"Are we there yet?" - Rector's Rambling for December 21, 2014

“Are we there yet?”  “How about now?”  “How much longer?”

Those of us who are parents have heard those phrases said from the back seat of the car or mini-van, as children are anxious to be done with a long trip and be at the anticipated destination (or perhaps we remember saying that ourselves).  Over on Twitter there is a funny account called, “Is it Henley Regatta time yet?”, and every day the person maintaining that account tweets, “no” (this rowing regatta in England is in July).

Well, just as during the car trip an answer of “almost there” is a small consolation, the Fourth Sunday in Advent is our “almost there” Sunday.  The church got a head start on the decorating yesterday, and today after the service, the sanctuary will be decorated, as well as the rest of the church and chapel.  We can sense even more poignantly the “almost there” of Christmas.

So, as you do all the last-minute preparations for Christmas, one thing to add to that list is to decide which Christmas service you will attend!  Though the 4:00 PM Christmas Eve service includes the Children’s Pageant, it isn’t just for families with children, but for all parishioners and friends.  The 8:30 PM Carol Prelude and 9:00 PM Candlelight Mass are our primary services for Christmas Eve, and the Christmas Day 11:00 AM service in the chapel is our smallest attended service (but growing), with a hearty amount of carol singing during the otherwise simpler spoken Communion Service.

Invite friends, family, and neighbors, and be sure to come to the great celebration that is almost here!