People passing by are probably wishing you Merry Christmas, but Christmas is not yet. We are still in Advent, the time of waiting and watching for help from God. This season connects us to the ancient Israelites and also looks forward to the second coming of Christ that we expect. This coming Sunday, December 20, is the last Sunday of Advent. We will have consecrated bread and wine available from 10 a.m. to noon. If you come at 10, you can hear opening prayers and the daily readings.

Christmas day is of course December 25. In accordance with old Jewish custom, the Christian Church regards days as beginning at sundown on (what we would otherwise call) the previous day. That’s why you get Christmas Eve, Easter Eve, and All Hallow’s Eve (Hallowe’en) celebrations. We will celebrate the birth of the Messiah on Christmas Eve, December 24, starting at 7:00 p.m. This is a regular service with beginning, middle, and end, so please come on time. We will practice social distancing and wear masks, but we want to be together for this major feast of the Church.  We will also celebrate Christmas on Christmas day with a service at 9:00 a.m.

Have a blessed remainder of Advent and (when the time comes) a Merry Christmas!