If you would like to participate in our Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day services, I would love to hear from some
readers, soloists and people who are good at speech and drama.
Children who are good readers are most welcome!
Please give Pastor your contact details and availability by the
20th December—earlier the better!!
The photos of last Sunday’s Sunday School Nativity Play, and Mary Jo’s farewell party are up.
Advent marks the beginning of a new church year. The Advent season this year began on 2 December 2007. During Advent, we anticipate Christ’s coming to earth as an infant and as a Savior, awakening hearts to a new cycle of worship and celebration.
Four candles are a traditional Advent symbol. In our Advent wreath, one candle is lit each week during the season as a symbol of hope and expectation. The flames suggest that we await him who is the light of the world. The four candles often are designated as the Prophecy Candle, the Bethlehem Candle, the Shepherds’ Candle and the Angels’ Candle.
To expand on this theme, our banners for this season have been designed to complement the candle that will be lit each Sunday. They are each sewn on a background of blue, which has been specified as an Advent colour.
The banner for the first Sunday of Advent is a scroll which shows the words of Isaiah’s prophecy in Latin: Ecce Virgo concipiet et pariet Filium, which means: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”
The second banner portrays the city of Bethlehem under the Christmas star. The stars of the heavens remain symbols for us today, just as they did in ancient times. The Bethlehem Star came forth two thousand years ago, its light stretching from the past into the future, leading us from Bethlehem to our time and beyond.
The third banner depicts stylized crocus flowers and is taken from Isaiah 35:1-2.
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
The pulpit fall is also on a ground of blue and displays the Tau Cross. It is simply a Latin Cross with the upper arm missing. The name Tau comes from the cross’ resemblance to the Greek letter Tau or T, but the figure itself is of much more ancient origin in that it is said to have been the form of the staff which Moses raised up in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9). Other names for this symbol are the Cross of the Old Testament, the Prophetic Cross, and the Anticipatory Cross. These names indicate its use in connection with the foreshadowing of Christ, his advent, and the cross of his crucifixion.