Christmas - Our 'Busy' time! (1)

I wonder if it would be possible to get Parliament to pass a measure that permitted clergy to duff up (using a hardback copy of the ASB) all, and any, who greet them with the words, "Christmas lights are up - must be your 'busy' time, eh Vicar?"

For those of you who really do believe that the clergy only work 'for a couple of hours' on a Sunday and have a bit of a rush on during Easter and have Christmas as the 'busy time' let me try and set the records straight with a review of the 'set menu' that the Church calendar has brought/will bring this year:

January

Epiphany

Epiphany Services

Holocaust Memorial Day (27th Jan)
School events

Teaching sessions

Holocaust service

Octet of Prayer for Christian Unity (starts 3rd Wednesday in Jan)
Eight days of praying and meeting together

February 

Preparation for Lent (with 3,2,1 before Lent observed)

Lent

Ash Wednesday 

Lent Course begins

March

Lent continues (so do Lent courses!)

Mothering Sunday  (not 'Mother's day' that great invention of card, chocolate and restaurant owners - it's about 'Mother Church' first and then comes Mum and family!)

April

Easter

Palm Sunday
Tenebrae (service of 'shadows')

Maundy Thursday (Seder meal and 'stripping the altars')

Good Friday act of Witness

Three hour 'Watch' service

Easter Sunday (He IS Risen. Alleluia!!) - Dawn service, usual time service, celebrations

May

Easter continues

June

Pentecost - Church celebrates, 'Pentecost in the Park'

Trinity Sunday - Celebrates the Three-in-One and starts off .

 'Ordinary Time'  - that 'Green' period where there are no major festivals and the Church settles down into (extra) ordinary services each and every week!

July

Ordinary Time Continues

August

Ordinary Time Continues

(and the congregation vanish for Summer)

September

Ordinary Time Continues

(and the congregation returns from Summer)

October

Ordinary Time Continues

Harvest

school services

church services

harvest suppers

harvest lunches

St Francis of Assisi (Our patronal (ie 'church name') day)

November

Ordinary Time Comes to an end (time to put away that Green stole!)

Remembrancetide

Memorials,

Remembrance Sunday (coalesced with Armistice Day this year)

School services

Teaching on Remembrance in schools, military and other settings

All Souls

All Saints

Advent Approaches (4, 3, 2 Before Advent)

Christ the King - Last Sunday Service for year 'B' of the liturgical calendar

December

Advent

Advent services

Advent Course

Christingle services

School Assemblies

Carol Services

Christmas meals

Christmas

Christmas Eve (Children)

Christmas Eve (Midnight)

Christmas Day Services

Now consider the fact that throughout the year there are, relating to the church calendar):

Morning prayer (every day)

Feasts and festivals (saints and other days) - with communion
(I will post calendar of dates shortly)

Midweek Communion

Home Communion

Sunday Services (am and pm)

Prayer services

Reflections

Study groups
School Assemblies (Thank you quotidian cleric for the reminder)

And lots of ‘ad hoc’ stuff generated by church members (Praise God)

Actually – Christmas looks busy to those outside but is in reality a pretty quiet (and extremely joyful)  time – Easter is more emotionally charged and absolutely knackering by comparison – but all in all, it doesn’t let up from Advent 1 to Christ the King (the liturgical year)

Pax

ps. I'm sure I've missed stuff in this 'off the top of my head' splurge - apologies for omissions and embarrassment at the errors :-)