This Sunday will be the 40th day after Christmas, on which the Church remembers Mary and Joseph’s visit to the Temple to give thanks for the birth of their first born and to offer the appointed sacrifice. Luke’s Gospel tells us that, arriving in the Temple, the infant Jesus was recognized as the Messiah by the prophets Simeon and Anna, with Simeon hailing Jesus as “a light to lighten the nations.” At St. John’s, the theme of light is played out at the 10am service with the traditional blessing of candles and the Candlemas Procession to the Altar.

The arrangements for nursery care are the same as usual, but children who attend Children’s Chapel are asked to gather in the Church for the Candlemas Procession before the children are led to the Parish House for their lesson.