Longest Night, December 21st: A Service of Comfort and Hope
The service of the longest night is one way we can companion those who face loss or grief during what is expected to be a happy season. We gather as a community to worship and to heal. We acknowledge that God has promised to be with us and welcomes us just as we are.
Christmas Eve we have services at 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm. The earlier "Family Service" is designed for children of all ages. Both services include special music, with the early service featuring our Children's Choir. The later service is designated the "Festival Eucharist," and features our Senior Choir and guest musicians. Christmas Day we celebrate a spoken Eucharist at 10:00 am.
We enter into Lent on Ash Wednesday, offering Ashes-to-Go at the Millburn Train Station from 6:30 am to 8:30 am. At noon and 7:30 pm we celebrate the Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes. We move into Holy Week with a special Palm Sunday service. The Wednesday of Holy Week we gather for Tenebrae, a service of shadow and light, joined by our siblings at Christ Church in Short Hills. On Maundy Thursday we gather in the evening for the Eucharist, sometimes with a special meal or discussion. On Good Friday we gather at noon for a contemplative service of prayer and music, and at 7:30 for the Solemn Collects with Veneration of the Cross. On Holy Saturday we observe the Liturgy for Holy Saturday followed by a time of quiet prayer and reflection.
We join our siblings at Cross Church in Short Hills for the Great Vigil of Easter on Easter Eve. We joyfully celebrate the Resurrection with a Festival Eucharist on Easter Day at 10:00 am.
The Blessing of the Animals is an annual autumn event. To commemorate the Feast of St. Francis, we bless the animals in our parish family and beyond on the afternoon of the Sunday closest to October 4th.
There also are times when the realities of our lives or the goings on in the world call us to gather together for prayer or worship. As with our seasonal services, these are published on our calendar and information is included in our weekly newsletter.