Contents
- Propers (Collect and Lessons) for the Sunday next before Advent, with Hymns.
- Link to the Parish website, whereon is found the YouTube live-stream of our 10:30 a.m. (EDT) service.
- Parish Announcements for the week of November 24th, 2024.
- Rector’s (Mini-)Ramblings: Why is this Sunday known as “Stir-up Sunday?”
Propers for the Sunday next before Advent.
The Book of Common Prayer 1928.
The Collect.
STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle: Jeremiah xxiii. 5.
BEHOLD, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
The Gospel: St. John vi. 5.
WHEN Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Hymns:
Processional Hymn: How bright appears the morning star – #329
Sermon Hymn: Glorious things of thee are spoken – #385
Communion Hymn: Bread of the world – #196
Recessional Hymn: Stand up, stand up for Jesus – #562
Service of Holy Communion: 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, via YouTube:
Watch this Sunday’s live-stream!
Our new website is live and may be found at cca-nc.org. This website should simplify and streamline our information-sharing quite a bit, including the fact that our most current YouTube live-stream will always be found at “Watch this Sunday’s live-stream,” accessible from the menu-bar at the top of the page.
The website is also a place to check our “Current operating status” – in other words, whether or not the church is open for services, in case of inclement weather (or unusual episodes like the sabotage of transformers a few years ago). If in doubt, check us out! Other options include Meet Our Clergy, Who We Are, Services and Office Hours, and How to find us.
All of these links can also be found by scrolling down the main page, as can also sections on “Find Your Place” – ministries of the parish, which you may wish to join – “Recent Media,” both video and audio, and “Recent Posts” on our nascent blog page. The goal is for this to become a “one-stop shop” for information about Christ Church Anglican.
If you have any questions or issues, please contact our media team at [email protected]. And if you wish to volunteer for our media team, please contact our IT/AV/Social media specialist, John Fesq, at [email protected].
Announcements for the Week of Sunday, November 24th, 2024
If you are visiting us: Welcome to Christ Church Anglican, Southern Pines! Thank you for being with us. We are very pleased to have you join us for the service, and hope that your worship here is a blessing to you. Please sign the guest book on the table in the narthex, and provide appropriate contact information. Include your email address in order to be placed on our parish email list: you won’t be bombarded with mail, but it’s a good way to keep in touch. And may God bless you!
Christmas Services: Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity, falls on Wednesday this year. After due consideration, consultation, prayer, and pondering, we have made the decision to have but two services: our Christmas Eve service will consist of a Service of Lessons and Carols, incorporating the Holy Communion, at 4 o’clock on Tuesday evening, the 24th of December, for the sake both of our older members who do not wish to drive in the dark, and also for families with young children who might not want to get home too late. Our Christmas Day service of Holy Communion will be at 11 o’clock on the morning of December 25th: a time intended to fit in between early-morning present-opening and midday or afternoon Christmas dinner. We will re-evaluate next year, if necessary! In brief:
Christmas Eve, December 24th – 4:00 p.m. Lessons & Carols, with Communion
Christmas Day, December 25th – 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion of the Nativity
Save the Date – Christ Church Anglican’s 20th Anniversary Celebration! A reminder that our parish turns twenty years old on Advent Sunday: the First Sunday in Advent, December 1st – which will be, if you can believe it, next week! This is a significant milestone for Christ Church, and we will have a special celebration following the Sunday service, which is planned to run from noon until three o’clock p.m. (approximate). Please plan to attend, if at all possible, to celebrate our first two decades as a traditional (Continuing) Anglican parish!
There will be an opportunity, during this celebration, to have your picture taken for our first-ever pictorial directory: another 20th-anniversary project! Please contact Cynthia via our church contact page for additional info.
Personal note from Father Tom: the First Sunday of Advent is also my third anniversary as Rector of Christ Church Anglican – my first official day as your Rector was Advent Sunday of 2021 (which happened to be the 28th of November that year). It is a joy and a blessing to be serving God and His people here!
Blessing of the Hounds: Father Tom has once again been asked to officiate at The Blessing of the Hounds for the Moore County Hounds on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th. This is the third time he has been invited to perform this service. This event is open to the public, and a great deal of fun, as well as a tradition with deep Anglican roots in both England and America; it is also a fine opportunity to showcase our parish in the Moore County community. Please come out, if able!
Rector’s (Mini-)Ramblings:
Why is this Sunday known as “Stir-up Sunday”?
This traditional nickname for the Sunday next before Advent – the last Sunday of Trinitytide – comes from the Collect for the day, which begins, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people…”
Perhaps for that reason, it also became, in English popular tradition, the day on which the ingredients for the classic Christmas pudding (actually closer to what we Americans would call a moist fruitcake) were mixed, or “stirred up.” Most recipes for Christmas pudding require it to be cooked well in advance of Christmas – and often marinated in brandy or another form of liqueur – and then reheated (and sometimes lighted!) on Christmas Day, so the collect of the day served as a useful reminder.
Historic-UK.com adds that “since Victorian times [Stir-up Sunday] has become associated with the rather lovely family custom of preparing for Christmas together by making the Christmas pudding, an essential part of most British Christmas dinners. The Christmas pudding as we know it is said to have been introduced to Britain by Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria; however it is thought that a version of the pudding was actually introduced from Germany by George I (sometimes known as the ‘pudding king’) in 1714.” The pudding traditionally has thirteen ingredients, for Jesus and His twelve disciples, and each member of the family takes a turn at “stirring-up.”
There are various other customs and traditions associated with the practice, but I won’t go into further detail here, simply noting that just as the Collect for the Sunday next before Advent may serve as a reminder to “stir up” one’s Christmas pudding, so the act of stirring it up – should we choose to do so – may serve to remind us to stir up in ourselves, with God’s help, a spirit of devotion to Jesus Christ our Lord, whose Advent we await; that we, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of Him be plenteously rewarded.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Fr. Tom Harbold
