In the Church, the Christmas Season is 12 days long – yes, just like the ancient carol says. But instead of pipers piping, golden rings, or a partridge in pear tree, these 12 days are filled with stories of God’s great love for humanity, a love so vast God came and lived among us as a baby born in Bethlehem.
This is the incarnation, the Christian belief that God took human form. Incarnation literally means ‘to take on flesh’. For Christians, the incarnation shows that Jesus was fully divine and fully human.
The 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and last until January 5, the day before the Epiphany. Epiphany is the day the three Magi (wise men, not actually kings) came to honor Jesus. The visit of the Magi symbolizes that Jesus’ incarnation is for all people.
In many Episcopal parishes, the main celebration of Christmas takes place on Christmas Eve, often with a Midnight Mass. Many congregations have a Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols sometime during the season, with readings from scripture related to Christmas interspersed with music.
However the season is observed, it is a celebratory time in which to remember the birth of the Holy Child, to exchange gifts in memory of the gifts brought by the Magi, to share meals with loved ones, to remember and care for the less fortunate among us, and to be reminded of the vastness of God’s love for each one of us.
We wish you a Blessed Christmas.
Read more about The Episcopal Church.
Here’s a list of Episcopal churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas
