Friday, March 24, 12:00 pm: Holy Eucharist for the Annunciation (anticipated) | Church of the Incarnation

The Annunciation--the moment when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and Mary accepted the responsibility of becoming the mother of God's Son--has been celebrated on March 25 since the very early centuries of Christianity. A tradition from the third century held that the creation of the world, the Annunciation, and the crucifixion all took place on this date. It is possible that the celebration of Christmas on December 25, precisely nine months later, has its origins in this tradition.

The Annunciation is a moment frequently depicted in art and celebrated in song. The "Hail Mary" prayer, familiar to Roman Catholics and many other Christians as well, has its origins in Gabriel's salutation to Mary. Thanks to Mary's assent, the Word of God took human flesh and lived as one of us.

This year since March 25 falls on a Saturday, we will keep the feast one day early on Friday, March 24. We'll celebrate the feast with a simple Holy Eucharist at noon. All are welcome.

Image: Stained glass window from Bayeux, France

Tags: News & Notes

People decide to visit a church for lots of different reasons, often because they're at some sort of transition point in their lives. Maybe you're a longtime Episcopalian; maybe you have experience in another faith tradition; or maybe you've never been to a faith community at all.

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Incarnation is located at 550 Mendocino Avenue in downtown Santa Rosa, just south of the corner with Cherry Street.

Our church parking lot is located around the corner at 636 Cherry Street. The lot often fills up for our Sunday morning services. Additional free church parking is available in the small gravel lot at the corner of Mendocino and Cherry, or in the city garage at 521 7th Street (free on Sundays), which is a two-minute walk from the church. Finally, street parking is also free on Sundays.

We're also located close to several bus lines, and we have a bike rack in the central courtyard.

Children aren't just the church's future—they're an essential part of our faith community right now. At Incarnation we strive to serve our kids' growing faith, and we know they have much to teach adults, too. Children are always welcome in worship: any age, any time.

Learn more about our children's ministries.

Episcopal worship follows an ancient pattern that dates to the earliest days of the Christian church. The first half of the Eucharist is the Liturgy of the Word the second half is the Liturgy of the Table, also called Holy Communion. If you've spent time in Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Eastern Orthodox churches, much of our liturgy will seem familiar. If you're unfamiliar with liturgical Christian worship, don't worry. You're welcome to participate as fully as is right for you, or to just relax into the liturgy and let the rest of the congregation carry you in worship.

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At Incarnation we encourage all our members and friends to prayerfully choose a percentage of their income to give toward causes that serve God's mission. We ask that part of that intentional giving be a pledge of financial support to the parish, both so our leadership can plan ahead in making a budget, and as a tangible commitment to what God is doing here at Incarnation. For more on the practice of proportional giving, see this FAQ.

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