Advent is upon us. If I can say that I have a “favorite” season of the Church year, then this is it. While things get hectic, commercial, and all that, there’s a beauty that remains and still inspires. It’s a season when life change often happens. Here are three things on my mind as we enter Advent.
Message
This Sunday we started our new Advent message series called “Grace and Truth.” John’s Gospel from Christmas Day tells us that the “Word became flesh” and the Son came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Our message series leads us toward this revelation, as we reflect on how we can be people of both grace and truth.
Mass
We are continuing our tradition, now in its eleventh year, of celebrating Christmas Eve Mass at the Maryland State Fair Grounds at the affectionately dubbed “Cow Palace.” This is the day we meet many of the “lost” in Timonium and our opportunity to welcome them home.
Logistically we have a minor change- our new Mass times will be at 4:00 and 6:00pm. While we are only bumping our previous 5:45pm Mass back 15 minutes to 6:00pm, that minor change can make an impact on Christmas Eve plans. We see this time as an excellent opportunity for those who want to take a little more relaxed pace getting in and out with the same music and message.
We’re also adding seats and more parking, and we’ll be revising our parking plan to get you on and off the lot faster.
Ministers
Pulling off such an undertaking as Christmas Eve at the Cow Palace takes a lot of help. This year, we are hoping to include over 500 ministers (529, to be exact). While it will be a new challenge to reach that number, I know we can do it. Serving is fun and easy. Everyone works in shifts, so you don’t have to sacrifice your whole Christmas Eve.
We have found many families that serve together and now see serving at the Cow Palace as a family tradition. Wouldn’t it be great if all of us made a form of service a part of our Christmas family tradition?
It’s easy to sign up, just visit our website here and find an opportunity that fits your schedule.
