Christmas
Service Schedule at St. John’s
Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) – 4 p.m.
and 9 p.m.
Christmas Day (Dec. 25) – 10 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 31 – 10 a.m. -
Christmas Lessons & Carols with Holy Eucharist
Sunday, Jan. 7 – 5 p.m. -
Epiphany Observance
Please join St. John's as we
celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas season. You are always welcome at
any of our services. More details about the schedule are below.
Sunday,
December 24
In the traditional liturgical
calendar of the church, which the Episcopal Church observes, there are no
Christmas celebrations before the evening of December 24 (Christmas Eve).
Because the 24th falls on a Sunday this year, any morning services
held that day are for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, not Christmas. (So don’t
come to the 10 a.m. service on Dec. 24 expecting a Christmas service!)
10
a.m. – Fourth Sunday of Advent (Rite II)
Instead
of our usual two Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., on Dec. 24 we will have
just one morning service, at 10 a.m. This will be our observance of the Fourth
Sunday of Advent.
Following
the 10 a.m. service, we will all pitch in to transform the church from Advent
to Christmas. We will be decorating wreaths, garlands, adding candle decoration
and attaching the aisle tapers to the pews – a great way to get into the Christmas
spirit.
4
p.m. – Family Christmas Eve Service (Rite “III”)
This
service will be in the style of our informal, family-friendly service, “Feast @
5” (which is normally held at 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month). A
“reader’s theater” style Christmas Pageant, with children and adults
participating, will take the place of a sermon at this service. There will be
Christmas carols, the reading of the Christmas story, and a spoken service of Holy
Communion.
9
p.m. – Traditional Christmas Eve Service (Rite II)
Although
held earlier than a “Midnight Mass,” this service will be in that style. We
will pull out all the stops to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord in
high-church, Episcopal style. The choir will sing, special musicians will play,
and the priest will chant the entire Eucharistic prayer. Incense will be part
of this service.
Monday,
December 25
10
a.m. – Holy Eucharist (Rite II)
This
is the “quieter” Christmas service, a simple celebration of Holy Communion on
the day of our Lord’s birth. There will be organ music and Christmas carols. No
incense will be used at this service.
Sunday,
December 31
10
a.m. – Christmas Lessons & Carols with Holy Eucharist (Rite II)
Christmas
is not just one day, but a season lasting 12 days! On this 7th day
of Christmas, the first Sunday after Christmas Day, we will have a service of
Lessons and Carols to help us contemplate the meaning and background of the
Christmas story and to give us an opportunity to sing even more of the church's
great wealth of Christmas songs. We will hear nine readings from scripture that
tell the Christmas story from the prophecies through its fulfillment, and sing
a Christmas carol after each reading. Holy Communion will be part of this service.
Sunday,
January 7
5
p.m. – Epiphany Observance
Join us to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6) on Sunday, Jan. 7 (a day later) at our monthly Feast @ 5 service, an informal, family-friendly service on the first Sunday of the month. We will celebrate the arrival of the magi or “wise men” (the three kings) to visit
the Christ child. The service runs about 45 minutes and will be followed by dinner from Zameen's Mediterranean and a King's Cake.
Jan. 7 – 8 a.m., Holy Eucharist,
Rite I and 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II –The two morning services will
observe the liturgically correct “First Sunday after the Epiphany,” which
commemorates the Baptism of Our Lord.