Advent & Christmas 2021 at FCCBC
Image Description: white text on a blue background: “Advent & Christmas 2021 at First Congregational Church.”
People, look East, the time is near for the turning of the year!
Make your house fair as you are able: trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look East, and sing today: Love, the Guest, is on the way!
We’re so excited to be celebrating the Advent season in-person and virtually this year!
When something hits close to home, it affects us deeply. During the Advent and Christmas season, we journey through scriptures and rituals that are tender, heavy with emotion, and vulnerable. We carry the memories and truths of this season close to our hearts. Our Advent Close to Home theme from the artists and clergy of A Sanctified Art acknowledges the “already but not yet” tension of our faith: Emmanuel is with us, and yet, God’s promised day—our everlasting home—is not fully realized. It names our deep longing for God to come close to us.
This year, our Advent and Christmas celebrations are as follows:
Each Sunday during December, join us at 10AM in-person or live via Facebook streaming for festive Advent worship exploring the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love as we name our homesickness, lay a foundation for love, create a home for all, and seek sanctuary in the homes we create for and with one another.
On the evening of December 21st at 7PM, we’ll gather for a special Longest Night service, The Winter Soul-stice, where we will have time to make our home in the dark as we await for the dawning of the new light. This service is a beloved tradition in our community and offers healing balm and words of comfort for all those who are carrying heavy loads this year.
On the evening of December 24th at 7PM, come on home to the Sanctuary for a festival service of carols, candlelight, and communion to celebrate God making this world God’s home, too! We encourage everyone to bring a friend with them to this celebration!
On Sunday, December 26th, we will not have any in-person services. Instead, there is a special Christmas at Home DIY worship experience that Pr. Nate and our worship team are putting together for you to celebrate at home with your families and loved ones wherever you may find yourself on the 26th, with the hope that you will help others in your world feel at home through laying a foundation of love!