{"id":2436,"date":"2016-09-02T04:44:54","date_gmt":"2016-09-02T09:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=2436"},"modified":"2016-09-02T04:44:54","modified_gmt":"2016-09-02T09:44:54","slug":"what-calendar-did-jesus-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2016\/09\/what-calendar-did-jesus-use\/","title":{"rendered":"What Calendar did Jesus Use?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

I had to write about\u00a0the Jewish and Christian calendars. Why? The short answer is that I care deeply about discipleship, and the calendar is one of the original discipleship tools found in the Old Testament.<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s not quite as simple as that short answer, however. It\u2019s been my experience that when Evangelicals speak of spiritual formation, we tend to speak in terms of practicing spiritual disciplines, or acquisition of information about God and the Bible, or we urge ourselves toward action such as service or evangelism. All are of great value in cultivating personal spiritual growth, but I found myself wondering as years went on about the way in which we in our local churches are being formed as followers of Jesus. I have been involved in programming worship services at a non-denominational church and at a Christian university, and realized that the calendar we used was forming both individual and corporate identity in those respective communities far more than we\u2019d taken time to consider.<\/p>\n

How the Calendar Shapes Us<\/h4>\n

In the non-denominational congregations of which my husband and I have been a part, the civil calendar drove our church life together. This calendar included space for some special, usually evangelism-based emphases during December for the Christmas season, as well as services for Good Friday\/Easter morning. We have also been a part of Anglican and Lutheran congregations that have used the Christian calendar. Those years taught me that a different calendar was a part of what forged a different kind of practices and identity among these congregations.
\n\"What<\/a>
\nI\u2019d grown up being imprinted by the calendar: my Jewish upbringing had shaped me by the rhythms of the feasts described in Leviticus 23. This was the calendar Jesus knew, and it was the calendar from which the Christian calendar emerged. As my husband and I are both Jewish followers of Jesus \u2013 we each came to faith in him during our teens – we continued to maintain a modest connection to the Hebrew festal calendar as we were raising our children, as we hoped to give our children a connection with their Jewish birthright. I learned during those years that while connection to a calendar can be an important learning tool for families, it carries a different weight in a family when an entire community is formed by its rhythms.
\nI began wondering about how the Hebrew calendar Jesus knew became the church year calendar used by the church. After a trip to Israel, I began researching the topic on my own. I asked lots of questions because I valued both the Hebrew festal and the Christian calendars, and understood that both calendars framed time in terms of God\u2019s salvation story \u2013 albeit in very different ways. These calendars do not exist so we can pencil in days of celebration and sorrow alongside our oh-so-important schedules. Instead, each calendar demands we prioritize our lives according to their rhythms, because their rhythms represent God\u2019s saving work in our lives and in the world.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to \u201cinhabit time\u201d?<\/h4>\n

The very first words of the Bible are \u201cIn the beginning\u2026\u201d The eternal God anchored the act of creation in finite time. Jesus promised his followers eternal life (in familiar, beloved John 3:16). While we step into this kingdom life here and now, there is also a fuller future dimension of this life: \u201cThere will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.\u201d (Revelation 22:5)
\nBut here we are, living in finite time. Our own appointment calendars and schedules define our days, and describe our lives. To inhabit time is a shorthand way of saying that we can live with intention, that our Day-Timers don\u2019t define us. The calendar described in Scripture \u2013 and the calendar developed by the early followers of Jesus \u2013 each present to us us a way to live at the intersection of time and eternity.<\/p>\n

What is the biggest challenge for a 21st century Jewish follower of Jesus?<\/h4>\n

\"Moments<\/a>
\nThere are some challenges unique to Jewish followers of Jesus. Questions of identity and assimilation are true of all Jewish people. Jewish followers of Jesus are often viewed as traitors or non-Jews by the Jewish community. It is understandable that there is resistance from the Jewish community, as a lot of horrible things have been done to the Jewish people in the name of Jesus over the last two thousand years. There are also major challenges Jewish believers face in the church including pockets of anti-Semitism and some bad theology.
\nHowever, Jewish followers of Jesus face the same challenges as do their Gentile brothers and sisters. How do I follow Jesus faithfully every day?<\/p>\n

How will reading Moments & Days change me for the better?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is my prayer that the book will strengthen the faith and practice of readers, and the material will spill over into the lives of their families and faith communities. Moments &\u00a0Days<\/a> offers readers a look at each holy day and season in both the Jewish and Christian calendars, a discussion about how one emerged from the others, and practical coaching about how to reclaim your own calendar from the tyranny of the Day-Timer urgent so you can live with intention, discipled in time.
\nLearn more about Michelle and her work on her website.\u00a0<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had to write about\u00a0the Jewish and Christian calendars. Why? The short answer is that I care deeply about discipleship, and the calendar is one of the original discipleship tools found in the Old Testament. It\u2019s not quite as simple … <\/p>\n

Read moreWhat Calendar did Jesus Use?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Calendar did Jesus Use? - The Disciplemaker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2016\/09\/what-calendar-did-jesus-use\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Calendar did Jesus Use? - The Disciplemaker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I had to write about\u00a0the Jewish and Christian calendars. 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