Dear Church,
Epiphany is upon us! If Advent is a season of expectation, and Christmas is a season of joy, then Epiphany is a season of presence, where we celebrate the unveiling of God’s person and purpose in Christ. Here are a few ways you can practice Epiphany in community this month:
Chalk your door!
“Chalking the door” is a centuries-old way to celebrate and to (literally) mark the occasion of the Epiphany with God’s blessing of our lives and homes with sacred signs and symbols to set our homes apart as places of Christian hospitality, as safe and peaceful outposts of the Kingdom of God in the world, as habitations of healing and rest.
Read more about it and download a liturgy you can pray with your family.
Jan 12: Learn about our Sunday liturgy
This Sunday (Jan 12) at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall, we are doing a full “Instructed Liturgy.” We’ll walk through each element of our Sunday morning liturgy, explaining and teaching as we go.
If you’ve ever wondered “why we do that,” or where certain traditions came from, or what it all means, make plans to attend this Sunday. And please RSVP by filling out this online form, so we know how many to expect.
Jan 19: Walk through the Book of Common Prayer
Next Sunday (Jan 19) at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall, we will be doing a walk-through of the new 2019 Book of Common Prayer, focusing especially on how to use it for morning and evening prayer, and how we employ it in our Sunday worship.
Please RSVP for this class as well by filling out this online form.
Have a house blessing party
In addition to chalking the door, Epiphany is also a traditional season to invite family and friends to join you for a house blessing with Eucharist in your home.
Contact Fr. Matt or me to schedule a time, invite friends and family, and we’ll pray blessings and sprinkle holy water all over your home (the kids especially love the holy water part!), ending with Holy Communion.
Feb 9: Come to our first Congregational Meeting
Sunday Feb 9 at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall we will host our first ever Congregational Meeting!
Part of being an Anglican church is having an annual Congregational Meeting where we’ll talk about some of the “business” of the church: confirming details about how our Vestry works, how membership works, finalizing our budget for 2020, etc., and how all these things are connected to our vision and direction as a church.
Childcare will be provided for this meeting. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for this important step in the life of our church!
Read this ancient Epiphany reflection
Finally, if you need some good news this Epiphany, take a couple minutes and read through this reflection by St. Gregory of Nazianzus from 389 A.D.
The Lord has shown forth his glory! Let us continue to adore him this Epiphany!
Grace and peace,
Fr. Ben
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