Sacred Time
The Church Calendar in the Life of St. Philip’s Academy
In Scripture, there are two basic notions of time in the ancient Greek language: kairos and chronos. Chronos is just like it sounds: chronological, ordered time (days, weeks, years). Kairos is God’s opportune time, the “right moment,” the divine intersection of chronos and eternity. Galatians 4:4 When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.
The good news of the gospel is not only our redemption from sin but also our restoration to eternity. In this restoration, God has made us inheritors of his work, and the keepers of sacred time.
The church year guides us in a yearlong meditation on God’s redemptive love. Every 365 days, we journey through the history of God’s people, the life of Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, the church calendar rightly places us within God’s story, reminding us that our own birth is not the start of the story—it is only our entrance in the story. Intentionally living the annual rhythms of the church year is an excellent way to participate in the life of Christ. This way of experiencing time allows us to tailor our life to our faith, rather than jamming our faith into our life. Christ becomes the center of our calendar, and our lives are formed by and with and in him.
As we orient our day to the work of God, our week to the resurrection, and our year to redemptive history, these rhythms of sacred time fundamentally reform our identity as the people of God, enabling us to embody the gospel in every season. Living in alignment to God’s big story is one of the best ways to disciple ourselves and our children. When we walk alongside him in this manner, we habituate not just our minds but also our hearts and bodies to life as Christ’s own.
(adapted from Danielle Hitchen’s book Sacred Seasons.)
“People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”- Luke 13:29
We commemorate feast days within the life of our school as a way to celebrate the events of the Christian faith, and as a way to honor saints who come before us as examples of wisdom, virtue and faithfulness to God. Celebration and feasting allow us to experience the riches of Christ’s Kingdom and the heavenly banquet here on earth. We set the table together, we share traditions, we practice the Christian virtue of hospitality and we honor Christ.