Last Sunday after coffee hour, before any snow arrived, we talked about how to celebrate Christmas at St. Luke’s. Folks are looking forward to celebrating, and hoping it’ll feel as much like normal as possible, despite the pandemic still affecting everything. Together, we sketched out a plan for our celebration.
Here’s what we came up with:
Around 4:30 on Christmas Eve, we’ll gather for carols and fellowship. Outside, we’ll have a fire going in the fire pit where we can sing carols, weather permitting. Snacks and warm drinks will be available inside in case the cold sneaks up on you. If you’re still a little skittish about big groups, you could even pull up on the street or driveway and join from your car. And if the group is in the mood for it, we might even go caroling around the neighborhood.
At about 5:30, those who are comfortable doing so will move indoors to enjoy a musical prelude to worship. You’re invited to prepare a piece of music to share with the congregation.
After the prelude, we’ll celebrate a festive Christmas Eucharist. Since covid continues to suppress church attendance, we’re going to stick with this single worship service this year and blend our various traditions together. We’ll sing Christmas songs, tell the story of Jesus’ birth as we build the nativity scene, enjoy the sound of a pick-up choir (details to come), pray together, share communion, and sing Silent Night by candlelight.
We will not hold a Christmas Day service. Sunday worship on December 27, the first Sunday of Christmas, will begin at 9:30 and be followed by coffee hour (no faith formation session that day).
I’m hoping we can refresh ourselves with this Christmas celebration while also staying safe. As always (and especially with everything still in flux), I welcome any feedback you care to give. I hope you’ll be able to join us either in-person or via our livestream on Facebook.
Finally, if you are eligible and not already vaccinated and boosted, I encourage you to help keep our community safe by getting the shot. Selfishly, I want my daughter to be able to celebrate with us. Because she’s still too young to receive the covid vaccine, bringing her to church always feels a little risky. She was already exposed to covid once this month and that is more than enough. You can help make our community safe for her, and the others in our church who aren’t able to be vaccinated, by getting the shot. Please get vaccinated, if you haven’t done so already.
I’m so grateful that this year will allow for more contact and connection than last. Anticipating St. Luke’s Christmas celebration is already filling me with excitement and I hope it’s doing the same for you. I hope to see you there!
Yours in Christ,
Justin
St. Luke's Episcopal Church 