Christmas Update 23 December 2025

Reflection

The Rev. Courtney Jones

12 Days of Rejoicing

The Reverend
Courtney Jones

I’m not sure about you, but I often find the Advent season quite challenging. Between final exams, end-of-year reporting, people to visit, gifts to buy, meals to shop for, and sermons to write - this time of year can get more than a little hectic. 

You may have heard it said that Advent means “coming” as in the haunting chanted refrain O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. In a hectic season like this, it gives me some comfort to remember that Advent means more than simply “coming.” Its Latin roots include venio, to come, and ad, against.  Advent prepares us for the Feast of the Incarnation not solely through emphasizing the hope and joy of what is arriving, but also through the tension of what we “come up against” on the journey toward Christmas.

In an essay titled Advent: The Awakening Word, David Runcorn puts it this way, “In Advent we ‘come up against it’. We are up against it in the first instance because, more than any other time in the Christian year, our faith struggles to resist the competition of a huge cultural commercial festival that starts to build momentum from as early as September.” He goes on to suggest that while we try to live with Christian distinctiveness in Advent, we often lament our inability to escape the superficiality and consumerism of cultural Christmas. That is the bad news.

But the good news is this: for weeks now, commercial Christmas has been trying to sell us things as part of a “tweleve days of Christmas” sale. Cultural Christmas mistakenly assumes that the twelve days of Christmas begin before Christmas Day, and end on Christmas Day itself. Why is that good news? Because for the Church, Christmas hasn’t even started yet! 

Our Christmas begins on Christmas (okay, technically, it begins at sundown on December 24th), and runs through the Feast of the Epiphany. We have twelve whole days of non-appropriated Christmastide in which to rejoice! Twelve days to linger around the manger. Twelve days to sing songs of glad tidings. Twelve days to tell the story of Christmas luxuriously, without the need to rush on to the next thing. While our neighbors may be packing Christmas away on the 26th, we’ll just be getting started celebrating!

So if you feel like you’ve been “up against it” this season - if things have been too busy, too full, too much - take heart: Christmas is coming!  

I hope you’ll join us for one (or all) of our many Christmastide/Epiphany celebrations at Christ Church this year:

• Christmas Eve - December 24 - Eucharists at 3pm and 6pm

• Christmas Day - December 25 - Morning Prayer, 10:30am

• 1st Sunday After Christmas - December 28 - Morning Prayer, 10:30am

• 2nd Sunday After Christmas - January 4 - Eucharist, 10:30am

• Feast of the Epiphany - January 6 - Eucharist, 6pm

Rejoicing alongside you, 
Courtney+

A Christmas Message from Bishop LaBelle

The Rt. Reverend
‍ ‍ Philip LaBelle

Christmas 2025:
A Message from Bishop LaBelle

Christmas Services

Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist Services
Wednesday, December 24
3pm
Presider: The Rev. Diane Ramerman
Homilist: The Rev. Courtney Jones
6pm
Presider & Homilist: The Rev. Courtney Jones
Bulletin Link: Christmas Eve
YouTube Link
All are welcome.

Christmas Day Morning Prayer Service
Thursday, December 25
10:30am
Presider & Homilist: The Rev. Vicki Johnson
Bulletin Link: Christmas Day
All are welcome.

Many thanks to all who donated for our beautiful Christmas poinsettias.

Sunday Service

The First Sunday after Christmas Day
Morning Prayer
December 28
10:30am
Presider: Todd Fifield
Homilist: The Rev. Eric Johnson
Bulletin Link: Christmas 1
YouTube Link

Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour follows the service. All are welcome.

Announcements

The Red Door Thrift Shop
Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Monday, January 5
11am
Red Door Thrift Shop
1019 Seventh Street, Anacortes
Help celebrate the new addition to the Red Door Thrift Shop!

The Feast of the Epiphany Holy Eucharist Service

Tuesday, January 6
6pm
Christ Church Sanctuary
Presider: The Rev. Diane Ramerman
All are welcome.

All-Hands Sunday Liturgy Team Meeting

The Rev. Courtney Jones

Sunday, January 11
12:30–2:00pm
Christ Church Sanctuary

Who Should Attend
Everyone involved in Sunday worship.  This includes clergy, worship leaders, readers, ushers, acolytes/Eucharistic ministers, Altar Guild members, and anyone who regularly serves in the liturgy.

What to Expect
The purpose of this meeting is two-fold:
1. To update and drill our safety procedures.
2. To “tune up” our Sunday morning liturgy. 

We’ll begin with prayer and a brief reflection on our ministry of hospitality, followed by a practical emergency-preparedness training. We’ll then break into small groups to review best practices for readers, ushers, worship leaders, EMs/acolytes etc. 

If you serve in any Sunday role, or if you would like to start, please plan to attend. Your presence helps us offer worship that is safe, welcoming, and beautifully executed. 

Evening Prayer

Regular Evening Prayer services will resume on January 14.

Men’s Group

The Rev. Eric
‍ ‍ Johnson

The Men’s Group meets weekly on Fridays.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Parish Hall Gathering Room
Questions? Please contact The Rev. Eric Johnson.
All are welcome.

The Red Door Thrift Shop Update

Dawn Jex

Dawn Jex, Red Door Manager

Dear Red Door Volunteers,

As we reflect on the past year, we want to pause and say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. The Red Door Thrift Store exists because of your generosity, your time, and your dedication to serving our community. Your willingness to show up, lend a hand, and care deeply about our mission makes a meaningful difference every single day.

Thanks to your hard work and commitment, this year we were able to raise $50,000 to give back to area nonprofit organizations. That is an incredible achievement—and it belongs to you. Every donation sorted, every shift covered, every customer helped contributed directly to strengthening our community and supporting vital local services.

We are also excited to invite you to celebrate this success with us at our Open House and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on January 5 at 11:00 AM. We would love to see all of you there as we mark this important milestone together. This celebration is truly for you, and it wouldn’t be complete without our volunteers by our side.

Thank you again for your compassion, generosity, and the countless ways you make The Red Door Thrift Store a welcoming place for all. We are deeply grateful for you and look forward to another year of working together to make a difference.

With sincere appreciation,
Dawn Jex and Debbie Wilson

PS. Just a reminder that we will be closed on Thursday and Friday this week and next week we will be closed on 1/1. 

Happy Holidays!
Dawn

Christ Church’s Red Door Thrift Shop is located at 1019 Seventh Street in Anacortes.
Red Door Thrift Shop
360.202.9966

Red Door Shopping Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm

Red Door Donation Hours:
Monday & Wednesday: 10am – 1pm
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm

Profits generated at the Red Door Thrift Shop fund Christ Church’s Community Support program.
Shoppers, Volunteers, & Donations are always welcome!

Day by Day

Day by Day daily devotions may be accessed at the following link:
Day by Day Daily Devotion.

Prayer List

John, brother of Lynne, & family
Pat, mother of Dan
Creamy & family
Jim, father of Stephanie
Gaylene
Veronica
Mary
Diane
Rev. Rilla & family
Linda, sister-in-law of Lynne
Myrna
Arra, aunt of Carol
Sandy
Dale
Zoanne
Linda
Tom
Karen
Leslie
Diana
Val
John
Foundation for Academic Endeavors
Cedar, Pete & Charlene, and Brendan, family & friends of Mary