Celebrate Advent with Us
Tuesday 26 November
Celebrate the beginning of the Christmas journey with us at our special Advent services.
Advent Carols Service – Sunday 1 December from 7pm
We open the season of Advent on Sunday 1 December from 7pm with this uplifting service. Traditional Bible readings and messages are accompanied by well-known hymns for the congregation to sing, and anthems from the Cathedral Choir and organ.
Nine Lessons & Carols – Sunday 15 December from 7pm
Come and enjoy our celebratory candlelight service with the Cathedral Choir. The service includes nine specific Bible readings that speak of the birth of the Messiah, the Christ, interspersed with carols by the choir and hymns for the congregation.
Nine Lessons & Carols has an interesting history. The first service was held at King’s College Cambridge on Christmas Eve 1918 as a more imaginative service after the horrors of World War I. The service has been broadcast annually on radio in Britain since the late 1920s and has been taken up as a special service by Anglican churches and their choirs around the world.
Full list of Napier Anglican church services during Advent & Christmas
So … what’s Advent?
We know about advent calendars that provide a daily treat for children (and perhaps some adults) in the weeks before Christmas Day. This sweet countdown is based on the church season of Advent when we focus on the expectant celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Coming, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Coming. We look forward as well as looking back. Advent runs from the 4th Sunday before Christmas (Advent 1) to the Sunday immediately prior to Christmas (Advent 4) and on to Christmas Day.
