Another Debut

Dietrich served as an acolyte at Messiah Episcopal for the first time this week!

Here are the best of the pictures:
Lighting the candles at the Lord's Table.

Lighting the candles at the front of the sanctuary.

Looking on while the younger kids help light candles on the advent wreath.

Looking on during the pastor's sermon.

And helping with the procession out of the church.

This is our first advent season in a high liturgical tradition and it has been very good to get to know the church calendar better and to anticipate Christmas in a new way. Advent is a season of waiting or anticipation before the coming of the King, so there is much more kneeling than usual (not that any kneeling at all wasn't new, growing up in community churches or Baptist churches).

One thing I have gained is a particular insight into the way in which we live in a time of "already and not yet." The King has come. The King is also yet to come. And so we celebrate his coming. And so we look for his return.

Here was the collect of the day:

"Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one god, now and forever. Amen."

10 comments:

Eyes_Wide_Open said...

Wow. Already and acolyte. That's so great.

The season of advent has been a rich one for me. I wish that our church were a bit more liturgical. I can't wait to come and visit.

Unknown said...

It is very sad to us that we will not be there for the baptisms. I wish we could be there.

It looks like a beautiful service.

JPB said...

By the way, to those of you for whom this serves as something of a backdoor announcement ... sorry.

We started attending Messiah Episcopal this summer and were recently received into the church.

Would love to tell you all about it NOT on a blog.

Mainely Me said...

I must have done something wrong; I thought I left a comment last night! Anyway, very interesting. If nothing else, it's expanding my vocabulary:) Actually, I'm enjoying learning. Wish I could be there for the Christmas Eve services.

Unknown said...

I wish I could be there for the Christmas DAY service. It can be hard to find a good one around here.

JPB said...

Hey, y'all, it's only a 30 hour drive.

J.J. said...

OK - We'll all drive out for Christmas if you drive out for Easter. Deal?

JPB said...

What if I said, "Deal!"?

Eyes_Wide_Open said...

If you said "Deal" we'd be in the car driving through a blizzard.

:)

JPB said...

I would have said it, but Jen says no. @#$!@#$!!