Worship
Although we gather in many different ways, our primary worship services are the Sunday celebrations of Holy Eucharist. Since the word Eucharist means thanksgiving, we consider ourselves to be a community of people striving to be ever more thankful and generous (to God and to each other). From a joyfully chaotic Blessing of the Animals service in the churchyard to a Feast Day celebration that pulls out all the stops, we are a community of people who gather to pray the ancient prayers of Christianity, while making sure our worship speaks in life-giving, reverent and mysterious ways to 21st Century people.
Our Weekly Rhythm of Worship
Sunday
8 o’clock Rite I Liturgy invites you into contemplation and mystery through music, silence, and Eucharist.
10:30 o’clock Rite II Liturgy holds the tradition, while updating the language for modern ears and you will be invited into a service of singing and ritual in a multigenerational atmosphere.
Wednesday
Our regularly scheduled midweek service is on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. It is a public service of healing. Prayers are offered for those on our prayer list and for those gathered that morning as requested. This service provides the opportunity to pray for healing for others, for ourselves and for the world.
On the third Wednesday of each month, a Eucharist is held at Covenant Shores, a retirement community on Mercer Island. The service is open to the public and begins at 11 a.m.
Our Yearly Rhythm of Worship
Seasons
The year has two significant parts: 1) the week, based on the seven days of creation, with the Lord’s Day or Sunday as both the first and the eighth days, the beginning and completion of God’s work; 2) the cycles of Easter and Christmas, resurrection and incarnation. The resurrection cycle includes Lent through the fifty days of Easter, the incarnation cycle includes Advent through the Epiphany. The rest of the year is commonly known as “ordinary time.”
We mark each new season with seasonal music, special prayers and by changing the colors we use for decorating the church. The seasonal changes are most noticeable in the different colors used in the fabrics that cover the altar and in the vestments, or liturgical clothing, worn by the clergy. Each season has its own color.
The church year begins with the first Sunday of Advent, the season that leads up to The Feast of the Nativity, or Christmas.
Click here to learn more about the seasonal liturgical calendar.
Holy Days and Feast Days
In addition to our usual pattern of Sunday and Wednesday worship services, we also celebrate the special days of the church year. We have four services on Christmas Eve (1pm, 5pm, 7:30pm and 11pm) and a service on Christmas morning (10am). During the season of Lent, we gather for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and The Great Vigil of Easter, in addition to the regular Sunday morning services on Easter Day.
In October, we remember and honor St. Francis of Assisi with a Blessing of the Animals and prayers for the environment held in the churchyard. St. Nicholas is remembered and celebrated around December 6, which is the Feast of St. Nicholas.
Special services are announced weeks ahead of time and notice is given in our email updates and printed newsletter.
