The First Sunday of Advent

Darkness and Light

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light… Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, The Book of Common Prayer 1979

In the wake of last week’s shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, we awoke this morning to news of yet another shooting, this time closer to home in Chesapeake, Virginia. Last weekend’s shooting at a gay bar shook me to the core, for most all of us who identify as queer have sought the refuge that a club full of people like ourselves—who are unwelcome in so many other places—has provided, a haven for our community. That safety, the refuge that Club Q offered, was shattered by a man with a gun and an agenda. Last night’s shooting in Chesapeake shattered the illusion, once again, that an evening run to Walmart is safe from a man with a gun intent on eliminating lives. Our American love affair with violence and toxic masculinity is deadly, and it grieves the heart of God, as it grieves my heart this morning and doubtless yours.

But the opening words to this Sunday’s collect is never more salient. As we prepare for the Christ Child, scripture calls us to reject the forces of darkness around us and instead arm ourselves with light, the light that is grace and truth that came into the world in the Incarnation, the very incomprehensible joining of heaven and earth in Jesus at Bethlehem. To put on the armor of light is to change the world that creates this repeating pattern, to do the justice work that calls out darkness when we see it and the systems that foster it. 

As Christians we walk in the light, siblings in Christ, and we never lose hope, because the Kingdom of God is within our reach; the Kingdom of God is here but not complete; the Kingdom of God is already but not yet; but make no mistake, it is coming, and our responsibility is clear. 

May this Advent rekindle in our hearts the light we rely on to see the way forward and light the path for world where fear and violence are replaced by love and grace.

Fr. Burl+

Save the date for our Advent Women's Retreat; Holy Invitations led by Liz Ward, Saturday December 10, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. at The Falls Church. Sign up here via Realm. Guest are welcome so invite your friends and neighbors to join us. Please email Ellie with any questions, scholarships are available for those who are unable to pay the registration fee, please contact Ellie for more details.

During this Advent Retreat Day we will ponder the holy invitations of the Annunciation and the Visitation using scripture, art, music, and poetry. These words and images can help us discover how Christ wants to be born in each of us during this sacred season of hopeful waiting. These holy invitations can include growing in love, truth, hope, forgiveness, and inner peace as well as in more concrete, visible ways. Our times of prayerful reflection and optional sharing can help us notice our response to God’s mysterious, unexpected invitations lovingly woven in the scripture of daily life.

This afternoon will include meditations, times of prayerful reflection, and times of optional sharing. Hopefully, like Mary and Elizabeth, we can draw on the loving support of other women as we ponder our current holy invitations and move into new life with God.

About our guest leader

Liz Ward is an Episcopalian; a widow, and grateful mother and grandmother. She has served as a spiritual guide at Virginia Theological Seminary for more than 30 years and has been leading retreats and contemplative prayer groups for almost that long. She served as Director of the Shalem Spiritual Guidance Program for 12 years and has taught in many Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation long and short-term programs. She has served as an elected member of the Commission on Ministry for the Diocese of Virginia for more than 10 years, was Chair of the Diocesan Discernment Committee, and continues to co-lead Diocesan Discernment Retreats. She loves pilgrimages and has has co-led pilgrimages to England and Paris using poetry and the arts to increase awareness of the presence of God in daily life. Her background also includes graduate school degrees, teaching English, and serving as the Director of a Center for Women and Families.

The Live Nativity is back and bigger than ever before! We are so excited to invite EVERYONE to join us for our Live Nativity and Light event.

We'd love you to share this graphic, which you can download here as an image file, as well as the 'About the Live Nativity' text below, on your social media, in your neighborhood groups and with your friends, family and neighbors and encourage them to join us for this fun and free event. We also have a Facebook event which you can share and invite people to.

We will have lots of requests for volunteers to do a multitude of different things in the coming weeks, but for now the best and easiest thing you can do is spread the word about this exciting event and be sure to invite people.

About the Live Nativity

This outdoor walk through event will feature live animals, including a camel, a donkey, sheep, and a cow, along with parishioners in costume as characters from the Nativity story. Come and walk The Falls Church campus, which will be lit and decorated for Christmas with even more lights than ever before and explore the Christmas story. We’ll have hot chocolate and carol singers too! The Live Nativity is designed for all ages and open to the community. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you!

There will be no parking available in The Falls Church parking lot due to the space being used for the Live Nativity.

Please consider making a donation between now and Monday, December 19 towards the flowers, greenery and wreaths which help the church look festive for Christmas.



You may send a donation (we suggest $20 as the minimum) via check or via Realm here.

If you’d like to donate to the flowers in memory of, celebration of or thanksgiving of a loved one, please send a note to Ellie Bangay at ebangay@thefallschurch.org with their name as you’d like it to be written and indicate which category you'd like them to be listed underneath. The names will be printed in the Christmas Eve bulletin under the following categories: 'In memory of', 'In celebration of' and 'In thanksgiving for'.

Angel Tree is Back!!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s time once again for the Angel Tree! Advent is a time of hope, love, joy, and peace. As we prepare our hearts to receive Christ, let’s remember our neighbors at Shelter House who are not able to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Warm your hearts by helping ensure that all the residents at Shelter House receive a gift this holiday season.

Shelter House has once again requested gift cards, which allow parents the joy and freedom of shopping for their children themselves. If you would like to purchase a $25 gift card for a Shelter House family this holiday season, please choose an ornament from the Angel Tree THIS SUNDAY (November 27) after either the 9:00 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. service.

Thank you in advance for your help and generosity this holiday season!

If you have any questions, please contact Carla Wilson: carlawilsonj@gmail.com.

A letter from the Visioning Warden, Geoff Kannan.

Geoff shares with us the story of the visioning process, from listening sessions through to a five year strategic plan which will be rolled out on Sunday January 8. It is a story of how the Holy Spirit guided the discernment of The Strategic Task Force, as they sought to turn the voices of the parish into a Strategic Plan, a story that tells who and what The Falls Church wants to be, with an eye to a long and Christ-filled future.

Read the letter here.

All parishioners of the diocese are invited to the Ordination and Consecration of the next Bishop of Virginia. Please join your diocesan family in this joyous celebration!

All attendees are required to register online, there will also be a livestream, details of which are to come closer to the date. If you would like to attend please click here for more information and for details on how to RSVP.

Sunday, Nov 27th No Children's Chapel and Children's Formation Classes. The nursery will be open

The Live Nativity needs your help! Sign-up to play a part below!

Please use the Prayer List in your prayers for each other and the world. 



Praying for each other and the needs of the world is a powerful way to love our neighbors as ourselves! THIS WEEK’S PRAYER LIST