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A new year has started -- a new liturgical year, that is.

If you're an Episcopalian in the United States (careful, because if you're in the Diocese of San Joaquin in California, you might not be any more) you, or a liturgical authority acting on your behalf has probably already made one resolution for you: begin using the Revised Common Lectionary rather than the prayer book lectionary.

This change was a "resolution" at several decision making gatherings of the Episcopal Church, and it "passed". But secular New Year's Resolutions are not often subject to a vote. Nor do they often pass, so to speak.

There's no need for liturgical resolutions to supplant those made at the turn of the calendrical year, but couldn't the liturgical church use the framework of liturgical year as an opportunity to do certain things?

The liturgical year resonates with its own rhythms of responsibility, but we would be remiss to refer to these as resolutions. Nor would it be a good idea to make resolutions based on these responsibilities:

• Advent - Light more candles.
• Christmas - Light even more candles.
• Epiphany - Ho hum.
• Lent - Work on getting wax out of pew cushions
• Easter - Celebrate wax removal with lilies!
• Pentecost - Start working on getting the pollen stains out. Notice that pollen fades over time and virtually disappears in candle light. Light some candles.
• Advent - Light more candles.

Liturgical resolutions are a great idea, and for Advent this year, I think I'll resolve to come up with some.

Labels: liturgy