In 1918 the world was in the grip of a global pandemic. On Christmas Eve that year, one church offered a simple service where the Christmas story was proclaimed in nine scripture lessons with carols sung in between. That liturgy is still used and has become a tradition in many congregations, including our own. This traditional service celebrates the birth of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, over 2,000 years ago. This baby, the Word of God, will bring light, life, and love to a world in need of grace and peace.
Since we are once again in the midst of a global pandemic, we will not meet in person for worship this Christmas Eve. While that is disappointing, we rejoice that we can offer a service that is virtual and safe, yet still traditional and meaningful. We will hold an online Service of Lessons and Carols at 5:00 p.m. on Zoom and Facebook Live, and then we will replay it at 7:00 p.m. The service will include the nine traditional readings, special music from Don and Mark (and maybe more), plus carols for everyone to sing at home.
Please join us in our joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world! Meet us in our Zoom meeting space, “Catoctin Virtual Meeting House.” Go to zoom.us or open the Zoom app, click on “Join a Meeting,” and enter Meeting ID: 988 5797 6708 and password 004045. The service also will be available on Facebook at facebook.com/CatoctinChurch.