Merry Christmas! 

Today is the second day of Christmas. 

Happening Soon:

Roast Chicken and Potato Dinner TO GO – Emmaus Anglican Church (emmausanglicanssm.com)

Robbie Burns is Back! Thursday, January 25 at St. George in Echo Bay. Only 45 tickets will be sold. You can reserve your tickets – $20 each – with me. Enjoy a hearty meal including haggis (non-disgusting version, as I like to say), Scottish music, and more!

Here are a few liturgical notes about the Christmas season that you might be interested in knowing.  Traditionally, we have 12 days of Christmas (hence the song with that name) that began on Christmas and carried through until the eve of the Epiphany on Jan.5.  In more recent decades, the Church marks out the Christmas season slightly differently. We are currently in what is called the octave of Christmas.  This is the Church’s way of saying this feast is a big deal and we carry on the intensity of the celebration for eight full days until Jan.1st (The Holy Day of The Naming of Jesus).  The Christmas season itself goes on until the conclusion of Evening Prayer on the Holy Day of The Baptism of the Lord. In this way, the Epiphany is included as part of Christmas because it is an important part of the Christmas story. This also highlights the Baptism of the Lord as a climactic observance in the portion of the Church year from the First Sunday of Advent until the beginning of Lent. 

Under no circumstances is the Feast of the Epiphany moved to the Sunday after January 6. Despite the fact that it may be tempting since the Epiphany is on the Saturday this year, our liturgical rubrics are very clear on this. In addition to observing Epiphany on the designated day (January 6), the Epiphany can also be observed on the Sunday before (Dec.31). The Sunday after the Epiphany is always, always, always The Baptism of the Lord. As I mentioned above, it is the Baptism of the Lord that is a climactic event in this portion of our Story of Salvation. Jesus’ baptism is a pivotal moment, the importance of which is emphasized in the baptismal ecclesiology reflected by our liturgical calendar. I’ll spend more time on this when we get closer to January. 7. 

About the crèche: Before the service for The Epiphany of the Lord, the shepherds and animals are usually removed from the crèche and the Wise Men are added. If you’re interested, the Church of England provides “Acclamations at the Presentation of the Gifts”, p.163 here: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/times-and-seasons/epiphany.  It is after the last liturgy of the Baptism of the Lord when the crèche is removed from the church.  

For Your Devotions: 

Tuesday, December 26th is the Holy Day of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr. The alternate date for this Holy Day is August 3rd. Stephen is the first recorded martyr who died for his faith in Jesus Christ and thus is often referred to as the “protomartyr.”  We first hear of Stephen when he is one of the seven deacons chosen and ordained in Acts 6.  It wasn’t long before a deadly plot was hatched against this preacher of the Good News and Stephen was charged with blasphemy then stoned to death. Luke makes sure we know that the person before whom Stephen’s killers laid their garments was none other than Saul (later called “Paul”, who would become one of the Lord’s greatest disciples).  More info:   https://www.thoughtco.com/saint-stephen-542519   

Wednesday, December 27th is the Holy Day of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist. The alternate date for this Holy Day is May 6th. John is also called “Saint John the Divine.” In Christian tradition, John is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, he is the son of Zebedee and brother to James, and generally credited as being the author of three letters and the Gospel of John.  Some also attribute the Book of Revelation to him as well. Of course, scholars debate whether or not he actually wrote those things but, regardless, he was an important leader in the early Church in Jerusalem.  John was also one of the three apostles (Peter, James, John) who formed Jesus’ intimate inner circle.  For more information – and some interesting legends:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle

Thursday, December 28th is the Holy Day of The Holy Innocents. The alternate date for this Holy Day is January 11th.  This is the remembrance of the innocent children slaughtered in Bethlehem on the order of King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill Jesus. This feast most likely originally shared the day of The Epiphany but eventually was designated its own day of observance.  It was a day of fasting and mourning. In fact, in medieval England, children were reminded of the solemnity of the day by being whipped in bed.  What a way to start your day!  For more info:  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Feast-of-the-Holy-Innocents

Friday, December 29th is the commemoration of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who died in 1170.  Thomas began his career as an accountant but was eventually made Chancellor to King Henry II. For political reasons, Henry wanted to make Thomas the Archbishop. Thomas argued against this but was ordained anyway. This is the point at which Thomas became both devout and austere, baffling those around him.  He began to butt heads with Henry over many issues and lived in exile for about six years. He was welcomed back but some harsh words of Henry – which some knights took literally – led to Thomas’ murder in the Cathedral as Thomas staunchly defended his faith in Christ to the end.  For more info:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Thomas-Becket

In the joy of Christ,

Susan