revtlmack

Last year, at Horseshoe Drive UMC we did something radically different for our Christmas Eve Service.

For the previous five years, we had done a pretty traditional Christmas Eve service. By this I mean, we began in full light and ended in darkness. In fact, for several of those years, we began the service with a pre-concert Jazz combo. Worshippers were greeted in the parking lot by a group of Christmas Carolers. They entered into the Narthex, where there were refreshments. Ultimately, they came into the sanctuary where a jazz combo was playing traditional Christmas music. The pre-service concert moved from secular to sacred. Once completed, we moved into our “traditional” Christmas Eve Communion/Candlelight service, ending the service with candles aglow singing, “Silent Night.”

For most of my ministry, I had pretty much always done it that way…or, some similar variation on this traditional theme. That is, until, last year.

Actually, a few years ago, I began to “re-think” Christmas Eve. I started to question why had we always “done it that way.” Starting in full light and ending exiting in quiet and darkness. Added to that was the challenge, as the minister, to ask/suggest that all worshippers, “Exit the sanctuary quietly to the parking lot.” (Aside: Yeah, that works 🙂

It is Christmas Eve, after all. It is the most “Silent Night” of all, right?

Wrong. I began to think a bit differently about it. Was it really all that quiet? I mean, there were animals and angels and visitors. And, there was great joy! Joy is not quiet. This is the Epiphany part.

So, I began to “re-think” Christmas Eve and our Christmas Eve worship. I have to admit it took me a couple of years to formulate a “new” worship service…and a couple of more to work up the courage to try it out.

But, last year, I crafted the Christmas Eve service in a whole different “light” (pun intended). We would begin in darkness. The jazz ensemble was changed to an orchestral ensemble. We would begin in darkness. Complete darkness. In the darkness, our Ensemble would sing “Peace, Peace” and I would bring the light from the back of the church to the front. Once at the front, we would sing, as a congregation, “Silent Night” and the candles would be lit until the whole church was aglow. The movement of the service progressed through the lighting of the Advent Candles, the singing of the “natal” hymns, the sharing of the Christmas story for the children, etc. With every movement, the sanctuary lights were incrementally lit. Following the sermon was the sacrament of Holy Communion and the sharing of the “Christmas Creed.” By this time, the sanctuary was in full light. The service ended with our singing “Joy to the World” and a rousing HDUMC version of “O Jesus, What a Wonderful Child.”

The service ended with movement and energy and joy…and, it seemed… well, it seemed “right.”

And, we will celebrate in a similar fashion this year.