Christmas is fast approaching, whether we are prepared or not! And although the Feast of the Incarnation officially begins when the sun sets on 24 December (at 4:09 PM to be precise!), our celebration will actually kickoff with our traditional Christmas Pageant on Sunday 22 December at our 10:15 liturgy. If you intend to join in this celebration, plan to arrive early as it is sure to be very crowded.
On Christmas Eve, the Feast begins at the time of sunset (until then we are still in the season of Advent!). Our celebrations for Christmas Eve are as follows:
- 4 PM Christmas Family Lessons and Carols
- 6 PM Christmas Family Lessons and Carols
- 9 PM Choral Candlelight Christmas Eve Eucharist
The 4 and 6 PM liturgies are identical, although the 4 PM is the most popular and the most crowded. It is not uncommon to turn people away when we begin since there is simply no more space for anyone to stand! There is no sermon or homily at these liturgies, although both conclude with Holy Communion. And both are designed with families and children in mind.
At 9 PM, we begin in candlelight and we hear the ancient Proclamation of the Incarnation which sets the Savior’s birth in historical context. There is a brief homily and we continue with Holy Communion. The ending is special as we sing Silent Night while we kneel in candlelight. This is such a beautiful and moving way to feel the importance of the Feast.
On Christmas Day, we gather at 10 AM for a very light-hearted and joyous celebration. Everyone is in good cheer and we sing lots of Christmas carols!
But this is only the FIRST day of the Incarnation Feast! It does indeed last twelve days. We will continue to sing carols and celebrate both on Sunday 29 December and Sunday 5 January. Our schedule will be as usual with celebrations of the Holy Eucharist at 8 and 10:15 AM.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to be touched by the holiness and beauty of the Church’s Incarnation celebration. All people are welcome – regardless of your faith background (even if you have none), your gender or sexual orientation, your ethnicity or skin color, your pronouns of choice, your political persuasion (even if you love the President), or any other possible category by which you define yourself. None of these things matter in the Church. Here the only label that matters is “Human”. If you are human, then we want you to worship God with us. Please come and join us as we experience the joy of Christ in this place.