Grace and peace to you, friends. It is a joy to be starting in ministry with you, especially right at the beginning of a new year. Advent is the first season of our liturgical year, the lead-up to the grand celebration of Christmas. As we gather for worship (either in person or through our livestream), you’ll notice some changes in the sanctuary! The communion table has been transformed into our Advent wreath, with traditional purple candles (with one pink!) and Advent’s deep blue unifying our worship time. 

You will probably find the flow of worship a bit different than what Grace has been used to. Ok. You’re probably going to find the flow of worship to be very different from what Grace has been used to! 

One of the things I try to do as a worship facilitator is shape the liturgy (or flow of worship) in a way that is most appropriate for the season. Don’t worry! You’ll be able to tell where we are, and what’s coming next, by following the “menu bar” on the left side of the screen. We’ll keep this flow until we start into the season of Epiphany, in January. 

If you’ve got questions or comments, please feel free to let me know! The easiest way is by email to minister@graceunitedchurchburlington.com. You can also contact me by phone or in person at the church office. 

As we “Get ready… get set… and…” (our Advent theme), may we find the time and the space to journey together in the fall’s LIGHT (Advent 1), to gather together to LAUD (Advent 2) our God, to join with our spiritual ancestors in LOVE (Advent 3), and to celebrate LIFE (Advent 4) in all its complexity and all its wonder. 

Christ’s peace – Richard