Sanctification of Time

The Christian conviction is that all of time has been transformed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: as Christians, we live already in the time between the times, knowing that the Kingdom has been inaugurated and looking for the dawning of the age to come. Liturgy, spiritual disciplines, and the calendar of the Christian year all serve as catechetical tools, retraining the Christian’s imagination and helping us fulfill the commandment to “redeem the time” (Eph. 5:16). Rites like Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child, and Burial mark key points of transition in the Christian’s life. The Daily Office frames daily activity, sunrise and sunset. Compline makes every night an opportunity to recall our hope that, with Christ, we will be brought through death to rise again at the dawn of the last great day. The faithful practice of weekly worship on the Lord’s Day establishes a basic rhythm of work and rest every seven days. Finally, the Old Testament feasts of Passover and Weeks find their fulfillment in the Christian feasts of Easter (preceded by Lent and Holy Week) and Pentecost (preceded by the Ascension and followed by Trinity Sunday). Christmas (nine months after the Annunciation and followed by Epiphany), establishes a second pattern. These two cycles, centered on the Incarnation and Resurrection, work in tandem to reorder the entire year to its true function as an expression and enactment of the story of salvation; and they invite us, again and again, to let that story become our own. Throughout the year, we also commemorate the lives of men and women through whom God’s grace has been revealed. Their witness likewise calls us continually to renewal and transformation of life.

Candidates are expected to be familiar with the Calendar of the Christian Year, including the various seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, etc.) and their appointed themes and colors, as well as the days of feasting, fasting, intercession, and thanksgiving which the Prayer Book commends for Christian practice. Candidates should also be able to explain the spiritual principles of “Sabbath” and the importance of Sabbath practice in the life of every Christian.

Areas of Liturgics

1. History of Christian Worship
2. Content and use of The Book of Common Prayer
3. Daily Office
4. Corporate and Private Prayer
5. Sacramental Theology
6. The Holy Eucharist
7. Baptism and Confirmation
8. Marriage and Children
9. Rites of Healing
10. Death and Burial
11. Sanctification of Time
12. Sanctification of Space
13. Liturgy and Music
14. Liturgy and Mission