The Christian Year:
The Christian Year is essentially a year based on the life of Christ. Simply,

• December ~ January:Advent, Epiphany
• February ~ June:Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost
• July ~ November:The Season after Pentecost (Also known variously as Ordinary Times, Kingdomtide)

Today, the world lives by the economic or financial year, the company or school year, even the church year. Our management diary, PDA or Blackberry dictates the time to do a certain thing, be at a certain place and act in a certain manner.

But more subtle and sinister is that in this spin, there is an unconscious forging of a mindset and consciousness. We are always busy, on the go and task-driven. And we engage not in one but multi-tasks, driven by 24/7/365 economy, looking to the next event, living in the future, externally engaged but ignorantly lacking depth in our interior life and spirituality.

What if Christians live by the Christian Year? What if each season of our year is lived and framed by the life of Christ? We will set up a counter rhythm, a rhythm of grace. As we imbibe this rhythm of grace, a similar unconscious forging will tune and mould us to a Christlike consciousness that counters the drivenness of our economic and materialistic world.

The programmes of Trinity Life Centre follows the seasons of the Christian year.

• In the period of Lent and Easter, we run three Lenten retreats as preparation for Easter.
• In the season of Pentecost (followed by Trinity Sunday), we run a seminar to introduce The Doctrine of the Trinity for Modern Christian living.
• In the ordinary days, we run retreats and seminars related to spiritual disciplines, the spirituality of the Desert Fathers to instil the view that a consistent, disciplined walk in the ordinary is also part of our moulding into Christlikeness.
• As another new Christian Year approaches (in December), we run retreats that help you to review the year and to cultivate a sabbatical rhythm for the coming year.

The Christian Year and Your Spiritual Formation

If you are seeking to cultivate a new rhythm of life, make use of this Christian Year framework. For example, attend the Lenten retreats each year for three years (see 2009 TLC Retreats Calendar). Or you can follow a combination of retreats and seminars from Advent (December) to the season after Pentecost (July-November).