Christmas is almost here! In five days we’ll gather to hear the story of Christ’s birth, sing carols, light our candles while singing Silent Night, and receive the holy sacrament of Christ’s body and blood.
But that’s in five days. And not until the evening of December 24.
At Shepherd, we’re intentionally marking the last Sunday of Advent during our typical Sunday morning (9:00 am) worship service. Together, we’ll keep vigil for the coming of Emmanuel – waiting, watching, praying, and singing songs of hope for the coming of God’s Kingdom among us. To embody that waiting, we will not celebrate communion at our morning service. Rest assured: to refrain from the sacrament in the morning was not simply a decision for convenience and simplicity. Instead, it’s a discipline as we wait to receive Christ’s presence in his birth, and in the sacrament of communion during our Christmas service.
Then, after keeping watch in the morning, we’ll return for Christmas Eve worship. It may seem strange to be in two different seasons of the church year on the same day. But the truth is that “technically” the season of Christmas does not begin until Christmas Day. But following the tradition of Shepherd, together we’ll fully enter into the Christmas season on Christmas Eve as we hear the angels herald the shepherds in the fields.
So though it might seem strange to consider coming to worship twice this coming Sunday, I encourage you to do so. Come in the morning to prepare yourself for the coming of God’s light into our weariness and into our darkness. And then, come back in the evening as we celebrate Jesus Christ – the Light of the world – who takes on flesh for you.