Calendar Confusion

In 1752, colonists who went to bed on the evening of September 2 woke up the morning of September 14. What happened? Could such a thing happen to us?

By most calendars, January 1 is the beginning of the new year, but if you serve a church, you know that the real new year actually begins the Sunday after Labor Day when folks start coming back to church after the last burger of the summer is barbequed. A lot of churches crank up a new round of church school classes this week as kids move up a grade in school and adults — one would hope — make a commitment to start a new habit of Bible study. Around town, local schools have been in session a couple of weeks now, the local college or high-school football team has just played its first or second game, and folks are beginning to settle into the steady routine of work after summer vacations. You could make a pretty good case that it’s September, not January, that anchors the calendar for many of us.

There are, of course, some who would differ. The beginning of the new year, at least in perception, is relative to one’s personal or professional perspective. We clergy know that the official...