All are welcome to join us for worship services during Holy Week.

This morning, Father Harrison offered the imposition of ashes on the sidewalk in front of the Garfield County courthouse in downtown Glenwood Springs. Forty-eight people stopped by to receive the ashes. Many circled the block in search of a parking place before returning to take part in the sacred ritual and receive a blessing.

Father Harrison offers the imposition of ashes.

Busy folks could stop by to receive ashes during their work day.

The Longest Night, an interfaith worship service offered by the ministers of the
Mennonite, Methodist, Lutheran (ELCA), Episcopal, and Congregational churches will be held at the United Methodist Church, Bethel Chapel, Glenwood Springs, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7:00 p.m. This gathering features a more quiet, reflective and candle lit space for those who may be living in the darkness of grief or loss during the Christmas season.

On Saturday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m., join us for a Festival of Lessons and Carols. The event features choir, chamber orchestra, and carols for everyone to sing.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Our Christmas Eve service will be at 7:00 p.m. on December 24th. Bring the whole family for a beautiful evening of worship and song, including candle lighting.

Because Christmas falls on a Sunday, we will also have a quiet service (with no musical accompaniment) at 9:00 on Christmas morning.

Earlier this week, someone asked me how I manage to balance the secular vs. sacred characteristics of the Advent and Christmas season … I dabble in both, (I said) but of course I lean toward the sacred.  I sometimes believe people are counting on that, that I’m the other voice the verbal reminder of what we are really up to this time of year, each year, and I try to go about it gently so’s not to rub the merrymakers the wrong way.  I wondered, silently, if perhaps the “question ask-er” wishes to find  their balance, are there others who wish to balance the secular and sacred, especially this time of year? That’s what living abundantly is all about.  Well, when I think about it … that’s nuts! I wonder myself how I juggle and balance all that … why do I do that, preach and assure that the world will suddenly become “all is calm and all is bright,” that all the broken people will become whole and live abundantly as though Christmas really changes and fixes things, that God came and lived here as a human, to show us what God really intended for us.  The truth is, some are still waiting … and the waiting will continue after we celebrate what we are waiting for, waiting for this planet and its inhabitants to see God here … still waiting for aching hearts to steady … hoping, praying.  Come Jesus, come.

Before you read this blog take a moment to read a bit of holy scripture … read Mark 13:24-37.

The church offers us the season of Advent as a means preparing ourselves to celebrate both the birth of Christ and his second coming … thus the “apocalyptic” readings  we will hear all through Advent, as we try to wear our mantles of “comfort and joy” and be of good cheer. Folks will struggle with, even avoid, church until Christmas Eve because Advent does not lend itself to nostalgia or glad carols.  We will hear some “bad news” predicted by the prophets, like … our best intentions and sacrifices can be worthless in God’s sight, that God is angry with us, that God has turned away from us. The good news is that we are all in this together.  The prophet of all prophets, Jesus Christ, calls us to full attention in the here and now … “Wake up, keep watch,” Jesus is saying to us now what he said when he walked the earth 2,011 years ago … ”Watch for me to come!!”  Truth is, that is hard to do when there is so much going on around us, especially this time of year.  Jesus Christ has given us every spiritual gift we need to wait and
watch during Advent and all throughout our earthly lives … his grace will keep us strong and blameless … for the time being.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. We will begin our worship by lighting the first of the Advent candles. During this four-week season, the choir will sing special music during the candle lighting, adding a verse every week with each new candle. Join us, and watch this blog for more information about the meaning of Advent.

It’s difficult to say who blesses whom at a service of Blessing of The Animals. St. Barnabas celebrated the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, blessing more than 25 dogs, cats, a pet rock (painted in the likeness of a cat, aptly named “Rocky”), Rodney the wonder horse, and the photo of a cat on a cell phone. There’s no doubt, our pets are precious to us and are deserving of a special blessing to recognize their unconditional love and constant companionship—the same sort of blessing that St. Francis brought to all he touched and served.

For more pictures,  see the Animal Blessing gallery.

Father Harrison blessed Michelle's seven dogs.

In case you wondered, here’s some Lenten Trivia from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist.

“Why is Lent so late this year?”
Yes, it is—almost as late as it can possibly be, in fact. The date of Ash Wednesday is a movable one, dependent on the date of Easter, which is tied to the vernal equinox and subsequent lunar phases. The Book of Common Prayer 1979 provides helpful tables for determining the key dates during this season, on pages 880 – 885. The rule for determining the date of Easter, however, is simple. According to the BCP…
(For more, visit the Society’s pages on Lent—A Living Tradition.)