The Church of the Advent of Christ the King

Evening Prayer Jan 4, 2021 Psalm 89

January 3, Christmas II

December 2, Latin Vigil Mass of the Second Sunday after Christmas.

Can You Believe It? ~

The Nativity Stories in the Gospels according to Luke and to Mathew are quite different. In Luke there is no flight into Egypt and no wise men. In Matthew it appears that Jesus was born at home and not in a stable.
The Gospels according to Mark and John do not tell the birth story. Mark jumps right ahead to John the Baptist preaching at the river Jordan. John begins with a theological explanation of how God became human.
Our four Gospels come from four distinct faith communities in four distinct historical and social contexts. Each is asking different questions. The community of Mark doesn’t seem concerned with the details of Christ’s birth. The communities of Luke and Matthew have a need to tell the story in detail and explain Biblical Prophecy. The community of John needed to teach the theology of how God became human and remained divine.
The Church is still this way. Each faith community and each disciple approach our understanding of Christ in different ways. We could never take in the whole truth of God in Christ. We have to take in pieces which are inevitably tied to our context.
We absorb the truth of the Gospels over the course of our Christian life. We learn to accept that it will not all add up like a science project.
Our ancestors left us the Holy Scriptures and the Creeds to explain our hope in Jesus Christ.
God has an immense concern for us. God became one of us to show us how to live and die well. God came in the person of Jesus Christ to reveal the glory that is both present to us now and is to come.

January 1: The Holy Name, Evening Prayer & Low Mass

January 1:
The Most Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Evening Prayer 6 PM
Low Mass 6.30 PM

December 31, Evening Prayer: Eve of the feast of the Holy Name, Psalm 90.

Evening Prayer 6th Day of Chirstmas Dec 30 2020

December 29, Holy Innocents (transferred): Evening Prayer & Low Mass

Feast of St John, Apostle & Evangelist, December 28, 2020
Evening Prayer and Low Mass

First Sunday After Christmas Day,
December 27, 2020

December 26, Latin Mass Feast of Saint Stephen.

Christmas Day 2020

Christmas Eve 2020

Live stream here.
Christmas Eve: 10 pm, Procession, Blessing of Creche & Sung Mass
(No Evening Prayer)

Christmas Day: 11 am, Procession & Sung Mass
(No Evening Prayer)

Evening Prayer Dec 23 Psalm 111 and 113

Tuesday, December 22: O Rex Gentium

Feast of St Thomas the Apostle & Remembrance of December Departed, December 21, 2020

Evening Prayer: Feast of St Thomas the Apostle, December 21, 2020

Sunday December 20th, 2020 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Join us for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
11:00 am here, December 20.

December 19th, Latin Vigil Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Here’s Hoping ~
Advent is about anticipation, and what is anticipation but hope itself?
St. Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus because she was a person of hope. She hoped that God’s will would be done. With the Prophets she believed that in time God would set things right. Through her we all received the hope of the world, Jesus Christ. This is the hope we proclaim in the Magnificat at daily Evening Prayer.
Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel. We often get lost in our tunnels, seeing no way out. The walls begin to fall in, and we think that all is lost. But this is actually where we learn the depth of our faith.
Living in hope instead of fear or frustration makes us free. Hope makes us gentle people. Hope makes forgiving easier because it helps us to see differently. When someone hurts us, we can hope for reconciliation. We can hope that they really didn’t mean it. We can hope that whatever is troubling them will get resolved and know that it isn’t about us.
Hope makes for better community living, as it leads us to work at better understanding each other. Hope will make us listen to others more intently. We will want to know what is really going on with someone. We will ask, did you snap at me because you are stressed? Did you mean to ignore me, or is your mind somewhere else?
Hope provides the perseverance required of wise and loving disciples of Jesus Christ.

December 18, Ember Friday, Evening Prayer

December 17th, Evening Prayer(O Sapientia), Psalm 33.

Evening Prayer Dec 16 2020 Psalm 49

December 15, Evening Prayer

Evening Prayer Dec 14, 2020 Psalm 44

December 13: Advent III (Gaudete)

December 12, Latin Vigil Mass of the Third Sunday of Advent(Gaudete)5pm.

2 + 2 = Unprecedented ~

Recently in the Family Circus comic strip young Billy is working on his math homework. He asks his mother, “Will two plus two always equal four?” Good question Billy. I am seriously beginning to wonder.
Unprecedented is the word of 2020. First there was no Easter in Church and now no Christmas. We have over 284,000 Americans dead from the COVID-19 Virus. These are human lives, not statistics. We have a sitting U.S. President refusing to concede to a clear electoral defeat and the majority of his party winking and nodding their consent. In the first ten months of this year 563 San Franciscans have died from drug overdoses. I could go on.
Nothing seems right. But we follow Christ to get things right. The meaning of righteousness is getting in right relationship with God and each other through the reconciling love of Christ. How to find that love in these dark days.
This Sunday we light the Rose Candle on the Advent wreath. Among other things this candle represents our hope as we await the arrival of Jesus. Our ancestors awaited his birth. We await his arrival at the end of time when he will make all things right.
For over two thousand years Christians have traversed many dark days while keeping hope alive. Christ is our only hope. This is true even when things are going right in our lives and we forget this truth.
St. Peter wrote, “In accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Friday, December 11, Evening Prayer

[12/11/20]   12/10/2020
Hello, Friends.

Our Bishop has sent a message in which he asks all parishes to cease any in-person gatherings until further notice (with the exception of outdoor funerals). This will mean that our outdoor Sunday afternoon Benediction service will be discontinued until further notice, effective immediately. We are sad to have to share this news, but it is the reality of the world we are living in at the moment; live streaming of daily services and Sunday mass will continue. We commend to your attention the pastoral words of the Bishop. In this unusual Advent season, in this unusual year, our pastoral care of one another has never been more important. As we await the coming of Christmas let us keep the phone calls, cards, and emails among one another going. And know you and those you love are in our prayers!

Peace,
Father Paul D. Allick, Rector
Jack Jensen, Senior Warden
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N.B. if you're on our mailing list, you also received email notice this evening!

December 10, Evening Prayer, Psalm 37:19-42.