Advent 2007 to Nov. 2008

This is a calendar in English for the church year 2007-2008 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.  Besides the date and English name of each Sunday and church holiday, this calendar gives references for one or two of the Bible readings designated for that day in the ELCF worship manual.  The Bible readings often give a clue to the theme of the worship service and the sermon.  Easter comes very early in 2008.

ADVENT

• Dec. 2, 2007:  First Sunday in Advent – Psalm 24:7-10; Mark 11:1-10
• Dec. 6, 2007 (Thursday):  Independence Day of Finland – John 8:31-36 or Matthew 20:25-28
• Dec. 9, 2007:  Second Sunday in Advent – Psalm 80:14-19 (v. 15-20 in Finnish); Luke 12:35-40
• Dec. 16, 2007:  Third Sunday in Advent – Matthew 11:11-19 or John 1:35-37
• Dec. 23, 2007:  Fourth Sunday in Advent – Matthew 1:18-24

CHRISTMAS SEASON (YULETIDE)

• Dec. 24, 2007 (Monday):  Christmas Eve – Micah 5:2-5a (v. 1-4a in Finnish); Luke 2:1-14
• Dec. 24-25, 2007:  Christmas night – Isaiah 9:2-7 (v. 1-6 in Finnish); Luke 2:1-14
• Dec. 25, 2007 (Tuesday) before sunrise:  Early Christmas morning – Luke 2:1-20
• Dec. 25, 2007 (Tuesday) after sunrise:  First Day of Christmas – 1 John 1:1-4; John 1:1-14
• Dec. 26, 2007 (Wednesday):  Second Day of Christmas (Boxing Day, Saint Stephen’s Day) – Acts 6:8,11-15 and 7:51-60; Luke 12:8-12
• Dec. 30, 2007:  First Sunday after Christmas – Galatians 4:3-7; Luke 2:33-40
• Dec. 31, 2007 (Monday):  New Year’s Eve – Psalm 121; Luke 13:6-9 or Matthew 16:1-4
• Jan. 1, 2008 (Tuesday):  New Year’s Day – 1 John 5:1-5; John 14:12-14

EPIPHANY SEASON

• Jan. 6, 2008 (Sunday):  The Epiphany – Matthew 2:1-12
• Jan. 13, 2008:  First Sunday after the Epiphany – John 1:29-34
• Jan. 19, 2008 (Saturday):  Commemoration of Saint Henry – Isaiah 52:7-10; John 4:34-38

SUNDAYS PRECEDING LENT 2008

• Jan. 20:  Third Sunday before Lent (Septuagesima) – Philippians 3:7-14; Matthew 19:27-30
• Jan. 27:  Candlemas – Exodus 33:18-23; Luke 2:22-33
• Feb. 3:  Quinquagesima (Esto mihi, the Sunday before Lent begins) – 1 Corinthians 13; John 12:25-33

LENT 2008

• Feb. 6 (Wednesday):  Ash Wednesday – Joel 2:12-17; Matthew 6:16-21 or Luke 13:22-30
• Feb. 10:  First Sunday in Lent (Invocavit) – James 1:12-15; Matthew 16:21-23
• Feb. 17:  Second Sunday in Lent (Reminiscere) – Psalm 25:1-10; Mark 9:17-29
• Feb. 24:  Third Sunday in Lent (Oculi) – Psalm 25:11-20; John 12:37-43
• March 2:  Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare, “Bread Sunday”) – John 6:24-35
• March 9:  The Annunciation – Gen. 3:8-15; Luke 1:39-45
• March 16:  Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11; John 12:1-8
• March 17:  Monday of Holy Week – Psalm 102:1-9 (v. 2-10 in Finnish); John 18:1-27
• March 18:  Tuesday of Holy Week – John 18:28-40
• March 19:  Wednesday of Holy Week – John 19:1-16
• March 20:  Maundy Thursday – 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; John 13:1-15
• March 21, morning:  Good Friday – Isaiah 53; John 19:16-30
• March 21, afternoon:  The hour of Jesus’ death; Matthew 27:45-56
• March 21:  Evening of Good Friday – Psalm 142; John 19:31-42
• March 22:  Quiet Saturday (Easter Eve) – 1 Peter 3:18-22; Matthew 27:62-66

EASTER SEASON 2008

• March 22-23:  Easter night – Mark 16:1-8
• March 23:  Easter Day – 1 Corinthians 15:12-22; John 20:1-10
• March 24 (Monday):  Second Day of Easter – John 20:11-18
• March 25:  Tuesday of Easter Week (Third Day of Easter) – Luke 24:36-49
• March 26:  Wednesday of Easter Week (Fourth Day of Easter) – Acts 2:22-32; John 21:1-14
• March 27:  Thursday of Easter Week – Acts 8:26-40; Mark 16:9-16
• March 28:  Friday of Easter Week – Matthew 28:8-15
• March 29:  Saturday of Easter Week – Psalm 100; Matthew 28:16-20
• March 30:  First Sunday after Easter Day (Quasimodogeniti) – Acts 3:12-20; John 21:1-14
• April 6:  Second Sunday after Easter Day (Misericordia Domini, “Sunday of the Good Shepherd”) – Psalm 23; John 21:15-19
• April 13:  Third Sunday after Easter Day (Jubilate) – Isaiah 54:7-10; John 17:11-17
• April 20:  Fourth Sunday after Easter Day (Cantate) – Romans 8:9-11; John 17:6-10
• April 27:  Fifth Sunday after Easter Day (Rogate, “Prayer Sunday”) – Romans 8:24-28; Matthew 6:5-13
• May 1 (Thursday):  Ascension Day – Acts 1:1-11 or Ephesians 4:7-15; John 17:24-26
• May 4:  Sixth Sunday after Easter Day (Exaudi) – Acts 1:12-14; John 7:37-39

PENTECOST 2008

• May 10 (Saturday):  Pentecost Eve – Acts 19:1-6; John 14:8-17
• May 11:  Day of Pentecost (Whitsunday, also Mothers' Day) – Acts 2:1-13; John 14:15-21

On a Sunday of its choice in May, June, July or August, a congregation observes
Sunday of All Creation – 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:1-4

SEASON AFTER PENTECOST (ORDINARY TIME) 2008

• May 18:  Trinity Sunday – Ephesians 4:1-6; John 15:1-10
• May 25:  Second Sunday after Pentecost – Luke 12:13-21 or Matthew 13:44-46
• June 1:  Third Sunday after Pentecost – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Luke 19:1-10
• June 8:  Fourth Sunday after Pentecost – Luke 15:11-32
• June 15:  Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – John 8:2-11
• June 21 (Saturday):  Midsummer Festival (Saint John’s) – Luke 1:57-66 or 1:67-79
• June 22:  Apostles’ Day (Sixth Sunday after Pentecost) – Ephesians 2:19-22; Matthew 16:13-19
• June 29:  Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – James 2:8-13; Mark 10:17-27
• July 6:  Transfiguration Sunday (Eighth Sunday after Pentecost) – Mark 9:2-8
• July 13:  Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 7:13-14
• July 20:  Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 25:14-30
• July 27:  Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – Jeremiah 6:16-21; Luke 4:23-30
• Aug. 3:  Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Psalm 51:4-12 (v. 6-14 in Finnish); Matthew 21:28-32
• Aug. 10:  Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 12:33-37
• Aug. 17:  Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 5:43-48
• Aug. 24:  Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; John 5:1-15
• Aug. 31:  Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Philippians 4:10-14; Luke 10:38-42
• Sept. 7:  Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Job 19:25-27; John 11:21-45
• Sept. 14:  Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Colossians 2:16-23; Mark 2:18-22
• Sept. 21:  Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Mark 12:28-34
• Sept. 28:  Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – John 9:24-38
• Oct.5:  Michaelmas (Sunday of Angels) – Matthew 18:1-10
• Oct. 12:  Reformation Day (Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost) – Psalm 46:1-7 (v. 2-8 in Finnish); Matthew 16:1-4
• Oct.19:  Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 18:15-22
• Oct. 26:  Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost – 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Luke 12:4-7
• Nov. 1 (Saturday):  All Saints’ Day – Revelation 21:1-4; Matthew 5:1-12
• Nov. 2:  Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; John 6:37-40
• Nov. 9:  Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost (also Fathers' Day) – Matthew 24:1-14 or 24:15-27
• Nov. 16:  Vigilance Sunday (Second Sunday before Advent) – Malachi 3:13-18; Mark 13:33-37
• Nov. 23, 2008:  Judgment Sunday (Christ the King) – Malachi 4:1-2 (3:19-20 in Finnish); Matthew 25:31-46

On a Sunday of its choice in September, October or November, a congregation observes
Family Sunday – Exodus 2:1-10; Matthew 12:46-50