4th Sunday of Advent Among Holiest Days of Holiday Season

With a week until Christmas, churches throughout the Southland are preparing for one of the two most sacred days on the Christian calendar.

Tomorrow is the fourth Sunday of Advent, in which Western churches of various denominations light the fourth and last Advent candle in symbolic preparation for the birth of Jesus.

A lesser-known aspect of Advent is its strong association with the Christian expectation of the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time.

The origins of Advent are cloudy, but by the time of Pope Gregory the Great in the 5th century, Advent had been firmly established in the church’s liturgy and observances. Today, many Protestant churches have joined with Roman Catholic and Anglican (Episcopal) churches in observing the lighting of the Advent candles. Advent marks the beginning of the church year.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

The Los Angeles Master Chorale’s final concert of the 20th century, the Messiah Sing-Along, will be performed at 8 p.m. Monday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. The audience will become the chorus, joining the Sinfonia Orchestra and Master Chorale soloists Susan Mills, Kimberly Bernhardt, Mark Burroughs and Lew Landau. $10 to $30. Ticketmaster Arts Line: (213) 365-3500.

* The choirs of First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica and Westwood United Methodist Church, directed by Jim Smith and Gina Shaw, present a Messiah Sing-Along on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Westwood church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd. at Warner Ave. $10. Call (310) 641-2645 or (310) 474-4511.

* A Festival of Lights Christmas music and candle lighting ceremony will be held Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles, 760 S. Westmoreland Ave. The music program includes music for choir, hand bells and organ. The free program is preceded by a 6 p.m. dinner. Dinner: $6 adults, $4 children, $18 families. Call (213) 384-2151.

* “Roads to Bethlehem,” the story of the birth of Jesus told through eight tableaux, complete with actors and live animals, will be on display today and Sunday from 6 to 10 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1757 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena. Free. Call (818) 794-7141.

* A living nativity scene with actors who will answer questions from the viewing public, including children, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Christmas Eve at First Christian Church of North Hollywood, 4390 Colfax Ave., Moorpark St., North Hollywood. Children may pet live animals in the scene. Free.

* Marsha Stevens, composer of the popular contemporary Christian song “For Those Tears I Died (Come to the Water),” will perform her original music on Christmas Eve at 6:30 p.m. and Christmas at 7 p.m. at the predominantly gay and lesbian Metropolitan Community Church, 8714 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Free.

* Pianist Paul Romero performs seasonal music at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday as part of the “Music at Noon Concert” series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Free. Call (626) 793-2191.

* “When Christmas Changed,” a children’s play, will be performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Guidance Church of Religious Science, 7225 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles. Free.

* Join an interfaith and multiethnic group in singing Christmas carols Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Chatsworth, 20440 Lassen St., Chatsworth. Call (818) 349-2550.

* A candlelight Christmas concert will be presented by the choir of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church at 4 p.m. Sunday, 580 Hilgard Ave., Westwood. Offering. Call (310) 208-6516.

* A service of Lessons and Carols tomorrow on the fourth Sunday of Advent will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1648 W. 9th St., San Pedro. Offering. Call (310) 831-2361.

EVENTS

A partnership of more than 200 local churches, known as “We Care L.A. ‘99,” plans to reach more than 40,000 needy and homeless with free groceries, health screening, job fairs and events for children Dec. 28-31. Supporters include World Vision, Mission America, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn., the Revs. Sonny Arguinzoni of Victory Outreach and Daniel De Leon of Templo Calvario, Pastors Jack Hayford of the Church on the Way and Fred Price of Crenshaw Christian Center, and Christian Development Corp. President John Perkins. Volunteers are needed. Call (323) 262-0930.

* The Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, who in 1993 was picked by Ebony magazine as the greatest black preacher in America, will speak at 10 a.m. Dec. 26 at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 5200 S. Compton Ave., Los Angeles.

* The ninth annual West Coast Torah Convention of the Orthodox Union will be held from Thursday through Dec. 26. The theme is “Navigating Troubled Times: Torah as Our Compass.” Rabbi Norman Lamm, president of Yeshiva University, will be the keynote speaker at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Congregation Shaarei Tefila, 9269 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. For details and addresses of other events call: (310) 777-0225, Ext. 3.

* A vigil and teach-in on U.S. sanctions against Iraq will be held at the Federal Building at 11000 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. today. It is sponsored by Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church, which has started a Los Angeles chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a pacifist group based in Nyack, N.Y. Speakers include the Rev. James Lawson, Gloria La Riva and Michael Shehadeh. Call (213) 640-3919.

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