Getting Ready for Christmas
Cathedral Newsletter – 6 November 2025
Friends in Christ, I write this before leaving for annual leave throughout this first week of December. I’ll see you some time after this coming Sunday, hopefully refreshed.
But with November, we start to prepare for the Christmas season! 🎶📖🎺🔔⛪🎁✨🎄
I’m pleased to say our suite of Christmas services is well planned. The advertising is mostly finalised, and you can see the details already on our website - please check it out!
There are some new additions this year, including a return of the Advent Carols service, that was growing till COVID intervened. Our Advent Carols will occur at 7:30pm on Sunday 30th November with the Cathedral Choir.
Then in cooperation with ADM’s Mental Health & Pastoral Care Institute, for the first time, we are adding a ‘Blue Christmas’ service, at 5:15pm on Monday 8th December. Blue Christmas is designed to bring support, comfort and hope to those who find the Christmas season tough, because they’ve lost a loved one during the year, or because grief still stalks them longer term. The Reverend Dr Keith Condie will be the preacher, and there will be people present to pray with you individually at the end (a bit like the Healing Service), for those who choose this help.
It’s hard to feel sad when others seem so happy. So we are hoping this service will encourage our regulars in this situation, as well as giving you a chance to invite anyone you know who feels down at Christmas and needs the comfort of Christ gently delivered.
The last change is that the final service on Christmas Eve will start fifteen minutes earlier at 10:45pm and will be a Holy Communion and Carols service, just with a chamber choir. We still aim to be singing the final carol as Christmas Day begins at midnight.
The details can be seen below and everything is on the website, including FAQs about preachers, Chinese translation, kids, and parking!
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For more than 20 years, Anglicare Sydney's Toys 'n' Tucker has provided a way for churches to share the joy of Christmas and demonstrate God’s love by providing food and gifts for those who would otherwise go without at this time of celebration. You may bring your donations of festive food and new gifts, as follows. Please note that standard sizes are preferred to help fit everything neatly in hamper boxes. We can’t include chocolate as it’s likely to melt.
Christmas pudding
Tinned ham or chunky soup (450g)
Tinned salmon or tuna (415g)
Tea (100pk)
Coffee (100g)
Packet of biscuits (no chocolate biscuits)
Dried pasta (500g)
Pasta sauce
Long-life milk
Long-life custard
Tinned fruit and vegetables (425g)
Jam (500g)
Gift ideas - must be new only
Age-appropriate games
Picture books
Good-quality toys
Outdoor games
Sporting equipment
Gift cards/vouchers
Toiletry packs
Donations can be brought to the chapel area at the N-E corner of the Cathedral, and must be made by Sunday 30th November.
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Lastly, would you begin praying about people you could share the message of Christmas with this year, and about whom you could invite to church. (And this applies even if you are elsewhere – find a good church and invite others where you are going to come to you.)
A simple and modest initiative is to use Christmas cards with a biblical theme – try these from Anglicare, or design and print your own!
If you live in apartments, townhouses, or a friendly street, what about hosting Christmas drinks and nibbles early in the month? Certainly do your best to attend! You could be ready with this conversation starter: “What one Christmas tradition that’s important to you and your family?” Think of a gospel and God-focused way of answering the question yourself.
But for now, what I really want you to do is to pray. Commit to praying for at least one person you intend to invite to church during the Christmas period. And that means starting to consider which ones you will be attending. Why not start praying daily for the next few weeks.
You may also be interested in viewing the online seminar I have been advertising below…
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney