November 26: Christ the King? Last Sunday? Advent?

[Eileen Smith]

James Gale, thank you for the reference which I may have been recalling but is there any such canon or practice that a communicant should not commune more than once during a day.... I have had Lutherans say that, "Oh I have been to communion already toda, this morning, not going during the Reformation service now this afternoon..."?

Which of course, does not speak to the gifts of communion apart from forgiveness and to the latter the fact that even a few hours may have resulted in a few assorted sins... duh....

The RC rules are quite arcane.  My understanding is that a layperson can commune a second time, provided it is in the context of a mass.  So, for example, one could receive communion at 2 separate masses, or receive first outside the context of mass (e.g., in a hospital room with a relative who is ill), followed by reception at mass later in the day.  The reverse sequence would not be permissible.  And, absent danger of death, receiving 3 times in a day is "right out".

Peace,
Jon

This seems to bear that out:  https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/communion_times.htm

[Harvey_Mozolak]

thanks Eileen and one has to remember that some of my memory as a pastor does predate 1983, so I must be recalling the earlier prohibition.  Thanks.  Sometimes I have too long  memory.

[Donald_Kirchner]

I see no need to move things around. That said, we have used the 4th Sunday in Advent as an adapted Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent.

And as much as I miss a Christmas Day service, our council desires a Christmas Eve only service, so that folks can travel to relatives, etc. the next day.    So, my wife and I use the opportunity to attend the Christmas Day service elsewhere and, that afternoon, start a fire in the fireplace and kick back and listen to Praetorius' "Mass for Christmas Morning," dreaming about how wonderful it would be to participate in such a service.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3879

Then, that evening after a prime rib dinner, we again kick back and watch that Christmas classic movie, "Die Hard."

Should a Christmas Day service be a council decision?

Yes. Particularly since they've already had a Christmas "Day" service on Christmas Eve I'm not going to raise a major objection.

[Brian Stoffregen]

I see no need to move things around. That said, we have used the 4th Sunday in Advent as an adapted Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent.

And as much as I miss a Christmas Day service, our council desires a Christmas Eve only service, so that folks can travel to relatives, etc. the next day.    So, my wife and I use the opportunity to attend the Christmas Day service elsewhere and, that afternoon, start a fire in the fireplace and kick back and listen to Praetorius' "Mass for Christmas Morning," dreaming about how wonderful it would be to participate in such a service.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3879

Then, that evening after a prime rib dinner, we again kick back and watch that Christmas classic movie, "Die Hard."

Should a Christmas Day service be a council decision?

Yes. Particularly since they've already had a Christmas "Day" service on Christmas Eve I'm not going to raise a major objection.

When I came to this Call, I announced to the council (and congregation) that there would be a Christmas Day service in addition to the Christmas Eve services. If necessary, I would do the setup and cleanup. (I've never had to do that.) I take care of the music (which I also do on Christmas Eve.) It also gives another opportunity to sing the Christmas hymns that I mostly avoid throughout the Advent Season.

[Donald_Kirchner]

I see no need to move things around. That said, we have used the 4th Sunday in Advent as an adapted Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent.

And as much as I miss a Christmas Day service, our council desires a Christmas Eve only service, so that folks can travel to relatives, etc. the next day.    So, my wife and I use the opportunity to attend the Christmas Day service elsewhere and, that afternoon, start a fire in the fireplace and kick back and listen to Praetorius' "Mass for Christmas Morning," dreaming about how wonderful it would be to participate in such a service.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3879

Then, that evening after a prime rib dinner, we again kick back and watch that Christmas classic movie, "Die Hard."

Should a Christmas Day service be a council decision?

Yes. Particularly since they've already had a Christmas "Day" service on Christmas Eve I'm not going to raise a major objection.

When I came to this Call, I announced to the council (and congregation) that there would be a Christmas Day service in addition to the Christmas Eve services. If necessary, I would do the setup and cleanup. (I've never had to do that.) I take care of the music (which I also do on Christmas Eve.) It also gives another opportunity to sing the Christmas hymns that I mostly avoid throughout the Advent Season.

That's wonderful, Brian! I did the same thing with the Easter Vigil. I suggested it, explained it, and a few were interested. We tried it, word spread, and the attendance has increased every year, with others travelling from nearly 50 miles away for the Vigil. This is even though we have a 7 am Easter Sunrise service less than 12 hours later. And the Lord's Supper at both. 

[John_Hannah]

From the poll it appears that no one here takes the authority to shift the Church Year by moving Advent One.     

Peace, JOHN

[Steven Tibbetts]

Ah, it was not my imagination. In the 1960 Rubrics of the Roman Mass, under vigils (which are defined as the liturgical day prior to a feast), the Vigil of the Nativity replaces the 4th Sunday in Advent (see par. 31). Now whether this practice predated 1960, I’m not sure. More to research.

Isn't the Easter Vigil Saturday morning in those rubrics?

spt+

[John_Hannah]

Ah, it was not my imagination. In the 1960 Rubrics of the Roman Mass, under vigils (which are defined as the liturgical day prior to a feast), the Vigil of the Nativity replaces the 4th Sunday in Advent (see par. 31). Now whether this practice predated 1960, I’m not sure. More to research.

Isn't the Easter Vigil Saturday morning in those rubrics?

spt+

I think it would be (prior to 1951) although it might not have been titled a "Vigil."

Peace, JOHN

[peterm]

I see no need to move things around. That said, we have used the 4th Sunday in Advent as an adapted Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent.

And as much as I miss a Christmas Day service, our council desires a Christmas Eve only service, so that folks can travel to relatives, etc. the next day.    So, my wife and I use the opportunity to attend the Christmas Day service elsewhere and, that afternoon, start a fire in the fireplace and kick back and listen to Praetorius' "Mass for Christmas Morning," dreaming about how wonderful it would be to participate in such a service.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3879

Then, that evening after a prime rib dinner, we again kick back and watch that Christmas classic movie, "Die Hard."

Sounds good to me.  At my parents for the last few years we have watched the other holiday classic "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles."

[gan ainm]

A Christmas Story (1983) is classic.  However, I guess leg lamps and BB guns are currently too much of a threat to our intolerant culture.   

[Brian Stoffregen]

I see no need to move things around. That said, we have used the 4th Sunday in Advent as an adapted Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent.

And as much as I miss a Christmas Day service, our council desires a Christmas Eve only service, so that folks can travel to relatives, etc. the next day.    So, my wife and I use the opportunity to attend the Christmas Day service elsewhere and, that afternoon, start a fire in the fireplace and kick back and listen to Praetorius' "Mass for Christmas Morning," dreaming about how wonderful it would be to participate in such a service.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3879

Then, that evening after a prime rib dinner, we again kick back and watch that Christmas classic movie, "Die Hard."

Should a Christmas Day service be a council decision?

Yes. Particularly since they've already had a Christmas "Day" service on Christmas Eve I'm not going to raise a major objection.

When I came to this Call, I announced to the council (and congregation) that there would be a Christmas Day service in addition to the Christmas Eve services. If necessary, I would do the setup and cleanup. (I've never had to do that.) I take care of the music (which I also do on Christmas Eve.) It also gives another opportunity to sing the Christmas hymns that I mostly avoid throughout the Advent Season.

That's wonderful, Brian! I did the same thing with the Easter Vigil. I suggested it, explained it, and a few were interested. We tried it, word spread, and the attendance has increased every year, with others travelling from nearly 50 miles away for the Vigil. This is even though we have a 7 am Easter Sunrise service less than 12 hours later. And the Lord's Supper at both. 

I did the same with an Easter Vigil - which meant leading services (and playing music) on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter morning - and some years I extended the Wednesday Lenten services to include Wednesday in Holy Week. Unfortunately, I never had more than a dozen people for the Vigil - and the numbers kept decreasing. With an aging congregation, many people do not like going out at night - and the vigil works best when it is dark out. I also decided to discontinue that service.

[Jonathan Priest]

Sunday morning, Advent IV.
Sunday evening, Eve of the Nativity.
Monday, Christmas.

The only significant transfer taking place at my congregation is that we will move the location of the organist to the piano and use DSIV from LSB. I told my organist if she was worried about fatigue (she is a Lutheran school teacher close to retirement) that she could take Sunday morning off and I'd lead liturgy and hymns on the guitar. Our board of deacons discussed the option of not having services on Sunday morning, but we were in consensus that to go against the local church's good and pious habit was detrimental to the encouragement of faith and individual conscience.

Jonathan