It’s the Celebration of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, which took place 40 days after his birth. When St. Simeon took the Child Jesus into his arms, he exclaimed the words of the Nunc Dimittis or Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32), saying that Jesus was the “Light to the Gentiles.” It prompted the first Christians to carry a lighted candle or lamp in the procession that day, symbolizing the mystical presence of Jesus the “True Light.”
On this Feast Day, which is also referred to as Candlemas, we’re continuing this ancient tradition! Everyone is invited to bring candles to be blessed. If you're sharing the Service online, please do the same. These blessed candles can then be used for special family celebrations and times of worship for the rest of the year, until Candlemas 2024.
As the Service is a Holy Eucharist, it’s our great joy to share Holy Communion together, physically or spiritually, feeding by faith with thanksgiving on the One who laid down his life for us, so that we may have his life within us always.
When our Liturgy ends, the service begins, with a “Sending” forth into the world to share, in word and in deed, the love of God with joy, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in word and in deed.
Today’s Service of Holy Eucharist will be livestreamed on our main Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stpaulscalgary) at 9:30 am. Following the service, the video will be posted on our YouTube Channel, and a link to the service will be added here. To watch this service in full screen mode, please click on the “Watch on YouTube” button in the lower left-hand corner of the video. Please download the Order of Service in the Sermon Notes above if you would like to follow along. If you are sharing this Service online and don’t have Reserved Sacrament, you are invited to say the Prayer for Communion for those receiving Spiritual Communion also available above.
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.