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In 1841, the Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey, George Washington Doane, published a pamphlet titled The Rector’s Christmas Offering, in which he expounded upon the meaning of the liturgical calendar as employed by his church. Soon thereafter, a response appeared — one of several directed towards the High Church views of his neighbor — by Cortlandt Van Rensselaer, Sr. (under the pseudonym, “a Presbyterian”) — representing the Presbyterian view of the liturgical calendar, which is undergirded by the Second and Fourth Commandments: it was titled Man’s Feasts and Fasts in God’s Church (1842). He took the bishop to task for intruding upon the simplicity of Biblical worship — as marked by 52 (on occasion 53) holy Sabbath days per year, rather than a host of (approximately 120) man-made holy days intermixed with God’s own divinely-appointed day of rest. Appended to his pamphlet is a calendar which sometimes makes the rounds on social media even today (occasionally modified to reflect the current year).
Van Rensselaer’s calendar for 1842.
One may read Van Rensselaer’s position in his own words here, but the calendar speaks for itself.
It is noteworthy that when Bishop Doane passed away in 1859, it was his neighbor, Van Rensselaer, who stepped up to deliver his funeral sermon. It is found in his Miscellaneous Sermons, Essays, and Addresses, published posthumously in 1861, in which he prefaces his remarks:
Providence often summons a person to the performance of duties, which would otherwise more naturally have devolved upon others. Living In Burlington, by the side of Bishop Doane, I felt called upon to notice his death. My own stand-point varies from that of some others. I shall have no personal controversy with any who differ from me. God is the Judge of all.
The backstory for this calendar is helpful to bear in mind as it has a context in which its author strenuously argues for simplicity of Biblical worship, and later demonstrated graciousness in honoring his opponent on this very subject with a funeral sermon commending the Bishop’s virtues while acknowledging their differences. If this is your first look at the calendar, consider what Van Rensselaer has to say in regards to the liturgical calendar. If you have seen it before, but without context, now you know the rest of the story.
