If you were able to be with us in worship on Christmas Eve, you’ll know it was a splendid way to launch into the Twelve Days of Christmas. We’ll be very much in Christmas mode when we gather on Sunday January 1, to celebrate the 2nd Sunday in Christmastide. The cycle of nativity stories is brought to a close on January 8, when we mark the Feast of the Epiphany and retell the story of the visit of the Magi. After our four weeks of Advent preparation, we can now feast for more than just a single day…
The readings for January 1, the 2nd Sunday in Christmastide are Galatians 4:4-7 and John 1:1-14.
We’re now organizing our Winter round of LivingRoom liturgies, with the next dates set for January 12 (which will come up awfully fast…) and February 10. The format is to gather in a home for a simple communion, followed by the sharing of food, drink and conversation. These are a really good opportunity to get to know others who are connected to saint benedict’s table, whether as their primary church community or as a second church home. You can sign up at the church, or by contacting us.
Mark this one on your calendars now: Davis Plett and Friends Present “17 and Crazy: A collection of thought, song, and art created by the adolescent imagination,” offered in collaboration with saint benedict’s table – Friday January 20, 7:30pm at Aqua Books.
Our Mental Health support group will resume meeting on a bi-weekly basis after the break, with the next two sessions happening on January 10 and 24. The group gathers in the small chapel from 7 to 8:30pm. Please use the main Broadway doors to enter.
The next 4PM Sunday “family-friendly” liturgy is set for Sunday January 15. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone… And of course we still offer pre-school childcare during the 7Pm service.
Looking well down the line, our annual weekend at Camp Cedarwood is confirmed for March 9-11. Details and registration will be available early in the new year.
We are now in the process of setting up a new style and system for our weekly e-mail message. To join this new system, please subscribe here. Once you’ve subscribed, there may be a couple of weeks when you’ll receive duplicate messages, but by mid-January it should all be working smoothly. In advance, thanks for your patience.
Finally, we are still open to having a few new volunteers join our various teams and rosters: we could use a few new communion assistants, some people to join the post-service tidy-up roster, as well as people who from time to time could bring snack and/or take care of cleaning up the coffee table. If you can help out, simply contact us.
In Christ,
Jamie
Christmas is not a reminder that the world is really quite a nice old place… Christmas is God lighting a candle; and you don’t light a candle in a room that’s already full of sunlight… The light shines in the darkness, says St John, and the darkness has not overcome it. – N.T. Wright
