Sunday, February 21, 2010

book of the week | welcome to the church year

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week three | book of the week | welcome to the church year by vicki k. black

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Beginning at the end of last summer, I have started to try to order my life more and more around the church calendar: the different seasons of Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and so forth. But growing up in a church that did not follow the church seasons except for Easter and perhaps a mention of Advent, the language of the liturgical church year was unfamiliar to me. Nor did I fully understand the purpose behind it. I attended the services, listened closely, and tried to gather as much information as I could. But I still felt like I did not fully understand.
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And honestly, I still do not fully understand. But since last summer, I have come across several resources that have been helpful in developing my understanding of the liturgical church year more and more. One of these is a book I picked up at my church's library entitled Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seasons of the Episcopal Church by Vicki K. Black.
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It is a very basic, straightforward, chronological guide to the church year. Black first covers the purpose behind the church year and why the celebration of time and tradition is important. She then addresses each individual season, discussing the themes, traditions, services, and liturgy for each. She intersperses scripture and liturgy throughout and there are several questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. It is indeed purely an introduction--for someone who has not grown up in a liturgical church and who is not at all familiar with the church year. But while it is basic, I found it very helpful in my own understanding of the different church seasons.
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Book Information:
Published in 2004 by Morehouse Publishing
126 pages
8 chapters:
---1. Welcome to the Church Year
---2. Advent
---3. Christmas
---4. The Epiphany
---5. Lent
---6. Holy Week
---7. Easter to Pentecost
---8. The Season of Pentecost
Price: $11.20
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