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Christmas is Here!  

Most of us are used to the idea of celebrating Christmas with an explosion of family gatherings, gift giving/receiving, and wonderful feasting, all shoehorned into one full and rather exhausting day. A day that often, unintentionally squeezes out the holiness, the “set-apartness” of celebrating the Incarnation in a way that it warrants. This was the moment when everything changed. God did the unthinkable, He took on human flesh and became one of us, dwelling accessibly and vulnerably in our midst. God himself, came to save us.

So then, how can we do justice to the wonder of this moment when Christmas day is so busy?

We can celebrate over twelve days, rather than just one!

Traditionally, the Church has seen the need to celebrate more heartily and to give the wonder of the Incarnation more attention, so has celebrated right up until Epiphany (Jan 6)*.  Within these twelve days, a number of different feasts are celebrated which honour important events or saints, while still under the banner of Christmas.

  • Dec 26th- The feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr
  • Dec 27th- The feast of St. John, the Apostle
  • Dec 28th- The feast of the Innocents, honouring the children slaughtered when Herod was attempting to kill the infant Christ (Mt 2:16-18).
  • Jan 1st- The feast of the Holy Name, celebrating the occasion of Christ’s circumcision and naming (Lu 2:21).

As a church, we at Via want to embrace a more extended celebration of Christmas, giving more space for our hearts to be captivated with Jesus at His birth. So over these 12 Days (Christmastide), we will all receive a daily email first thing in the morning, containing either a worship song or a written reflection to help mark these days. You will hear from many different voices in our community, each with a unique contribution, uniting us together to lift our hearts to the Lord.

For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. (Lu 2:11)

* Epiphany is the day when Church celebrates Christ being revealed to the world, beginning with the adoration of the Magi.