Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

Tag: Advent 2025

Advent and Christmas services 2025
Be our guest at church services at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore, Washington, for Advent and Christmas.

Advent is the first season of the church year. It begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues through the day before Christmas. The name comes from a Latin word for “coming.” The season is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord’s nativity. We also prepare and expect the final coming of Christ “in power and glory.”

Christmas (in old English, Cristes maesse, Christ’s Mass), or The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is a festival celebrated on December 25. It commemorates the Incarnation of the Word of God in the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the Philocalian calendar, Christmas was first celebrated in Rome in the year 336. It gradually spread to the churches of the east, which already had a festival on January 6 commemorating the manifestation of God in both the birth and baptism of Jesus.

All are welcome to participate fully at Redeemer.
- All races.
- All religions.
- All countries of origin.
- All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.
- All genders.
We stand with you. You are safe here.

Advent

Redeemer follows its regular Sunday morning schedule in Advent.
- There is a spoken, quiet service at 8:00 am.
- There is adult education at 9:15 am for children and adults.
- There is a service with singing at 10:30 am.
Children worship with their caregivers. It is fine to bring infants and small children. How else will they learn if they don’t participate?

On Sunday, December 14, 2025, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm, we invite you to an Advent Tea in the parish hall.

On Sunday, December 21, 2025, after the 10:30 am church service, we will “green the church” for Christmas. You are invited to join in the joyful fun. This activity used to be called the “hanging of the greens,” but the Green family took offense.

Christmas

The Christmas season begins late in the afternoon on December 24.
- At 4:00 pm, there is a family-friendly Christmas service with music.
- At 8:00 pm, there is a full Christmas service with incense. This would be the traditional “midnight mass” type of service.
There is no service on Christmas Day, December 25.

There will be services at 8:00 am and 10:30 am on the two Sundays of Christmas. The 10:30 am service on the Second Sunday of Christmas will have a Christmas pageant.

There will be education classes for children and adults at 9:15 am on the two Sundays after Christmas.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
December 1, 2025
Prophetic Voices podcast available for Christmas Day
In this episode of Prophetic Voices, we’ll be discussing the lectionary for Christmas Day. The texts covered are Luke 2:1-20 and John 1:1-14.

Our thoughtful guests this week are:
- The Rev. Dr. Christina O’Hara, a spiritual director and the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Sioux Falls, S.D. She enjoys hiking, ballet, tap dance, and cuddling her two new grandbabies.
- The Rev. Canon Dr. Altagracia Perez-Bullard, a queer, Black, urban Latina who now works and lives at Virginia Theological Seminary after 40 years of congregational ministry, both lay and ordained. She is the associate dean of multicultural ministries and assistant professor of practical theology. She feels deeply challenged to do all she can to support the thriving of creation and is discerning what that looks like at this point in her life.
- The biblical Aaron Scott (he/him), the gender justice officer for The Episcopal Church, supporting LGBTQ+ and gender justice ministries churchwide. Aaron is a lay person in the Diocese of Olympia, a dad, and an author. He loves pumpkin spice, flannel, and all things basic and fall. [Aaron Scott has also preached at Church of the Redeemer.]
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim officer for Indigenous Ministries. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.

Resources Mentioned
- Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth E. Bailey
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community

Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings through the lens of social justice.

You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
November 26, 2025
Prophetic Voices podcast available for the 4th Sunday of Advent
In this episode of Prophetic Voices, we’ll be discussing the lectionary for Advent 4 (A). The texts covered are Matthew 1:18-25, Romans 1:1-7, Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18.

Our thoughtful guests this week are:
- The Rev. Jazzy Bostock, a kanaka maoli woman serving St. John the Baptist and Maluhia Lutheran Church in Waianae, Hawaii. She and her wife have a small homestead, consisting of raised garden beds, some fruit trees, a flock of hens, a hive of bees, and a dog. Their two sons, Theo, four, who came to them through foster care, and Sam, 5 months, keep joy, laughter, and coffee flowing in their home.
- The Rev. Jason Shank, interim church planting network strategist for The Episcopal Church. He enjoys spending time with his wife Erin, also an Episcopal priest, and their two children, Chelsea and Emma. Jason has a passion for church planting and redevelopment, exploring and cultivating ways to reach people through the love of Jesus Christ.
- The Rev. Alex Smith (they/them), associate pastor at Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Sioux Falls, S.D. They serve on the spiritual care team as a hospital chaplain with Sanford USD Medical Center. Alex loves table-top and role-playing games and plays lots of Dungeons & Dragons.
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim officer for Indigenous Ministries. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.

Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community

Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings through the lens of social justice.

You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
November 21, 2025
Episcopal Advent and Christmas Resources
In Luke’s telling of the Christmas story, startled shepherds are the first to hear that good news of great joy given to all people. Since then, through generations and generations, across the world, we keep sharing this Good News. We receive signs from God that, in the coming of Jesus Christ, we have received the greatest gift of all. The Episcopal Church wants to help you and your congregation share that Good News with each other and your neighborhoods, especially this Advent and Christmas.

AdventWord

Our main offering for Advent and Christmas this year will be participation in Forward Movement’s AdventWord. This online Advent calendar that asks individuals, ministries, and congregations to reflect on a single word each day of Advent.

If you feel so moved, you can even post the word, a written reflection, and a graphic on social media. We’ve created Canva templates – three each in English and Spanish – which we invite you to use.

Join AdventWord

United Thank Offering (UTO)

Christmas Gratitude Game

There are so many things to give thanks for during the Christmas season. UTO wants to help you and your friends and family share your Christmas stories of gratitude this holiday season. Print out the cards and game board. Then gather round to share your stories as you work your way to the end of the game.

Download for free

Printable Letter to Santa

Are you re looking for a way to help a child you love think about their Christmas list differently? Then we’ve got a free printable for you! This one-page letter offers fill-in-the-blank areas. One way to show Santa how nice you’ve been this year is to tell him what you’re grateful for! Next, there are categories for gifts the child might like. It asks them to think about something to share. This can be a gift they donate or something they can share with a relative or neighbor.)

Send a letter to Santa!

D365

These devotions are written by ministers, professors, students, teachers, missionaries, denominational leaders, and others who work with and care for students. D365 will highlight the season of Advent with the theme, “Following the Star.”

Typically, an author writes on a single theme for one week. In these devotions, you will read honest struggles and questions, all in the context of real faith. As you read the thoughts of the writers, think about your own response to the Scripture for the day. Let the writer’s words serve as background for your own conversation with God.

D365.org is a joint partnership of the following:
- The Episcopal Church Office for Youth Ministries
- Presbyterian Youth and Triennium Office and Ministries of the Presbyterian Church USA.
- Congregational Life Office of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Available in English and Spanish.

Visit D365

Advent: Stories of Movement and Migration

Advent: Stories of Movement and Migration is a podcast series from the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. It features audio stories, discussion guides, and more.

Advent Toolkit

Join Episcopal Relief & Development each week in Advent to create, learn and pray. There are DIY projects for families and communities that will take you from Advent to Christmas and through Epiphany. You will find the following:
- DIY wreath ideas with prayers and reflections.
- DIY creche ideas.
- Information about St. Nicholas.
There is also a guide to hosting an alternative gift market and our Gifts for Life catalog.

Explore the Advent Toolkit and the Gifts for Life catalog

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County. We welcome you be with us as we walk the way of Jesus.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
November 18, 2025
Prophetic Voices podcast available for the 3rd Sunday of Advent
In this episode of Prophetic Voices, we’ll be discussing the lectionary for Advent 3 (A). The texts covered are Matthew 11:2-11, Canticle 15 (the Magnificat), and Isaiah 35:1-10.

Our thoughtful guests this week are:
- The Rev. Dr. Erin Kirby, the mom of an amazing adult daughter and the rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Marion, N.C. She is a member of the Diocese of Western North Carolina’s Beloved Community and Racial Reconciliation team. Having grown up in the mountains of western North Carolina, she moved back “as close to the land of my heart as I could get” during COVID. In her free time, she and her dog Buttercup enjoy a good long hike or just a day splashing around a mountain stream.
- The Rev. LaClaire Atkins, vicar of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Greenville, S.C., the only fully Spanish-speaking congregation in the diocese. She has been actively serving the church since her early 20s. Of all her roles in life, she is most fulfilled by being wife to Michael and mommy to Jackson, who will turn 5 this coming January.
- The Rev. Phil Hooper, rector of St. Anne Episcopal Church, West Chester, in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He is a contributor to several Episcopal publications and spends his free time exploring the landscapes and history of the midwest with his fiancé, Matt. His sermons and writings can be found at byanotherroad.com.
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim officer for Indigenous Ministries. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.

Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community

Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings through the lens of social justice.

You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
November 15, 2025
Prophetic Voices podcast available for the 2nd Sunday of Advent
In this episode of Prophetic Voices, we’ll be discussing the lectionary for Advent 2 (A). The texts covered are Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12, Jeremiah 34, Isaiah 40, and Job.

Our amazing guests this week are:
- Dr Xenia L. Chan of Sioux Falls, S.D., an assistant professor of religion focusing on Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Augustana University. She enjoys reading poetry, making coffee on pour-over, and spending time with her cat.
- Dr. Kristen Daley Mosier, a writer, licensed lay preacher and ecotheologian rooted in the Pacific Northwest (Diocese of Olympia). Her writing explores baptismal ethics through a watershed lens and ways to faithfully connect with the whole community of creation. She enjoys cultivating a backyard habitat for the more-than-human neighbors and, with her spouse, serving their cat, Winston.
- The Very Rev. Ward Simpson, also of Sioux Falls, S.D., dean of Calvary Cathedral where he serves both the Anglo congregation and Tiospaye Wakan, their parochial mission among the Dakota/Lakota who live in the city. He finds great pleasure in reading, especially hard science fiction. Three encounters in his childhood that had profound impacts on his life were with Walter Mondale, Jane Goodall, and Mary Leaky.
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim officer for Indigenous Ministries. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.

MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST
- The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi, the poem referenced is available here or here.
- Embracing Hopelessness by Miguel A. De La Torre
- Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te of Pope Leo XIV to All Christians on Love for the Poor is available here or here.
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community

Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings through the lens of social justice.

You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
November 7, 2025
Prophetic Voices podcast available for the 1st Sunday of Advent
In this episode of Prophetic Voices, we’ll be discussing the lectionary for Advent 1 (A). The texts covered are Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:11-14, and Psalm 122.

Our amazing guests this week are:
- The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, associate professor of preaching and worship at Lexington Theological Seminary. An ordained Lutheran minister since 2000, Dr. Schade has written or edited seven books and is the EcoPreacher blogger for Patheos.com. Dr. Schade is the director of a Lilly Grant for the project, “Compelling Preaching for a Climate-Changed World,” in partnership with Lexington Theological Seminary, The BTS Center, and Climate Justice Ministries.
- The Courageous Chris Clark, who makes his home on the unceded and ancestral lands of the Musqueam people (Vancouver, British Columbia) where he’s a final-year M.Div. student at Vancouver School of Theology. Chris is a fantasy nerd, a church geek, and a neuro-spicy creative who loves classical ethnocultural music, stand-up comedy, musicals, opera, board games, animals (all animals), and belly laughs.
- The Rev. Dr. Tommie Lee Watkins, Jr., assistant professor at the University of Alabama Department of Social Work. Tommie also provides spiritual direction and is a licensed multi-engine rated commercial pilot. He has several research articles and publications on religiosity, spirituality, sexuality, and health, as well as a workbook, “God’s Gift: Sexuality and Spirituality,” available at his website.
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s interim officer for Indigenous Ministries. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity. To learn more about Creation Care, visit ⁠episcopalchurch.org/creation-care⁠.

MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST
- Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community

Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings through the lens of social justice.

You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
November 7, 2025

Maundy Thursday, April 2, 2026. Services at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm. Gethsemane Watch Vigil from about 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Good Friday, April 3, 2026: Services at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm.

Holy Saturday worship at 9:30 am.

The Great Vigil of Easter, Saturday, April 4, 2025. Service at 8:00 pm. This is the night....

The 2nd Sunday of Easter (Year A), April 12, 2026. Services at 8:00 am (no music) and 10:30 (music). Education classes resume next week.