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About this item
Highlights
- Make Jesus the Center of Your Family's Year The time-honored traditions of the liturgical calendar guide Christians through a year-long meditation on the life of Christ.
- About the Author: Danielle Hitchen is a writer and the founder of Catechesis Books, a publishing company dedicated to building out a collection of biblical and theological resources for babies, toddlers, and preschools.
- 224 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Christian Life
Description
About the Book
This highly informative and practical guide to observing the Christian liturgical calendar helps families enrich their faith as they celebrate the time-honored traditions of the church throughout the year. Experience sacred seasons together.Book Synopsis
Make Jesus the Center of Your Family's Year The time-honored traditions of the liturgical calendar guide Christians through a year-long meditation on the life of Christ. Beyond just Christmas and Easter, each season of the church year offers special opportunities to remember and celebrate the work of God. In Sacred Seasons, Danielle Hitchen helps you incorporate the rhythms and rituals of this ancient Christian discipline into your everyday family life. Part theology, part church history, and part practical spirituality, Sacred Seasons provides an easy-to-use guide to observing the liturgical year complete with fun activities, delicious recipes, and meaningful liturgies. Grow your family's faith in tangible ways as you experience the meaning and joy of each sacred season together.Review Quotes
"Sacred Seasons makes a warm, winning, and above all practical introduction to the traditional church year, and will be a boon for all who are rediscovering this forgotten treasure of the church, this neglected pattern for Christian living. This book will especially appeal to those who'd like to 'live the liturgy' in a natural way, together, at home, as a family. Wonderful seasonal recipes are interwoven with helpful explanations of the reasons for the seasons and creative ideas for celebrating them together. I am glad to commend this book."
--Rev. Dr. Malcolm Guite, poet and Life Fellow of Girton College, University of Cambridge
"As late converts to liturgical rhythms, the Church Calendar confronted decades of being shaped by school calendars, sports seasons, and a few fun-but-frenzied holidays. Challenging at first, this new way of telling time offered a far more profound way to build the shared rhythms we need as humans. This book is a beautifully crafted sourcebook for shaping our traditions by the awareness that time has been redeemed by Christ. Happily, it's never too late to dig deeper with friends and family. My wife and I look forward to using Danielle Hitchen's gift to shape our coming days more richly than ever, after the greatest story of all."
--Bishop Steven A Breedlove, Diocese of Christ Our Hope, Anglican Church in North America
"In Sacred Seasons, Danielle Hitchen equips us to place ourselves inside God's story by embracing the often-overlooked liturgical calendar. Wow! She has me totally convinced of its value for my family and my faith! She offers approachable, meaningful, and exciting ways for Christians to 'keep time with the Lord' so that God's story informs theirs. Every page captivated my attention, and I am looking forward to inviting these practices to captivate my calendar."
--Caroline Saunders, author of The Story of Water
"One of the more cheering elements of recent evangelical thought has been a renewed attentiveness to spiritual disciplines, the church year, and the rituals of ordinary Christian piety. If you have read Dallas Willard, John Mark Comer, or Tish Warren and found something valuable in their emphasis on the ordinary practices of Christian discipleship, then Sacred Seasons is the practical manual you need to help you incorporate these values into your daily routines. Danielle's book is the best guide I have seen for how to actually begin adopting the practices that have anchored God's people for centuries and helped give flesh to the theological claims of Christian faith."
--Jake Meador, editor in chief of Mere Orthodoxy
"This is a beautiful, invigorating, one-of-a-kind book. In an age of praise songs and fog machines, retrieving the church calendar can feel like little more than nostalgic play-acting. Yet the liturgical rhythms have provided a firm anchor for Christian devotion throughout the centuries. Danielle Hitchen has provided a rich treasure to the church in this historically informed, immensely practical how-to guide that offers us baby steps back into spiritual disciplines and promises to root us more deeply in God's grace and communion with our fellow saints."
--Bradford Littlejohn, president of the Davenant Institute
"Danielle is a thoughtful teacher whose invitational spirit will help you learn and grow alongside your family as you journey through the liturgical year. This deeply rooted offering is informational yet accessible, historical yet approachable. The spiritual rhythms, routines, and rituals in this artful collection are sure to resource families for years to come."
--Kayla Craig, author of To Light Their Way and creator of the Liturgies for Parents podcast
"If you are looking for a new rhythm for your own personal study, or if you need a fresh plan to help the Scriptures come alive for your children, this book is for you! In this friendly layout you will find nuggets on church history, practical ideas for your kids or grandkids, recipes to make together, and much more. It's a great gift for a young family!"
--Susan Alexander Yates, speaker and author of Risky Faith
"Sacred Seasons offers a biblical, historical, and practical roadmap for living out your faith every day of the year. This book isn't about adding more to your already busy life. Rather, it's about attuning our lives to what God has done and is doing throughout the history of the church. Whether you're familiar with following the church calendar or the concept is completely new, this book is an invaluable resource to help you and your family embody the grand and beautiful story of our redemption."
--Sarah J. Hauser, speaker and author of All Who Are Weary
About the Author
Danielle Hitchen is a writer and the founder of Catechesis Books, a publishing company dedicated to building out a collection of biblical and theological resources for babies, toddlers, and preschools. A graduate of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, Danielle lives with her husband and three young children in northern Virginia.Dimensions (Overall): 9.1 Inches (H) x 8.0 Inches (W) x .9 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.8 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 224
Genre: Religion + Beliefs
Sub-Genre: Christian Life
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Theme: Family & Relationships
Format: Hardcover
Author: Danielle Hitchen
Language: English
Street Date: October 3, 2023
TCIN: 88682730
UPC: 9780736986175
Item Number (DPCI): 247-14-8109
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.9 inches length x 8 inches width x 9.1 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.8 pounds
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5.0 out of 5 stars with 29 reviews
100% would recommend
29 recommendations
Beautiful, visually and usefully
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
kspang - 2 years ago
Sacred Seasons is truly a beautifully crafted piece of art. The illustrations, layout, incorporation of church art and history is so well thought out and gorgeously executed. The content is wonderful, accessible, and very helpful in the historical information and present application. Michaelmas blackberries were had and we cannot wait to use more and more of the resources in this book! There are very few places synthesizing all of the information in this way, in one place, easily accessible for families. Truly, the only way it could be improved is if it were from my own tradition - thank you for such a wonderful resource, Danielle!
Making Holidays great again!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Jamie - 2 years ago
Sacred Seasons is a wonderful book! I have all of the baby believer books and was intrigued when I saw Danielle was working on Sacred Seasons. I have partial knowledge from a Catholic childhood, but have never had much interest in the church calendar. I started with the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany chapters and I am hooked! I am excited to implement the 12 days of Christmas this year and see how the tradition evolves in years to come and how this book will help draw my family closer to Christ through all the seasons. I highly suggest this book to anyone wanting to make their seasons more meaningful.
Liturgical Living Must Have
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Frassatihomeschooling - 2 years ago
Catechesis Books new book "Sacred Seasons" is the perfect liturgical book to add to your collection. They even have an kindle version for your "mom on the go" like myself. The book will help you decipher historical meaning behind the things we do, some delicious recipes, and it has different traditions to add holiness to your liturgical year. The book starts with advent, so make sure you get your copy asap so you can use the information to have a blessed advent and new year. I am probably going to get the hardcover when it comes out, because it looks absolutely stunning.
The Perfect Way to Celebrate Christ through the Year
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Those Warrior Mamas - 2 years ago
If you have been looking for a way to orient your day more around Christ, this book outlines the traditions we celebrate as a society but puts Jesus back into the center. It is so easy to follow calendar holidays and rules as a habit without putting much thought or effort into them. This book has allowed me to reevaluate why we celebrate and how to make the celebrations more meaningful as a family. This book is a reminder that God calls us to enjoy our time in his creation which includes celebrating with each other. Between the recipes and history behind each seasonal event, the author enables us to seek God and embody the Gospel in every season of life.
An Heirloom Quality Piece
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Ashley B - 2 years ago
I grew up Baptist and very ignorant to the church calendar with the exception of Easter and Advent. Danielle's passion for church history leaps off the pages in this beautifully crafted book. It is incredibly informative without being overwhelming. The illustrations are beautiful, and I love her family oriented and practical approach. I am so excited to implement more celebrations of the church calendar in my family's daily lives with this book serving as the perfect guide. It would make a wonderful gift and a beautiful table piece. A must have!
Makes It Easy!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Blair V - 2 years ago
As a mom of two young children, I appreciate how Danielle has taken the guesswork out of creating meaningful traditions to participate in the liturgical calendar and center my family within “God’s great story.” Each section of the book provided important historical context for the season or holiday, tips for how to celebrate or observe with children and family, and fun recipes. If you’re new to the church year or a longtime participant, I definitely recommend this book!
Intentional, Thoughtful, Gorgeous Book!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Carissa Leong - 2 years ago
How we spend our time dictates what/who we worship. Danielle Hitchen shares that wonderful and important reminder with readers in her latest stunning and thoughtfully put together book, Sacred Seasons. Truth be told, when I first heard about this book, I wasn’t entirely interested because a lot my own relationship/history with church calendar practices has always felt legalistic. However, what I appreciate so much about this book is that there is clarity that it is not the practices of the church calendar that saves, rather that the church calendar provides beautiful and special opportunities to use your time to meditate on so many difference aspects of Christ and the church’s history. The first and most obvious thing that must be said about this book is that it is GORGEOUS. Every illustration and piece of this book is so beautiful, which helps to highlight so many of the beautiful ways to move through the church calendar. More important than its beauty though is how thorough Sacred Seasons is. Danielle doesn’t just give you a description of various holidays, but aims to provide ample historical description along with so many wonderful activities and ideas for families. This really struck a chord with me because, as a mom, I am constantly looking for activity ideas for my family while wanting ways to point them to Christ in day to day, why would I not use something like the church calendar as a sweet way to add Christ centered intentionality to our year? Now, I don’t know if our family would do everything shared in this book, but Danielle once again never lays anything out as a requirement for salvation, but thoughtfully provides so many opportunities for families to do as much or as little as they can. If anyone is looking to add more intentional thought and meditation on Christ and His church in your year, I would definitely recommend this book!
Thorough, Practical, and Encouraging!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Taylor - 2 years ago
"Sacred Seasons" thoroughly, but succinctly, explains the liturgical church calendar for Christians in way that is easy to grasp. Danielle cites history behind holiday traditions and observances, including if/how they've morphed over time, and gets to the heart of why believers should consistently and personally bring to mind events in the life of Christ and the life of His Church. She gives practical ideas for how to do this in everyday life. This book has challenged me to view my own faith with even more intentionality, and to actively shape the liturgies of my life and the life of my family. It is an excellent resource and encouragement!
Perfect Guide to a More Christ-filled Year
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Becky V - 2 years ago
Sacred Seasons by Danielle Hitchen is an all-around beautifully written book. The artwork is stunning and the text and layout are simply done, yet in-depth at the same time. I did not know much about the church calendar year prior to picking this book up, but was very excited to dive into it. I have been seeking for a way to put more of our focus on Christ in our home, and this book is exactly what I needed. Danielle starts off in the introduction and part one explaining what sacred time is, digging into the practice of spiritual disciples, and talking about liturgies and the church calendar. Part two dives into examining each season much more closely to better understand it and helping you to start incorporating the traditions into your family life. I loved the at-a-glance sections, as well all of the ideas to help your family celebrate each season, including all the recipes! My favorite is the Liturgy for each season, which include memory verses, antiphons, prayers, scripture readings, hymns to sing, and more. I also greatly appreciate how Danielle addresses expectations, especially as you develop your family traditions with young children, and emphasizes a slow growth into the cycles, adding a little more each year instead of all at once. This is a book to have forever in your home to help guide you in placing Christ at the focus of your calendar, and ultimately, life.
Great resource!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Flippen - 2 years ago
If Danielle's primary goal was to write a resource for families "to call children into the life of Christ" then she has succeeded! This book offers excellent background information on the different liturgical seasons, the liturgies used, as well as different feast days. This books spends ample time explaining the benefit of using the calendar to prompt beneficial spiritual disciplines in the lives of parents and children. There was a lot to love about this book: Danielle's realistic approach to incorporating new aspects of family worship and traditions, tangible and specific activities for certain seasons and days (the book includes so many recipes for tasty treats!), Stephen Crotts's beautiful illustrations. I would recommend this resource to any looking to learn more about the liturgical calendar and/or looking for feasible ways to incorporate the calendar into their every day rhythms.
Great yearlong resource
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
L Monteith - 2 years ago
If you've ever had a desire to implement more of God's history into your year/life for yourself and/or your family, this book would be a great resource!! With background info, encouragement, prayers & liturgies, Scripture, and dates as well as activities and recipes to go along with many days, seasons, and time frames throughout Church & Biblical history, this book is sure to help center your days and years around Christ. I can't wait to read more of it and talk through it with my husband to start guiding our kids/family more intentionally through more than just Advent and Holy Week! My 9 year old has already started stealing glances at it, and loves the historicity of it as well as the recipes & “holy hues” (where Danielle lists & explains the colors associated with each event) sections. Sacred Seasons by Danielle Hitchen (also author of our beloved Baby Believer series) is sure to bless you, your family, your church family if you choose to read and implement it.
Perfect Guide for A More Meaningful Year
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Aimee - 2 years ago
I am so excited to incorporate this book into our family traditions. I didn’t know much about the church calendar besides the major holidays prior to reading this, and the author lays out in such an inviting way how to approach living in God’s time and rhythms throughout the year. I also love that there are ideas without the pressure of doing every possible thing year round - “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Any investment in the spiritual life of your children is an investment well made. Plant the seeds - however small - and let the Lord give the growth.” There are simple liturgies, prayers, and activities to engage with your family and lift your eyes to the creator of time and all things. I also love the way Hitchen addresses traditions like Santa, the Easter Bunny, or dressing up for Halloween, including the historical background behind them and a balanced approach to recognizing the things our culture weighs heavily on without losing the true meaning and purpose in various seasons. This is such a beautiful book and is something that will be referenced for us year-round!
A beautiful, practical, and gospel-centered book to make celebrating the church calendar accessible for all families.
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
malformica - 2 years ago
Danielle takes the intricacies of celebrating the church calendar and packages it in the most beautiful book. The heart and soul that has been poured into this book is a blessing to us as readers. The overwhelming amount of care and attention throughout its pages enable it to be read over and over without becoming dull or trite. I feel like the essence of the book can be summed up on page 17: “Christ becomes the center of our calendar, and our lives are formed by and with and in him. As we orient our day to the work of God, our week to the resurrection, and our year to redemptive history, these rhythms of sacred time fundamentally reform our identity as the people of God, enabling us to embody the gospel in every season. Living in alignment to God’s big story is one of the best ways to disciple ourselves and our children. When we walk alongside him in this manner, we habituate not just our minds but also our hearts and bodies to live as Christ’s own.” Each chapter contains a family liturgy with memory verse, antiphon, Scripture reading, seasonal hymn, and prayer. I love Danielle’s heart in this to provide such a strong layout for encouraging families in their celebrating of the different seasons and also her reminder to make it work for your family and that this is to be a blessing, not a burden. As a mom of young children, I really appreciate her transparency even as early as the opening lines of the introduction. A smile crept across my face as I read and recalled very similar experiences in my own life with our children. Celebrating God in the church calendar will not be perfect, but it’s still entirely worth the effort. This heirloom quality book is chock full of Scripture, dates, facts, hymns, and recipes. She even ties the Fruit of the Spirit into the church calendar seasons. Danielle does an outstanding job at taking the complexities of the celebrating the church calendar and making it accessible for families. This book is a feast to be enjoyed time and again. Not just for the eyes with the beautiful artwork, but for the soul as one partakes in innumerable ways to celebrate Christ throughout the year. As Danielle writes on page 32, “…though we observe the same seasons year after year, God invites us to experience them afresh, drawing us ever upward to himself.” PS I really appreciated the brief timeline of the church calendar to give an understanding of how things were developed. Danielle noted that this would be a project for a totally different book and I’m not-so-secretly hoping that she’ll make this one of her next projects. :)
Grace filled and Unburdened Guide to the Church Calendar
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Ashley W - 2 years ago
Until a few years ago, I had no concept of the Liturgical or Church year. After changing churches, we were introduced to the topic but unsure of how to make this a part of our home. We already homestead which requires you to live according to the natural seasons but the church seasons seemed intimating. I also didn't have a ton of time to dedicate to research and inventing my own lessons, activities etc. Thanks to Danielle's Sacred Seasons, we are more than prepared to introduce this in our home. The book starts with why this is even a thing and why you should celebrate seasonally in a beautifully grace filled way (as in, you won't feel over burdened with one more thing to do). Each season includes a description of the season, dates, disciplines, notable dates, verses, and a hymn to learn/focus on. The history behind the season as well as what this season means to us as Christians. Scriptures are laid out so you can open and read without prior research as well as recipes to make. Danielle's Instagram page and podcast are also great resources to add. The physical book itself is beautiful & durable, sure to last through the seasons year after year. I cannot recommend this book enough for Christians of all ages and maturity. I look forward to the deepening of my faith as we implement more and more of the church calendar into our home and lives.
A Resource To Turn To Again and Again
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Jordan K - 2 years ago
I thoroughly enjoyed Sacred Seasons. It will be a book that I constantly pull out, refer to, and glean from for many years to come. It is both theological rich and immensely practical. Sacred Seasons was an encouragement for me as I grew in my knowledge of the church calendar, but also to see how I can interweave it throughout our day. Having not grown up in a church that drew much attention to the church calendar, this book was so helpful for me to see a more well rounded view of the church cycle and why it’s important! l’m excited to try out the recipes with my children. Sacred Seasons will be a book that sits on the kitchen table, ready to be opened frequently.
Beautiful, easy-to-understand book!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Brianna Cunningham - 2 years ago
Sacred Seasons is exactly what I've been looking for! It's a comprehensive breakdown of the liturgical calendar in a way that is understandable and practical. There are so many fun ideas on how to celebrate and observe these seasons with a family, including useful recipes throughout! I honestly can't recommend this book enough! I was familiar with the well-known periods of the church calendar such as Lent, Advent, Christmas, and Easter but it was so interesting to learn about the lesser known times and their history as well as how we can observe them in the present day! And the book itself is stunning which is just a bonus!! This book has been such a beautiful addition to how I plan our family's year and is a book that I will refer back to time and time again!
"Sacred Seasons" for all seasons!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
KTN - 2 years ago
For someone fairly new to the idea of the church calendar, Danielle Hitchen brings the festivities and liturgies surrounding the Holy Church Calendar to life in her newest book "Sacred Seasons." A long-time lover of her "Baby Believer" series, this book brought a whole new level of appreciation and enjoyment to our family for the traditions passed down throughout history. Along with child friendly activities comes recipes, liturgies, hymns, and historical context for the church calendar novice. This book is a welcome addition to any home wanting to strengthen familial appreciation for the work done by the saints of our Christian family tree. This collection invites us to pause and reflect on the greater work of Christ that surrounds us every day. "As the people of God, we are the keepers of this gospel-of the gospel. We are the great bards who rehearse and perform the drama of the great story of God's kingdom from creation to second coming" (Hitchen). What a better way to take part in His story than in rejoicing in the liturgies and traditions laid out in the book with our family.
Just what we needed...
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Rachel M - 2 years ago
This book is exactly what I was looking for. We attend a church that follows the liturgical calendar, but I really didn't know much about the various church seasons. I wanted a resource that would be useful for both me and my children, and this is it! The book starts with a general introduction and historical information, and then Part 2 includes a chapter on each season. There is a really helpful "At a Glance" section at the beginning of each chapter, so you know the duration of the season and important dates. Each section gives you historical background, scripture readings, a spiritual discipline to focus on, celebration ideas, recipes, and much more. My favorite part of each chapter is the liturgy with readings and prayers that the family can do together each week. There are so many ideas in this book, but I love that Hitchen explicitly states not to do everything every year. There are enough activities that you can pick and choose based on your family’s schedule and ages. It’s a very well-researched resource that I know we’ll be using for many years. (Oh, and it’s also incredibly beautiful!)
This book is just what I’ve been looking for!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Lauren E - 2 years ago
As a mom of three young kids, I’ve been eager for a guide to approaching Church holidays with purpose and intention. Danielle gives such practical ideas and I love that she’s made it easily accessible for children. The book is beautiful and is easy to either read straight through or jump around and reference as needed. I know this is going to be such a wonderful gift to individuals and families in helping us see Jesus more clearly and celebrate him more fully throughout the year.
A Well You'll Return To
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
WSHORNBUCKLE - 2 years ago
I've been in such anticipation of this book, and all the expectations I had were exceeded. Danielle Hitchen, you gave the world such a gift in Sacred Seasons, and it's a gift I plan on giving to many close friends and family this upcoming holiday season. My hope is to use the wisdom and recommendations contained on every page to create a year-round, Christ-centered focus in my own home - creating traditions and encouraging heart postures that will continue throughout my children and their children's lives. It's an endeavor I'm excited to get underway. Thanks again, Danielle!