2010-2011 (Year A) Church Year Calendar

Format
Size 8 ½ x 11 (11 x 17 open)
Page Count: 32 pages plus cover
Calendar dates: November 28, 2010 - November 26, 2011
Lectionary Used: Revised Common Lectionary, Year A

© 2010. The Urban Ministry Institute.

Photos: top, Front Cover, bottom, Rear Cover

The Good Shepherd
Of the many powerful images of Christ in Scripture, perhaps none is as well known and beloved as that of the Good Shepherd.  As the One who tends his own people like a shepherd, our Lord goes before his own to provide, protect, and lead them into his way.  Our 2010-11 Church Year calendar reveals in bold relief the Story of God afresh, detailing the Christ event from the promise of his coming at Advent to his reign as Lord forever at his Second Coming.  Through the Church Year we relive the Story, remembering and rehearsing his great acts of incarnation and redemption in the past, and anticipating and longing for his revelation and consummation of his work in the future.  Through these remarkable depictions you will come to see afresh the steadfast love of our Savior, who tends his flock like a shepherd, gathering his little ones in his arms, carrying them in his bosom, and gently leading those that are with young (Isa. 40.11).  Indeed, Jesus of Nazareth is the Great Shepherd of the sheep, who protects his own until the very end.

Truly, this year’s calendar theme, “The Good Shepherd,” reiterates our Lord’s courage and love to lead the Church through these dangerous times of darkness and woe.  Structured on the Church Year, (which starts on the first week of Advent and ends on the Week of the Feast of the Reign of Christ the King), our calender includes a listing of the Revised Common Lectionary’s Year A weekly texts.  In addition, it also provides the major Christian services and holy days, and gives commentary on their meaning within the Story of God.  Come, inhabit the Tale of all tales, the true Story of God’s love and redemption shown through the life and times of the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.

About the Calendar
Since our earliest records, the Church has made it a point to remember and celebrate the events of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. The ancient Church centered its worship and witness on the person and work of Jesus Christ. A cursory outline of Church history reveals its deep commitment to remember and re-present the major events of Jesus’ life in real time. Largely as an act of worship and instruction, the Church Year was the early Church’s response to the secular events and calendar that sought to structure and give meaning to society’s course of life.

The Christian Year (also known as the Church Year) observances, feasts, and services allowed them to think “Christianly” about their days and weeks and months, and put all things in the perspective of the Christ event. The Good Shepherd will enrich your spiritual journey tremendously as you follow the events of Jesus in real time, and re-embrace the hope that will one day bring life and peace to the world.  This calendar contains a beautiful set of stunning images which are set in the context of the life and ministry of Jesus.  Commentary is provided on the various seasons and events, along with the readings of the Revised Common Lectionary Scripture reading guide.  Purchase your 2010-11 Church Year calendar today and join believers all over the world who use the calendar to follow in the footsteps of Jesus!  Get your copies today!

Used at least in part by virtually all traditions of the Church (including Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant traditions), the Christian Church year highlights and follows the prophecy, manifestation, and ministry of Jesus. The unfolding events on the calendar becomes an opportunity for worshipers to hear the prophets herald his coming, to kneel at the manger, to worship Christ with the magi, and to hear his teaching to the multitudes.  Through these events we see our Lord triumphantly come to Jerusalem, stand accused in a sham trial before his foes, be crucified with thieves on Golgotha, and rise from the dead on the third day!  From his ascension to the coming of the Holy Spirit, from his exaltation to the mission of his Church in the world, the Church Year reminds us of the that Story which in fact is the Greatest Story Ever Told– the hope of salvation in Christ for the world.

The purpose of the Church Year, then, from ancient times to the present, has been to remember, reenact, and to be transformed by the major events of Jesus’ life. In the course of our everyday lives, we redraw and relive the way of Jesus in real time, tracing his birth, death, resurrection, ascension, session and return through the course of the year.

Get your copy of  The Good Shepherd calendar today, and follow the Story of the Christ throughout the year!

Calendar Orders Will Ship August 10th