Get Your Candles Ready
Christmas Eve services have provided some of the sweetest moments of worship I have ever experienced with God’s people. I cherish one such memory in particular. The sanctuary of the old building was absolutely packed, candles were burning brightly on every flat surface we could find and the power of the combined voices of those gathered was so strong I could not quit grinning. I looked over at our drummer, Adam Armstrong, who was also smiling, finally able to play freely without having to worry about being too loud. Voices were the dominant instrument that night as we sang the climactic finale, We Will Dance. We were cleaning wax from the carpet and chairs for months, and it was totally worth it.
We are excited to celebrate Jesus again this year at our two candlelight Christmas Eve services. We will have a full worship team, Christmas hymns, songs of praise, special music, Scripture, an encouraging testimony and of course, the beauty of candlelight.
However, our Christmas Eve services this year are markedly different. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, we have needed to limit attendance by having signups. As of yesterday, both the 3pm and 5pm services are at full capacity and we are truly sorry we cannot invite more people to attend in-person.
However, we are delighted to encourage as many as would like to join us at 5pm for the livestream. While this medium certainly has some downsides, there are also ways to make it uniquely beautiful. This is a great opportunity to invite friends, family or neighbors to watch with you. Since music will be a significant element, streaming on a device with decent speakers will be helpful. Finally, consider dimming the lights as we begin, and have candles and a lighter ready for the last part of the service.
Perhaps in part because of the difficulties, God may graciously bless us with a time of worship we will treasure for years. That would be just like him.
Pastor Toby
Categories: Evergreen Connection