Advent Worship Opportunities: December 2017

There will be several meditative worship services offered during the days of Advent. Many times, this season jangles the nerves, wears on the body, and stresses the spirit. A brief time to pull back from the busy word into a holy hush may be just what will restore you to the calm yet expectant mind that is one of the purposes of Advent.

On Thursday, December 7 and December 14, there will be an Anglican Prayer Bead Meditation service. This simple service of quiet prayer is done using the Episcopal version of the rosary. Many of our members have made their own prayer bead sets; please bring them when you come to the service. For those who don’t have Anglican prayer beads, there will be some sets available for your use. We will be praying some particularly Advent-focused prayers.

The Prayer Bead services will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will likely last under one half-hour.

The other worship opportunities come in the last week before Christmas. Beginning on Sunday, December 17 and running every evening through December 23, special services of Evening Prayer will be offered. What makes these Advent services special is the focus of them all: the coming of our savior. A set of seven prayers, known as the “O Antiphons” will be offered, one each evening. The Antiphons have been prayed by the Church for centuries, and are best known to modern Christians as the verses of the hymn “O come, o come, Emmanuel.” They are beautiful as they are prayed in words, in music, and in meditation.

The O Antiphon services will begin at 6:00 pm each evening, and will likely run around one half-hour.

Please consider attending as many of these calm and bright spots in December. Join your brothers and sisters in prayerful anticipation of the birth of our Lord.