover to the institution of the
Lord's Supper or the Communion. As the Passover was the held at the start of
the year it acted as the setting frame work of all the liturgical cycle that
would follow, therefore by transposing the Passover Jesus was then transposing
all the worship cycle focused upon himself. Matt: 26:26
As the Apostolic Christian Church moved across
the face of the Earth, now released from the confines of the Old Covenant, with
the message about Jesus and they rehearsed his Salvation Acts for each and all
of us, they were led to developed a conversation about just what Jesus did. In
order to further this conversation within and without the Church a liturgical
yearly cycle developed which focused upon the Acts and person of Jesus not
Israel.
They
came to see that Jesus himself is the true Israel of God that he is what Israel
could never be.
Led by the Spirit
Speaking to his Disciples Jesus told them that
the Spirit Himself would lead them into all truth and that the Spirit would
take what is his and give it to his Disciples. What the Holy Spirit did, and
still does, is to lead believers to look to Jesus and gives us constant
revelations to the Church about all things relating to Jesus and his holy
person.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said
to you.” Jhn: 14:26
This reminding us of what Jesus has done
and who he is, is not a onetime reminder but is ongoing throughout our whole lives
and has taken the form of the new yearly liturgical cycle as Jesus said “remind you
of everything”.
Some might ask “can the
Church truly have the authority to institute a new liturgical cycle?”
Jesus told his Disciples that in regard to
matters of the Church that “whatsoever
you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven and whatsoever you loose on Earth
will be loosed in Heaven”. Matt: 18:18
Now, it is true that the cited verses speak
more to the area of discipline, but it has appliance in all areas of Christian
life and practice within the Church, for even St. Paul spoke in regard to
matters which there was not direct Scriptural reference, but rather, he sought
the lead of the Spirit and principles based on Jesus and what he did for us.
Even Jesus tells us that he would “build my Church” that is,
it would take shape over time and become what he intended it to be. The Church
would not be a stagnate edifice but would always in a state of being
transformed through and by the Holy Spirit.
Basic Christian
Cycle
The observances of the Church differ in that
the focus of the Old Covenant ones which looked more to the nation of Israel
and the Lord God’s actions in the life of the nation, and were enforced by the
Covenant and were required. Christian’s observances however focus upon Jesus
and are not enjoined by the New Covenant, that is, the new cycle is not “forced”
upon Christians; there is liberty and latitude to keep or not keep them. These
observances are not truly required, but are helpful to remind us about the work
of our Lord Jesus Christ and help us in our weekly worship of the Great God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Church’s basic yearly liturgical cycle is
generally divided into Ordinary time and times of observances. Each Christian
denomination, fellowship, association and ministry has its distinctive
liturgical cycles and associated colors and portions of the Scriptures which
are used to highlight the season(s). Each color carries with it meanings which
are used to give emphases and lessons found within each observance.
The use of the Historic Christian Liturgical
Cycle can help us focus upon our Lord Jesus Christ and his Salvation Acts in
our lives.
Benediction: May We each and all ever
grow into a deeper worship relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, Today, Tomorrow
and Forevermore. Amen.
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee, Michigan
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