Advent and Christmas? - Rector's Rambling for December 6, 2020

       This is now our third edition of The Parish Chronicle that is also doubling as The Eagle, our parish newsletter.  Our contract is to have 200 issues printed weekly, paid for by the advertising.  Since March we have been printing fewer because of COVID19 shutdowns and limitations of attendance size, so we can have extra copies printed to mail to everyone on the parish mailing list.

Speaking of COVID-19 we are once again under a restriction by the ecclesiastical authorities of the four dioceses in Michigan, but this time the parishes are limited to only 10 people (including the priest) in the building for worship services.  We have a system in place to sign up to be one of the 10 people at a service using a site called SignUpGenius, which can be found through the link on our Web site at www.StJohnsDetroit.org.  The signup for the coming Saturday/Sunday is available beginning on Tuesday Morning.  This weekend there are nine services being offered.  We may add more as needed.

God willing, we will be restored to our 25% of building occupancy limit soon, making sign-ups unnecessary.  But this newsletter is also an advanced warning that Christmas will be different this year!!!  Basically, we have two possibilities for Christmas services:

1) If we are restored back to the 25% of occupancy rule, then we will have two Christmas Eve services – 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM – and one on Christmas Day at 11:00 AM.  All services will be in the church which allows plenty of space for 200 people to be present while social distancing.  All three services will have Christmas Carols.  One change is that the 4:00 PM service will be a family service, but with the pageant portion on hiatus for one year.

2) If we are still under the restriction of 10 people per service, I will be scheduling a ridiculously large number of services on Christmas Eve and Day so that everyone who desires to worship and receive the Blessed Sacrament on this most holy of days will have the opportunity to do so!

Please check on-line at www.StJohnsDetroit.org, or on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/stjohnsdetroit to see which schedule will be in place for Christmas, and sign up (if required) to be present for worship.  All worship will continue to be live-streamed for those unable to join us in person.

As your parish priest I consider it a great honor to make present our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacrament, and to make the Sacrament available to as many people as can possibly be present.  Worship is important.  Hearing the Word of God proclaimed and expounded upon in the sermon is important.  Gathering together with other members of the Body of Christ is important.  But to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood in the Holy Sacrament is life-giving! (See John 6:47–58)

God willing, whether it be in groups of 10 or more, I look forward to seeing you, worshiping with you, and helping to feed you in Word and Sacrament.