What's New: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany 2024–25 (and more!)
Greetings Gathering Community,
“Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our [autumn]”! It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through fall, but here we are preparing for All Saints’!
There are a lot of wonderful new things to explore within the Gathering community this season. We are growing with subscribers across Canada, in the United States, and in Australia and New Zealand. Please continue to spread the word about Gathering, so that we can continue to be the pulse of United Church worship practice and theology and your go-to source for all things worship. This season, the Gathering Advisory Board (GAB) is thrilled to welcome The Rev. Dr. Sheryl Johnson, Director of the Doctor of Ministry program and professor of theology at St. Stephen’s College, Edmonton, as well as a teacher of ethics, pastoral care, and church leadership at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Her worship column “Digging Deeper: What Is Time?” is sure to inspire your worship preparations. We also welcome, with gratitude, Nicola Di Narzo, who will be providing French translations moving forward.
Make sure to check out the complete prayers for the Pentecost 2 and complete prayers for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Don’t forget you can always search for individual prayers by entering the first line in the search window.
The GAB also offers our sincere thanks to Denis Fortin (search Denis Fortin in prayers), who skillfully provided beautiful French translation for Gathering, and Christine Marie Gladu, who faithfully taught us new things about scripture in her Digging Deeper columns (search Christine Marie Gladu in columns).
In case you missed it, be sure to bookmark the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Weekly Services.
This Advent issue also celebrates 100 Years of United Church Worship, so read through the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Exploring section as you prepare for your June celebrations. (June will be here before we know it!)
From asperges to tabernacle, explore the meaning of beloved liturgical words in the Pentecost 2 Exploring section.
For more Advent resources:
Be sure to subscribe to the Advent Unwrapped Newsletter. This year’s Advent Unwrapped is excited to share fresh liturgies and musical resources intended to support the growth of congregational commitment to accessible worship. These resources not only celebrate December 3rd as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, but also weave anti-ableist themes into the whole season of Advent in practical ways for all ages. We hope the worship materials will help deepen conversations about ableism and accessibility in your community of faith.
Thank-you once again for being a part of the Gathering Community, and many blessings in all of your worship preparations.
Sincerely,
Alydia
