If you’ve had some churching up, you know that there are two gospel cycles resolving into four liturgical seasons, plus “ordinary time.” But in practice, I wound up doing my planning for worship and preaching as if there were six liturgical seasons. I would work up preaching texts and sermon titles containing the germ of an idea for each service, then add in the hymns and set prayers. I would plan 6-13 weeks at a time and have it all to the secretary, accompanist, and choir director before the first service in the planning period. That way, they were not held up waiting for inspiration to strike me. Now, let’s review the official liturgical calendar. There are two cycles, the Incarnation Cycle and the Resurrection Cycle, which govern the presentation of the gospel in worship. Each has a preparatory/penitential season that precedes the Main Event, and a celebratory season that follows it. The Incarnation Cycle begins with Advent, a period of four Sundays between November 30 and Christmas Eve. Then there are two Sundays (rarely, three) in Christmastide, between Christmas Eve and the Epiphany on January 6. The Resurrection Cycle begins with Ash Wednesday and proceeds through Lent and Holy Week (six Sundays and various special services). Eastertide begins with the Easter vigil or sunrise service and goes for seven Sundays until Pentecost. The variable time between the cycles (several weeks between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, and a whole lotta weeks between Pentecost and Advent) is called Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time consumes half the calendar year. For purposes of planning, however, this is not the most helpful pattern. And there are themes that tend to emerge between the cycles that give a particular flavor to certain stretches of time. There are, in effect, six liturgical seasons. First, there is Advent-and-Christmastide. This constitutes six weeks (usually), and despite the changing character of the two unequal halves is best planned all at once. Telling the story of the coming of Christ – the expectation, the fulfillment, the aftermath – is what we must do. Second, there is, for want of an official name, Epiphanytide. The Sunday after the Epiphany remembers the Baptism of Jesus, while the last Sunday before Lent is given over to the Transfiguration. The gospel lessons for this time tend to center on the early days of Jesus’ ministry, particularly the calling of the disciples. Lots of churches used to schedule missions conferences in this time, too, which fits in nicely here. The theme of this unofficial season is evangelism and missions. Third, there is Lent and Holy Week. Ash Wednesday kicks off this season. Then there are six Sundays, the last of which is Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday conclude the season. It’s a good time to talk about repentance, the struggle to believe, the consequences of unbelief, the cross. I usually cheated and planned Easter and Low Sunday (the Sunday after Easter) at the same time, because there would be no time and energy to do so while in the throes of Lent. Fourth, there is Eastertide. This begins with Easter itself and concludes with Pentecost. Resurrection life, the coming of the Holy Spirit, victory over death, the coming of the kingdom are all things to be emphasized. There are also several special observances that intrude here, such as Mothers Day and Fathers Day and recognition of graduates. Fifth, there is Summer. The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. I usually planned through the end of August. Summer is a good time for some Old Testament preaching. Narrative sermons, where you tell stories about people in the Bible, are good here. Sixth, there is Fall. September, October, and November (until Advent) has a character all its own. School starts back up again. Programs and groups that had slacked off in the summer start meeting again. The annual stewardship drive and church business meeting usually happen in this time. It’s a good time to talk about commitment and setting goals. Harvest themes also suggest themselves. Fall includes Labor Day, Reformation Day, All Saints, and Thanksgiving. There is often a Laity Day and/or Pastor Recognition Day in October. Election day is in November and the liturgical year concludes later that month with Christ the King, so emphasizing the kingdom of God, social holiness, and so forth are prominent themes. The liturgical year is full of highs and lows. There are two major climaxes each year that leave us all exhausted (Christmas and Easter) and several sub-climaxes that can wear us out, too, such as the annual stewardship/planning/church business meeting and annual conference. I would build into my planning both my Sundays off and Sundays that didn’t demand much effort after a big push. Scheduling vacations, guest preachers, and hymn sings, and also re-preaching old sermons from the barrel (hey, this congregation hadn’t heard them yet) prevented me from getting stuck after plowing through a big event. And then it was time to take a day or two off to plan the next 6-13 weeks and get the material to secretary, accompanist, and choir director in time for them to work up their contributions.