Worship

Advent

For four Sundays prior to Christmas, the Church observes a season of waiting, anticipation, and preparation known as Advent.

Consult a flyer with complete Advent and Christmas service information here.

The Four Sundays of Advent

Each of the four Sundays of Advent is unique. The First Sunday of Advent features an Advent Procession, during which you will be treated to the choir singing from different parts of the church. 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.

The Second Sunday of Advent features the Great Litany, in which the choir and clergy walk in a long procession through the aisles of the nave, among the congregation, as we ask God to hear our prayers.

The Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) is a time of rejoicing, as we are now very close to the arrival of Christ.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent always falls within the week before Christmas Eve. In the morning we offer a Choral Eucharist at 11am sung by the Gentlemen of the Choir. This service is an Advent service and has the propers (the readings and prayers) associated with the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Then, in the afternoon, the doors open at 3pm for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 4pm, which transitions us to Christmas services.

Below you'll find information about other special services during Advent.

Lessons & Carols

At Saint Thomas, we offer variations of Lessons & Carols at four services from December 16 through December 24:

The Blessing of the Crèche & Christmas Pageant

In 2018, we bless the crèche on December 20. The blessing occurs at a service designed specifically for children and their families. The service begins at 5:30pm and is sung by the boy choristers.

Read more about Christmas services here and consult a flyer with complete service information here.


Click or tap the image above to see a our complete Christmas and Advent Schedule

More Information

Advent literally means coming, the coming of the promised Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate. You will notice that throughout the Advent season, the front of the altar proclaims Adveniat Regnum Tuum, or “thy kingdom come.” Indeed, during Advent we not only commemorate the anticipation of the Christ child more than two thousand years ago, but also the coming of Christ the King, the Risen Christ who will come again in glory—a kingdom not yet in its fullness but nevertheless very much a part of the present moment.

So as we near the winter solstice, daylight growing scarcer, we light more and more candles around the Advent wreath, the light of Christ coming nearer and nearer. The month leading up to Christmas, then, is a way of preparing us for what has come and what is to come.

More Information

Advent literally means coming, the coming of the promised Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate. You will notice that throughout the Advent season, the front of the altar proclaims Adveniat Regnum Tuum, or “thy kingdom come.” Indeed, during Advent we not only commemorate the anticipation of the Christ child more than two thousand years ago, but also the coming of Christ the King, the Risen Christ who will come again in glory—a kingdom not yet in its fullness but nevertheless very much a part of the present moment.

So as we near the winter solstice, daylight growing scarcer, we light more and more candles around the Advent wreath, the light of Christ coming nearer and nearer. The month leading up to Christmas, then, is a way of preparing us for what has come and what is to come.

Read about Christmas