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Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church
A probing but clearly written book, Calendar will find an appreciative audience beyond academia and clergy to the laity of the choirs and their directors, worship planners, adult study groups, and others who want to understand better the church's times of preparation and celebration. Calendar centers largely on theological meaning and parish practice in relation to liturgical time. Deliberately, almost no attention is given to detailed historical development, much of which is exceedingly complex in its origins and technical in its detail. An appendix entitled "Forgetting What You Were Always Taught (Or, This Book in a Nutshell)" aptly describes the radical reordering that Stookey believes occurs when our understanding of time and the story of Jesus takes its bearings from the Incarnation. So, just as the Christian week begins with Sunday, the day of Resurrection, Stookey follows the Christian year beginning with the season of Easter, and only then Lent; Christmas, then Advent. Illuminating discussions of Ordinary and Extraordinary Time, and the Sanctoral Cycle follow.
190 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 6, 2024
I loved getting to dive deeper into the church calendar! The different sections of the lectionary and seeing the corresponding readings was amazing. It also gave a few common practices as well! The only thing I found it lacking in was practicals for more modern churches. Stookey spent a lot of time criticizing it and encouraging a move back to traditional things, but it left me with the sense of a divide between contemporary and traditional services and not even really talking about BIPOC churches and their practices at all. I wish there was a bit more diversity in practical application for this book because it lacked a lot.
May 19, 2025
This book played a not insignificant role in leading me to full communion with the Church of Rome, but as a Catholic of some years now, I find myself disappointed with Stookey’s approach to the liturgical calendar. The theological reflection is often interesting, but the practical suggestions are mostly irrelevant and sometimes even ridiculous, frankly. To put it pointedly: this book is a testament to the failure of Protestant efforts to “recreate” the liturgical traditions they so cavalierly threw away during the first several centuries after the Reformation. Any Protestant Christian who hungers for a satisfying liturgical life will only find it in one of the ancient churches.
April 22, 2011
Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church is a book written primarily for scholars and those who lead the church in worship. The thesis of this book is that an understanding the relationship of the past and the future to the present is an essential part of Christianity, and this is accomplished through the liturgical calendar of the church. In essence, he is writing his theology of liturgical time. His main contention is that the liturgical calendar should be viewed with the Resurrection as the beginning of the liturgical year. The argumentation of this book cannot be analyzed in detail because it does not make one essential point, but present a case for Stookey’s theology of time. This review of his book will briefly overview the subjects he discusses, and then examine in depth his contention that the observing the liturgical calendar is necessary for the Christian.
Overview
Stookey begins his book by arguing that the liturgical calendar is essential to Christianity. Through it, we are able to keep ourselves in contact with the past and the future of the church, and increases our understanding of the grace of God. He argues that the resurrection should be considered the beginning of the liturgical year. His argues this because no one understood Christ’s ministry or his crucifixion until the resurrection, and because our future hope is also based on the resurrection. Thus, the resurrection is the tie that binds the past and the future together in the Christian mind, and this should be reflected in our conception of the calendar. Stookey argues for the primacy of Sunday among the seven days of the week because it is both the first and the eighth day which symbolizes God’s creation and the new creation after the resurrection.
Stookey’s next chapter argues for Easter as a season, instead of a single day. His major point for this is that it is impossible to portray the sorrow of the cross and the joy of the resurrection in just one Sunday. Stookey discusses Lent next, suggesting that in this season is an ellipse, in which the first focus is on human sinfulness, while the later focus should be on the new possibilities open to us as Christians. Stookey makes the same argument for the season of Advent that he did for Easter, and continued to make many good suggestions in both chapters as to how both of these seasons can best be observed.
Stookey discusses the difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary time in his next chapter. Here his emphasis is on the importance of Ordinary time as a time of emotional relaxation from the high points of Advent and Easter. He also points out that Ordinary time is not less important than Extraordinary time, merely different. Stookey’s final chapter discusses the commemoration of the saints as Protestants. He recommends placing these saints in position as “role models”, especially for the younger members of the Church. Their primary purpose is to be an alternative to the athlete/rock star/rapper images that so often comprise the “role models” of today’s youth.
Fundamental Flaw?
Stookey’s book is based on the presupposition that the liturgical calendar is a necessary part of the Christian life. If the reader does not accept the necessity of the use of the liturgical calendar, then the rest of his book is interesting material, but largely useless. Stookey shows his fundamental flaw when he states, “That christians should find it useful to observe seasons, days, and hours in ways that make evident the eternal in our midst may seem eccentric until we reckon with how essential time-keeping is in organizing human experience.” My argument is that time-keeping is not universally essential to organizing the human experience. Therefore, if time-keeping is not universally essential then the liturgical calendar, according to Stookey’s logic, is not universally applicable.
The liturgical calendar is based on a linear conception of time. The past is behind us, the future is in front of us. This conception see time as a river, which can only flow forward. We, as a church, are moving from the past to the future. Therefore, “Liturgical anamnesis and prolepsis constitute a primary means by which we maintain contact with past and future, both so integral to out identity” In other words, Stookey is contending that the liturgical calendar is necessary because it keeps the Church in contact with its past and with its future. Anyone with a background in the study of American Indians will quickly see that the liturgical calendar is not necessary, or even helpful, for everyone. To the American Indian, time is not a river, but a pond. There is no difference between the past, the future, and the present. They are all intertwined. To such a mindset, the liturgical calendar would not even make sense!
If we step outside the preconception that everyone has this linear conception of time, other exceptions are visible. Therefore, we see that “This [observance of the liturgical calendar] the church is and will ever do, year in and year out, until time shall cease to be.” , is based on the modern Western mindset, but is by no means universal and this liturgical calendar should not be seen as mandatory. That being said this was a very interesting book, and it shows great thought on the part of the author on how to reach his intended audience. The book is worth the price just to consider the ideas that Stookey set forth.
Overview
Stookey begins his book by arguing that the liturgical calendar is essential to Christianity. Through it, we are able to keep ourselves in contact with the past and the future of the church, and increases our understanding of the grace of God. He argues that the resurrection should be considered the beginning of the liturgical year. His argues this because no one understood Christ’s ministry or his crucifixion until the resurrection, and because our future hope is also based on the resurrection. Thus, the resurrection is the tie that binds the past and the future together in the Christian mind, and this should be reflected in our conception of the calendar. Stookey argues for the primacy of Sunday among the seven days of the week because it is both the first and the eighth day which symbolizes God’s creation and the new creation after the resurrection.
Stookey’s next chapter argues for Easter as a season, instead of a single day. His major point for this is that it is impossible to portray the sorrow of the cross and the joy of the resurrection in just one Sunday. Stookey discusses Lent next, suggesting that in this season is an ellipse, in which the first focus is on human sinfulness, while the later focus should be on the new possibilities open to us as Christians. Stookey makes the same argument for the season of Advent that he did for Easter, and continued to make many good suggestions in both chapters as to how both of these seasons can best be observed.
Stookey discusses the difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary time in his next chapter. Here his emphasis is on the importance of Ordinary time as a time of emotional relaxation from the high points of Advent and Easter. He also points out that Ordinary time is not less important than Extraordinary time, merely different. Stookey’s final chapter discusses the commemoration of the saints as Protestants. He recommends placing these saints in position as “role models”, especially for the younger members of the Church. Their primary purpose is to be an alternative to the athlete/rock star/rapper images that so often comprise the “role models” of today’s youth.
Fundamental Flaw?
Stookey’s book is based on the presupposition that the liturgical calendar is a necessary part of the Christian life. If the reader does not accept the necessity of the use of the liturgical calendar, then the rest of his book is interesting material, but largely useless. Stookey shows his fundamental flaw when he states, “That christians should find it useful to observe seasons, days, and hours in ways that make evident the eternal in our midst may seem eccentric until we reckon with how essential time-keeping is in organizing human experience.” My argument is that time-keeping is not universally essential to organizing the human experience. Therefore, if time-keeping is not universally essential then the liturgical calendar, according to Stookey’s logic, is not universally applicable.
The liturgical calendar is based on a linear conception of time. The past is behind us, the future is in front of us. This conception see time as a river, which can only flow forward. We, as a church, are moving from the past to the future. Therefore, “Liturgical anamnesis and prolepsis constitute a primary means by which we maintain contact with past and future, both so integral to out identity” In other words, Stookey is contending that the liturgical calendar is necessary because it keeps the Church in contact with its past and with its future. Anyone with a background in the study of American Indians will quickly see that the liturgical calendar is not necessary, or even helpful, for everyone. To the American Indian, time is not a river, but a pond. There is no difference between the past, the future, and the present. They are all intertwined. To such a mindset, the liturgical calendar would not even make sense!
If we step outside the preconception that everyone has this linear conception of time, other exceptions are visible. Therefore, we see that “This [observance of the liturgical calendar] the church is and will ever do, year in and year out, until time shall cease to be.” , is based on the modern Western mindset, but is by no means universal and this liturgical calendar should not be seen as mandatory. That being said this was a very interesting book, and it shows great thought on the part of the author on how to reach his intended audience. The book is worth the price just to consider the ideas that Stookey set forth.
March 8, 2023
Overall, good book about the church year. It was a helpful resource in understanding the church calendar. Recommend it to anyone looking to understand the liturgical year and what it means theologically.
September 9, 2024
This is a great resource. While much of the technical information is well-known it is well-organized and helpful in this book. There is a strong focus on the theology and messaging of the church calendar that is helpful and the book challenges some common conceptions. Overall, a nice a resource.
February 15, 2015
An essential reference for anyone who needs to know about the traditional calendar of the church year. (Anyone who doesn't need to know about the traditional calendar of the church year may find it interesting and informative.) I particularly recommend it to anyone who is new to preaching or planning worship according to a more-or-less traditional lectionary.
Stookey does an excellent job of explaining, not just what the calendar is, but why. Without being overly prescriptive (i.e. without telling you This Is What You Must Do), he describes the history and meaning of the various festivals and seasons. Most helpfully, he often explains the logic of the traditional lectionary texts. The chapters are short and accessible. (You can read it straight through or just skip to the chapter for the season you're interested in.)
If you're looking for a book to tell you exactly what you must do and when you must do it (and what color to be wearing at the time), this is not it. But if you want to learn about the heart of an ancient calendar (really, a whole system for understanding the passage of time) that has developed over hundreds of years, this is your book.
The short appendix on the colors used in paraments and vestments is worth the price of the book all on its own. (It's not what you think.)
Stookey does an excellent job of explaining, not just what the calendar is, but why. Without being overly prescriptive (i.e. without telling you This Is What You Must Do), he describes the history and meaning of the various festivals and seasons. Most helpfully, he often explains the logic of the traditional lectionary texts. The chapters are short and accessible. (You can read it straight through or just skip to the chapter for the season you're interested in.)
If you're looking for a book to tell you exactly what you must do and when you must do it (and what color to be wearing at the time), this is not it. But if you want to learn about the heart of an ancient calendar (really, a whole system for understanding the passage of time) that has developed over hundreds of years, this is your book.
The short appendix on the colors used in paraments and vestments is worth the price of the book all on its own. (It's not what you think.)
August 6, 2016
I think this was a good introduction to the liturgical calendar. At times it seemed to be speaking directly to clergy, but the over all feel of the book was that of a scholar speaking to lay persons so either the author was being slightly schizophrenic or members of the clergy are really that dumb (either explanation seem plausible.) Over all though I think he gave a good feel for not only the meaning of the calendar and its role in the church to day, but also an overview of the history of the way the Church and its calendar has evolved over the centuries.
October 19, 2012
A very good book. I enjoyed it thoroughly. This book offers a great overview of the church calendar with just enough theology to help understand, but not too much to overwhelm. Stookey is good at deciding which material is necessary and what can be left for later.
January 21, 2009
Great Reference Book!
August 24, 2010
This is a helpful introduction to the liturgical calendar.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews