Today is the beginning of the Season of Advent and a new Church Year! The focus for our Service on the First Sunday of Advent is hope, something needed in our world this year more than ever. We gather in the hope of our Lord's coming and all that the fullness of his Presence means, and are stirred to experience, embody, and share the first light of the approaching dawn wherever night still covers the earth. Symbolizing this, we’re lighting the Hope Candle in the Advent Wreath. Look for the Great Litany; a Prayer marking World AIDS Day on Dec. 1; and a Prayer responding to COVID-19. Our Readings are now from Year B (the year of the Gospel according to Mark). Norman is preaching; and Jennifer and Stacy, via Zoom recordings, are leading the First Reading and Prayers of the People, respectively. We also have our first-ever Choir recording compiled entirely from individual recordings at each members' home, to lead us in our Opening Hymn, the great Hymn of Advent, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” And we’re receiving in our hearts with thanksgiving the One for whom we wait, a foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet yet to come, as we share Spiritual Communion together.
Today’s Service of Holy Eucharist was livestreamed on our main Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stpaulscalgary) at 9:30 am and has been uploaded to YouTube following the service. Please download the Order of Service if you would like to follow along. Permission to reprint, podcast, and/or stream the music in this service obtained from:
(a) ONE LICENSE with license # A-713985, and/or
(b) CCLI with Streaming License # 20351479.
All rights reserved.