It seems hardly possible that it is Christmas again so soon - and yet, here we are five days from Christmas Eve!

So many people in the parish have been preparing for two beautiful Christmas Eve services at which we will be celebrating - and my thanks go to those who have worked to make our worship beautiful and meaningful. My thanks, too, to all who have volunteered or made donations for our Christmas Day lunch.

I am also mindful that Christmas can often be a time of sadness. Some of you are grieving, and I know that this Christmas will be difficult for you. Others are lonely, far away from those they love. The Blue Christmas service is a quiet, loving, healing and uplifting time of prayer, and I encourage you to join me for that service on Saturday night at 5 PM.

This Christmas, may you feel a thrill of hope as a weary world rejoices. Love came to earth, and love overcomes all.

That is who we are at the Church of the Advent - a community of love. And I am intensely proud of who we are.

God bless you. I love you all.

Sr. Ingrid

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Remember to pick up your Christmas pastoral letter in the Narthex this Sunday.

For some, Christmas is not a time of joy and celebration, but a time of loss and grief - whether it be the death of a loved one, broken relationships, loss, or estrangement. This year, we will be offering a Blue Christmas service, a time when we can, with others, acknowledge the "blue" feelings we have at Christmas time. We can lift to God the reasons for our sadness.

Join us in the church this Saturday December 21 at 5 PM for a short service of scripture and prayer in a safe, loving and healing space.

Please consider inviting others who are in need of loving care during the Christmas season.

Thank you to all those who have volunteered.

We just need volunteers to mash the potatoes we have purchased. If you are able to assist, please let Jose know. Thank you!

To attend the lunch, please RSVP to the church office at 250-474-3031.

December 29^th: Lessons & Carols service (10 AM)

January 5^th: Liturgy of the Word service led by Zoe Urquhart (10 AM)

January 12^th: Bishop Anna preaching and presiding, followed by presentation. (10 AM)

Please note there are no 8:30 services scheduled for these dates.

The Treasurer wishes to remind everyone that in order for your 2024 donations to be included in your 2024 official charitable receipt, they must be received by the church on or before December 31, 2024.  

Tax receipts are usually issued early in the new year and by law must be issued before the end of February.

Please note that the parish office will be closed for Christmas from December 25, 2024 until January 1, 2025. The office will reopen January 2, 2025.

Sister Ingrid is on vacation until January 14th.

Join us on Saturday, December 28th for a lively and joyful service, followed by a delicious potluck meal! 

The Ladies Guild is offering complimentary luncheon tickets at $10 each. These tickets are perfect for gift giving, have no expiration date, and can be used at any regular luncheon. To purchase them, please contact Jose or the Parish office.

The next Community Lunch is Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025.

You can plan for future community lunch dates by checking our EVENTS page on our website.

Daybooks provide a short daily reflection, so a few minutes’ reading each day means a completed book at the end of the year. Unlike other books, which have a 6-week loan period, daybooks can be borrowed for the full period covered by the book; a 12-month daybook that begins on January 1, like those in this week’s display, will not be due back until the beginning of 2026.

This week’s Top Shelf display features another selection of daybooks from our collection:

Denis Duncan, editor. Through the Year with William Barclay: Devotional Readings for Every Day.
The selections in this book date to the mid-twentieth century, and are of their time when it comes to such things as inclusive language, but they contain a wealth of valuable ideas and common sense. Despite its age, this book is still rated 4.7 on Amazon.ca.

Joel Osteen.  Your Best Life Begins Each Morning: Devotions to Start Every Day of the Year.
A biblical quotation for each day is followed by an upbeat reflection. Rated 4.7 on Amazon.ca and 4.5 on Goodreads.

Sarah Young. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence.
In this unusual daybook, Young provides reflections phrased as if from Jesus himself. Rated 4.8 on Amazon.ca and 4.5 on Goodreads.

Anne Wilson Schaef. Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much.
This is not an explicitly Christian daybook, but it provides useful reflections for any woman whose work seems to be consuming her life. Rated 4.7 on Amazon.ca and 4.1 on Goodreads.

These books, along with one or more of last week’s selections, will remain on the Top Shelf through the first Sunday in January. Still more daybooks are on the library shelves in the Devotional section, identified by the code DEV DB. Please fill out a green slip to borrow one of these books, or any other.

REMINDER!

All books borrowed before the last week of November are due back to the library on 5 January. To return a book, please fill out a yellow return slip, put it in the pink box, and put your book beside the box. Thank you!

Click READ MORE to watch the Christmas message from Bishop Anna. Bishop Anna asks us to pay attention as we listen to the Christmas story this year, and to hear its message of how to respond to unexpected news during turbulent times. 

Dec 21 – Blue Christmas Service, Chapel, 5 PM

Dec 24 – Christmas Eve Services:

                 Family Service, 7 PM (Carols begin at 6:30)

                 Service with Choir, 10 PM

Dec 25 – Christmas Day Dinner, Noon

Dec 25-Jan 1 – Parish Office Closed

Dec 26-Jan 14 – Rev Ingrid is on vacation.

Dec 28 - Spanish Service, 6 PM

Dec 29 – Lessons & Carols, Combined Service, 10 AM

Jan 5 – Liturgy of the Word Combined Service, 10 AM

Jan 11 – Environmental Expo, 9 AM

Jan 12 – Bishop Anna visits, Combined Service, 10 AM

Jan 19 – Jazz Vespers, 7 PM

Jan 21 – Parish Council Meeting, 7 PM

Jan 22 – Ladies Guild Lunch, Noon

Jan 25 – Spanish Service, 6 PM

Readings for this Sunday's services:

Micah 5:2-5a

Canticle 18 (Luke 1:46-55)                                                            

Hebrews 10:5-10                                                   

Luke 1:39-55                                                                    

Read Sunday's readings online:
1. Go to https://lectionary.anglican.ca/  
2. Select next Sunday's date in the space at the bottom.
3. Click "Link to full text for this day".

Bible Study will resume on January 16th.

Faith Tides is the online, faith-based publications of the Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets (BC). Through news stories, reflections and feature articles Faith Tides aims to showcase the work God is doing through our churches. It is a space where people of faith and doubt can walk alongside one another, share their stories and grow together.

Read the December issue here online or download a PDF version.

The 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will take place on January 18–25 and you are invited to join an ecumenical service on Sunday, January 19 at 3:30PM at the Catholic St. Andrew's Cathedral (740 View  Street, Victoria). More information to follow. 

For more information on the Week of Prayer for Chrisian Unity, CLICK HERE. 

Sunday
 8:30 AM - Traditional Eucharist, Book of Common Prayer
(no choir) Chapel

10:00 AM - Contemporary Eucharist, Book of Alternative Services,
with choir Main Church

First Saturday of the Month
5:00 PM - Taize service with singing  Chapel (except August and January)

Last Saturday of the Month
6 PM - Spanish Language Anglican Eucharist Service  

Office hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

from 9 am until noon.