Preparing for the Incarnation

We have several opportunities for worship over the next two weeks. The schedule, however, is atypical, so I’d like to remind all of us of the unique worship services, along with days and times.

First, on Sunday morning, our bishop, Keith Andrews, will be with us. Because of that, we will have one combined worship service at 9:00 a.m. So, no 11:00 a.m. service this Sunday. Please come at 9:00 a.m. for worship, and as Bishop Keith confirms several people in their faith. We will have an extended coffee time, followed by Bishop Keith sharing an update on life in the diocese and the broader Anglican Communion.

Then, on Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m., we will have our annual Lessons and Carols service. Lessons and Carols is a traditional Anglican service of nine scripture readings with carols sung after each reading. At Christ Church, we also incorporate art, time for silence and contemplation (a gift amid the chaos of this time of year!), and the music is offered by a unique blend of in-house musicians – from our choir and organ to the mandolin and the Celtic drum! There is a reception with food and drink following the service in which we can engage with and enjoy one another, as well as with any visitors who may come.

On Saturday, December 24, we will have two Christmas Eve services, one at 5:00 p.m. and another at 7:00 p.m. At the 5:00 p.m. service we’ll sing carols, pray, receive the gift of the children’s pageant, and share communion. The 7:00 p.m. service will be a sung festival Eucharist service with music led by the organ and choir.

Both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on a Sunday this year. We’ll have a single service at 10:00 a.m. on each of these days. We’ll return to our “normal” schedule on Sunday, January 8.

As we prepare to celebrate the Incarnation over the next few weeks, I’d like to encourage you all to participate in our unique worship services, and also to pray about someone in your life you may want to invite to one or more of them. Even as our society becomes more secular, many people in our community who may not have a meaningful faith in Christ, or may not have a church home, associate Christmas, at least vaguely, with church – especially Christmas carols and stories about the birth of Jesus. Because of that, many are more likely to respond to an invitation to come to church during this season than at any other time of the year.

The great 20th century theologian Karl Barth said that Jesus Christ is God’s “Yes” to our “No.” Both individually and collectively, as we come to grips with the mess that we’ve made in our lives and in our world, the fact that God chose to come humbly and gently, in vulnerability and peace, rather than in anger and judgment, comes as a word of grace, a word of hope. The Word that became flesh (John 1:14) is Jesus, and Jesus is the word that all of us, whether inside or outside of the church, need to hear.

Peace,

Chris