Marking Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year

Ses s i on 3: Keep i ng the Rhy thm of the Sp i r i t 67

3. The oldest historical testimony links the Church observance to the Holy Spirit’s descent to Christ’s ascension (preaching of the period made this connection explicit).

4. The separate commemoration of Christ’s Ascension (i.e., 40th day, see Acts 1.3) is dated only a little later than Pentecost feast.

5. The ancient Church tended to hold Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension closely connected, and held it to be a single line of events.

6. Early Christians insisted on not separating the power of Christ to the Holy Spirit (i.e., Passover and Pentecost). They took this mystery of “the Great Fifty Days” to be the foundation of all faithful preaching of the Gospel.

7. Trinity Sunday was kept the first Sunday after Pentecost beginning before the year 1000 in the Western church (a “dogmatic” feast, that is, based on doctrine not so much a distinct historical event in the life of Christ).

a. Served to highlight our triune God’s working in salvation, the purpose of the Father, the humble incarnation and passion of the Son, and the revelation of the Holy Spirit

b. All Christian worship and work is participating in the life and purpose of God Godself, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

D. Early evidences of Lenten observance