The First Sunday Of Advent
The First Sunday Of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Above: Acolytes carry the front cross and torches at the head of the procession down the center aisle to the singing of come thou, Redeemer of the earth. See more pictures from the Advent Procession and follow the entire liturgical year here.
The church year begins anew with the Advent Procession, one of the most beautiful liturgies of the year.
If you attend in person, you will be treated to the choir singing from many different parts of the church. If you worship with us via the webcast, please note that the choir will at times sound distant because, in fact, they are. This is most especially true at the beginning, when the choir sings the Mattins Responsory while hidden away, entirely out of view of the congregation, in the Great Stairwell. This is appropriate given the yearning of the “look from afar,” the choir taking on the role of the prophets, voices anticipating the Messiah.
The first half of the service is a woven tapestry of the entirety of Advent presented through music, word and prayer, and dramatically ends with the singing of Come, thou Redeemer of the earth as the choir and clergy process down the center aisle, a moving sequence that will be repeated at Lessons and Carols on the Fourth Sunday of Advent with the singing of once in royal David’s city.
The second half of the service includes a homily by the Rector and the Eucharist, similar to what occurs at almost all 11am services at Saint Thomas.
The Rector then gives a homily and an anthem is sung. There is no Eucharist at the 4pm service. If you would like to make your Holy Communioin, we encourage you to attend the 11am service, which includes the exact same procession, and with a Choral Eucharist added.
‚ñ∫The Rector speaks about Advent in his weekly audio message.
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