Category: Advent/Christmas

Our 2019 Christmas Eve Service

Join us for our Christmas Eve candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols, Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. The service is based on the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, UK. We will read scripture lessons prophesying, describing, and interpreting the birth of Jesus Christ, interspersed with choir anthems and familiar carols, and Pastor David Douthett will offer a brief sermon. We’ll close the service by lighting candles as we sing the last hymn. It’s a lovely and meaningful way to welcome Christ into the world.

Men’s Christmas Breakfast

The CPC Men’s Christmas Breakfast will be Saturday, December 14, at 7:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the church. Breakfast will be provided. We will enjoy a meal and fellowship and a reflection on the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Please let us know if you plan to attend and if you are bringing a guest, so we have an idea of how many to prepare for. Send us an email at cpc at catoctin dot org or call or text 571-594-6710.

Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols

7:00 p.m., December 24, 2018

Join us for this year’s Christmas Eve service, a traditional service of lessons and carols, patterned after the liturgy from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge. (Ours will likely be a little less formal.) The lessons cover the whole arc of the story of God’s salvation for us, interspersed with Christmas carols and anthems by the choir. Pastor David will have a wee Christmas message, too. Of course, it’s all done in the candlelight. We hope to see you with your friends and family as we celebrate God’s faithfulness and love made manifest in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Advent & Christmas Happenings

Here are some ways Catoctin is marking Advent and Christmas.

Mission projects

We have several opportunities this season to share from the abundance God has given us. Giving to those in need is a good spiritual practice, fulfilling the call of God’s law, the prophets, Jesus, and the New Testament letters.

  • Warming Tree for the Loudoun Holiday Coalition – Bring new hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens for folks who don’t have cold-weather gear. Put them on the Christmas tree in the fellowship hall. This is wrapping up this week.
  • Grocery Gift Cards for Loudoun Hunger Relief – There’s a red collection box on the table in the fellowship hall for your $10 gift cards for any local grocery store. These will help folks with food insecurity through the holidays.
  • Christmas Joy Offering for the Presbyterian Church (USA) – This special offering for our denomination helps current and retired church workers in their time of need and also  helps develop our future leaders at Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges. Click here for more information. We will collect this offering in worship on December 17 and 24.
Fellowship

Besides our usual fellowship time after worship services, we have a couple special events coming up.

  • Christmas Cookie Exchange -On  Sunday, December 8, bring some of your favorite Christmas cookies to share with everyone for after-service fellowship. It’s a fun way to enjoy each other’s holiday traditions and some sweetness for the season!
  • Men’s Christmas Breakfast – Sunday, December 16, 8:00 a.m.  Come, and God rest ye merry, gentlemen! We will celebrate Christ’s birth, the dawn of God’s reign on earth, with food, fellowship, and glad tidings of good news! Food will be provided by a few of the brothers, so you only need to bring yourself and good cheer!
  • Women’s Christmas Luncheon – Sunday, December 16, 12:30 p.m. It’s the annual PWOC Christmas luncheon for women of the congregation and their friends. We’ll sing Christmas carols and tell the Christmas story.  Please bring a salad or casserole to share. Also, bring a nonperishable food item as a gift to Jesus as he is found at Loudoun Hunger Relief.
Advent Worship

We continue to mark the days of Advent in our worship services by lighting the Advent candles. We started our decorating with just the Advent wreath, but now the greens are up. What will come next?

See our previous post about Advent and this year’s themes.

Christmas Eve Service – 7:00 p.m., December 24

This year’s Christmas Eve service will be a traditional service of lessons and carols, patterned after the liturgy from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge. Ours will likely be a little less formal. The lessons cover the whole arc of the story of God’s salvation for us, interspersed with Christmas carols and anthems by the choir. Pastor David will have a wee Christmas message, too. Of course, it’s all done in the candlelight. We hope to see you with your friends and family as we celebrate God’s faithfulness and love made manifest in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Advent Means “Coming”

This Sunday, December 3, is the first Sunday of Advent, the season of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. It’s also a time when we prepare for the coming of Christ into our lives in a new way for today. Further, we prepare for Christ’s return in power as Lord of all at the end of the age.

We do all that by focusing on God’s call through the prophets and through Jesus himself that we should prepare for coming of our God. That means repenting of our sin, deepening our worship, and working for justice in the world. Admittedly, Continue reading “Advent Means “Coming””