Christmas 2022

It was lovely this year to see the return of the Christmas plays and carol services to our schools. Covid-19 had shut down so many of our traditional gatherings for almost three years. Christmas parties have reappeared and the coming together of family and friends is once again a big feature of the festive season. Perhaps our enforced distancing has given us a fresh appreciation of togetherness in all its forms; there is perhaps wisdom in 'hunger being good sauce' and not appreciating what we have until it's gone! Thank God, it's back!

An Advent tradition in Lucan
The Advent wreath is a symbol shared by many Christian traditions, its candles representing the four weeks of the Advent season leading up to Christmas. In Lucan, a tradition has developed where each of the four Christian Churches in the Village bring to each other a candle for the wreath bearing the name of their church. This candle is brought by a parishioner or minister and presented with greetings at Sunday worship. At the end of Advent the wreath burns a candle from all the churches in each church, a moving expression of shared faith.

O Come, all ye faithful!
One of our suspended Christmas traditions was our gathering on the Lucan Village Green on Christmas Eve. For many years past, members of the Lucan Churches of all traditions have gathered to read the Christmas story from the Scriptures and to celebrate it with Carols and song. It is one of those special occasions when denominational divides don't matter, and we gather to bear united witness to the reality that lies at the heart of all Christian faith - Jesus, the Word made flesh. This year we can gather again, and will be joined by the Lucan Concert Band who provide the music each year.
 

It offers us an opportunity for post-Covid thanksgiving, and we invite all to come and join in for Christmas 2022. We will gather at 1:00 pm on Christmas Eve and look forward to seeing many of you there. We will remember in a special way those who lost their lives during the pandemic and whose loss will be keenly felt at Christmas.

Philip Curran P.P. St. Mary's & St. Patrick's Lucan