Hello and Happy 9th Day of Christmas!

First…Coming Up Today:

Friday, January 2, 5:30pm at Holy Trinity, SSM: $5 Monthly Dinner! Take out or eat in. This month it will be chicken alfredo lasagna, garlic bread, vegetable, and lemon bar for dessert. Please pre-order so that I make enough food. (susan.montague2@gmail.com or 705-254-1692).

Now…In the Rest of January:

The Epiphany of the Lord is one of just seven Principal Feasts of our church year so we are going to have a feast on Epiphany – Tuesday, January 6 at 5pm in the Trinity Centre. Please join me for a worship service of the Holy Eucharist followed by a traditional supper (and a special surprise!)

Saturday, January 10, 9am at Holy Trinity, SSM: Guild of St. Joseph breakfast – a time of fellowship, discussion of scripture and, of course, a hearty breakfast for the men in our area. A $10 donation (distributed to non-profits/charities at the end of each year) is suggested.

Friday, January 23, 6pm Movie Night at Holy Trinity, SSM: We’ll be watching The Shack. Of course we’ll have snacks too. 🙂 Just $5…See you there!

Saturday, January 24 at Emmaus, SSM: Painting with Amy Williams; $50 per person, limited spaces; 1pm-4pm. Please call Deborah to reserve your spot: 705-256-9760. More info in the photo below…

A Liturgical Note For You:     (some of you read about the Epiphany in the diocesan post last week but, read on, there’s info about Jesus’ baptism too) 🙂

Celebrating the Epiphany: When Are We Supposed to do That?

Celebrating the Epiphany the Sunday Before the Epiphany: A lot of our churches will be celebrating The Epiphany of the Lord – a Primary Feast of our church – on Sunday, January 4th. This celebration can be in addition to celebrating the Epiphany on its actual day of January 6. Worshipping on days other than Sunday sends an important signal to our inner beings and to others that Jesus Christ is of primary importance in our lives. This is why I’m having a worship service and feast on the actual day for anyone in the area to join in.  Despite being Christians, we do indeed often adhere to a secular calendar. How many of us, for example, keep celebrating Christmas (other than during our worship services) until The Baptism of the Lord?  Does Christmas feel “over” on Boxing Day? For the Epiphany, the Wise Men make their way into the creche and I hope you hear a fabulous sermon on the inclusivity of the saving power of the newborn King of all creation. This is an important stop in the overall arch of the Christmas season which climaxes on The Baptism of the Lord. I’ll keep you hanging about the importance of that day for now…

Did you know about Epiphany House Blessings? Traditionally chalk is blessed at the Epiphany worship service to be used to bless homes by chalking a blessing above the main door of worshipers’ homes. Even better, some clergy go around to people’s homes on the day of The Feast of the Epiphany to bless them. If you’re interested in learning more, the Diocese of Montreal provides a “do it yourself” blessing leaflet at www.montrealcathedral.ca/2016/01/epiphany-prayer-for-home-blessing-chalking-the-door 

Just so you’re not confused by seeing older numbers on their website, what we would write this year, for 2026, would be 20 + C + M + B + 26.  The + is a cross and the letters stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat (Christ Bless this House).  

Celebrating Epiphany After the Epiphany? No way, no how…under no circumstances is the Feast of the Epiphany moved to the Sunday after January 6.  It may be tempting to that on the years that the Epiphany (Jan.6) lands closer to the Sunday following but our liturgical rubrics are very clear on this. The Feast of the Epiphany may be observed on the Sunday before January 6 if January 6 is a weekday. Epiphany may also be observed on the actual day even if you have celebrated it on the Sunday before. The Sunday after the Epiphany is always, always, always The Baptism of the Lord.

The Holy Day of The Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the time called “Christmastide”. This event was originally celebrated on the same day as the Epiphany. In fact, in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Jesus’ baptism remains the integral part of their celebration on January 6th called the Great Feast of the Theophany. Why is it such a big deal? This feast reveals the Holy Trinity to the world…God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by John, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove.

And, Jesus’ baptism holds great significance for us as his disciples.  Perhaps you have noticed that the prayers of the people in the BAS for Christmas (the Litany for the Incarnation on page 120) contains the story arc for our salvation in Christ Jesus beginning with the announcement to Mary and ending with Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan. Then we pray for God’s kingdom to become the kingdom on earth.  Like the prayers for Advent, there is transformational theology present in our prayers.  Part of our ongoing transformation into the likeness of Christ happens when we pray these prayers together throughout the Christmas season so let us not be quick to discard them as “boring”.  Remember, petitions can be added to the prayers in the BAS.  Here is what the Russian Orthodox church has to say about baptism: “It was the will of God that all who wished to become members of the grace-filled Messianic Kingdom should be baptized. Baptism took on the meaning of a “door” into the Kingdom of God. As the progenitor of the new mankind that was restored by Him, Jesus Christ was due to enter first into the Kingdom which He was establishing, to open the way to salvation for people, and to teach them to fulfill the will of God. Simultaneously, the Saviour’s immersion in water at the moment of His baptism also had the aim to sanctify baptism, to turn this symbolic rite into a grace-filled, restorative Christian sacrament.”  To read more: http://www.holy-transfiguration.org/library_en/lord_xmas_bapt.html

For Your Devotions:

In addition to Jan.6 – The Epiphany of the Lord mentioned above…

Saturday, January 10th is the commemoration of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, who died in 1645.   Laud, religious advisor to Charles I, was both brilliant and austere. He wasn’t well liked – even by those who agreed with him, but much of the way our church looks and how it functions is thanks to Laud’s innovations and adherence to the regulations of the church. For example, it was Laud who introduced altar rails. Why? you may ask. Because the local dogs were wandering into the church and, well, um, you know. Also, clerics were using the Holy Table as a desk when it wasn’t in use for Holy Eucharist. Love him or hate him, Laud truly loved God and the Church.  He was eventually beheaded during the Civil War…his persecution of the Puritans came back to bite him. For more:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Laud

In the joy of Christ,

Susan