Thursday, Feb. 2, 12:00 p.m.: Holy Eucharist for the Feast of the Presentation

Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 12:04 PM

The Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is the 40^th day after Christmas and commemorates the episode in Luke’s gospel where Jesus is brought to the Temple for the rite of Mary’s purification after childbirth. There, he is greeted by the aged prophets Simeon and Anna, who rejoice at having seen God’s Messiah before the end of their lives. Drawing upon Simeon’s reference to Jesus as “a light to enlighten the nations,” this day is traditionally a day for candlelight processions and for blessing the candles to be used in the church in the year ahead, and is often called Candlemas. Candlemas marks a kind of halfway point in the season after Epiphany, as we turn from the unfolding celebration of the Incarnation toward the approaching season of Lent. We’ll keep this feast day with the Eucharist in the church at noon. All are welcome.

Image by Lawrence OP, from an icon in the Anglican theological college, St Stephen's House, Oxford; https://flic.kr/p/bnp7DV.

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Tags: Worship Services / 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.

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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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