Here is a practice for Christmas Day.
It’s a gift from the Prayer Bench.
If your are looking for a way of creating a Soul Pause on Christmas Day, please download and use The Hours.
Praying the Hours is an ancient practice. The early Romans used the bells that signaled a day of busy commerce to develop prayers for holding the sacred in the midst of the ordinary. There was a bell for beginning the day and signalling time for lunch, and then a mid-afternoon break and end of day. Monastic communities still follow the practice of fixed-hour prayers.
After days of getting ready, we welcome the Mystery of Christmas with The Hours of Christmas Day.
Make a pause in your day.
Here is a free instant download for you. Permission is granted for personal and congregational use (with footer info attached).
Thank you for supporting the Prayer Bench, offering resources for soul deepening.
thank you for this resource. After much discussion beginning in October, our church also made the decision to not meet for worship on Sunday morning as there was no one (beside myself as Pastor) who could commit to being there. I had mixed feelings – wanting people to be fully present to the joys of their family alongside thing – how can we not worship on Christmas?!
This resource is very helpful, thank you for sharing!
Rev. Ruth Gallot, Longmeadow Congregational Church, UCC, Auburn, NH
Thanks Janice for this… we are having a worship service on Christmas Day but I know that many in the congregation won’t be here… we can include this in the bulletin for those who are at home to use! Blessings!
Thank you Janice for your sharing and caring.
We always have a service on Christmas Day morning. I am a lay preacher and this year I am taking the service. (We will be welcoming a new ordained minister in the new year.) Thank you so much for this resource, which will be helpful to me as I prepare.
My congregation was surprised (!) that I wanted to hold a worship service on Christmas Day. I am going to use this as the “bones” of the service. It is lovely. Thank you Janice, for another terrific inspiration.
What a gift Janice – thank you for your creativity and generosity. I will share this with the congregations I am worshipping with….and we will use it her at home too.
McKee’s Mills Pastoral Charge decided to use The Hours of Christmas Day as a ‘take home’ service on December 25, since there would be only 3-5 people in a regular church service that day. Thank you so much for this resource!
… and there is a website for McKee’s, but I don’t readily have the web address …
This is a wonderful addition to our family’s celebration, thank you for making our Christmas special.
Thank you Janice for your generosity.