A Christmas Eve Candlelight Service - The Story of Christmas

Here's the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service I led last year in Cove Presbyterian Church, Weirton, West Virginia.

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At the beginning of the service, the candles on the communion table, along the pews and the four advent candles were lit. The cow was the only part of the Nativity on the communion table. The rest of the figures were brought in during the service. 

Before we started the service, we watched the video below:

After welcoming people to the service, we sang “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” We collected an offering as the Cove Bells played. We followed this with our prayer of thanksgiving and the Lord's Prayer. The choir sang the song “Bethlehem.”

Our presentation of the Christmas story through scripture, responses and carols was at the center of our service. We followed the structure below:

The Christmas Story

Once Upon a Time

Isaiah 9:6-7: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called `Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore.”

The Response: The amazing thing to consider is that, hundreds of years before it happened, Isaiah told about a child to be born who would change the world. 

The Prophet said that this child would be received as the bringer of peace, justice, and righteousness. Isaiah, in his wisdom as a prophet, gave hope for the light to come. Yet, while he lived, he very likely was considered just another old man dreaming dreams.

An Angel Visits Mary

Luke 1:30-33, 46-50: And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;  and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.”

The Response: Many, many years after Isaiah lived, we see the events he predicted beginning to unfold. Mary has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus, and she has accepted her role with grace.

But, can you imagine the uncertainty and the astonishment she must have felt? Can you imagine the emotions of this young woman when she was visited by an angel and told that she was to have a child? It was not to be an ordinary child, but the one to be called the Son of God! What extreme anxiety she must have felt as she considered how to tell all these things to Joseph, the man she was to marry.

Video: "Mary, Did You Know?" 

An Announcement is Made

Matthew 1:18-21: Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The Response: When an angel visited Joseph in a dream telling him that Mary was with child of the Holy Spirit, Joseph, too, accepted his place in the great drama.

Imagine his feelings as he began married life under extremely trying circumstances, knowing that his family life would be unusual and out of the ordinary, to say the very least.

He must have wondered what he would say to Mary and to others about her condition. He must also have had overpowering feelings of unworthiness at being chosen to be the Messiah’s earthly father.

Considering all this, what a compassionate and thoughtful man Joseph must have been—accepting and performing the role with unselfishness, grace, and understanding. 

Congregational Carol: “What Child Is This?”

The Journey

Luke 2:1-3: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.

The Response: We can almost see her now: Mary, nine months pregnant, jostling along on the back of a donkey being pulled by Joseph through crowds of people going to Bethlehem. We can only imagine Mary’s discomfort. There is no record that she complained about traveling or facing the uncertainties of the road. The trip must have been terribly difficult for her. Joseph, too, must have suffered with concern for his wife and the unborn child.

The bustling town of Bethlehem must have been a welcome sight to the weary travelers. We wonder if they could have been aware of the even more uncertain journey they were about to begin with the child about to be born.

The Marketplace

Luke 2:4-5: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

During this reading, “Joseph,” “Mary,” and the donkey should be brought in and placed on the table.

The Response: A busy marketplace can be both exciting and exasperating. For Joseph and Mary, it must have been both. Under normal circumstances, it might have been exciting to wander around, taste different foods, perhaps visit with old friends, or even to sell some of Joseph’s hand crafted wood pieces.

But to have no choice other than to push through the crowds on a donkey, stand in line for hours at the enrolling place, and pay taxes too, must have made the experience in Bethlehem town much more exasperating than exciting.

Congregational Carol: "There’s a Song in the Air"

The Inn

Luke 2:6-7: And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

During this reading, “Jesus” should be brought in and placed on the table.

The Response: Have you ever traveled into the night to get just a few more miles down the road? Then, deciding to stop, all you found were “No Vacancy” signs at motel after motel so you were forced to keep traveling. You remember the feelings: tired, irritable, angry, frustrated—willing to take any room at any price.

Joseph must have known these feelings, too. The need for a place to stay was made even more desperate because Mary’s time was so near.

So, the simple stable became a welcome lodging for the night. It was warm, sheltered, and away from the crowded, noisy town.

Here, Mary’s baby was born and she made a bed for him on some straw in a manger.

Solo by Sue Willson: O Holy Night

Angels in the Heavens

Luke 2:8-14: And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

The Response: This birth was not to be a quiet one, celebrated by the family and a few friends! How could it be quiet when a major star hovered overhead lighting the countryside and pointing its shining light toward the stable? It was announced in grand style by a crowd of angels singing a majestic chorus for shepherds out in the field with their sheep.

Those angels captured for all time the glory, wonder, and importance of the birth which took place in a stable in Bethlehem.

Shepherds in the Field

Luke 2:15: When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

During this reading, the shepherds and sheep should be brought in and placed  on the table.

The Response: How those shepherds must have trembled, in spite of the angel’s calming assurance that there was nothing to fear! How overwhelming it must have been to witness such a supernatural event!

Yet their curiosity must have been stronger than fear because they left the field at once and followed the star’s light to Bethlehem and to the stable.

We can imagine that their curiosity turned to wonder when they found a child just as the angel said they would. Imagine what those simple men must have thought when they found the promised savior lying on a bed of hay in an animal’s feeding trough!

Congregational Carol: "Angels, from the Realms of Glory"

The Manger

Luke 2:16-19, Matthew 2:1-2: And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”

During this reading, the kings and camels should be brought in and placed  on the table.

The Response: The Magi, too, followed the star, riding their camels for days, carrying their precious gifts. This was the fulfillment for them of the prophecy and the hope for a king from David’s descendants.

Imagine their wonderment at finding this royal child born in a stable and sleeping on a bed of hay. Yet, they did not doubt that this, indeed, was the child that Isaiah foretold, nor did they hesitate to present to him their priceless gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, satisfied that the child was the long expected one, they went back to their far countries taking with them the message of the birth with all its wonder, joy, and promise.

But it is for Mary that we feel the most emotion. A young woman, away from her family, in a very strange and difficult place, giving birth to her first child.

She knew that the child was different, and that his destiny had not yet been revealed. But imagine her feelings when shepherds appeared, followed by three important kings, and angels all around.

A birth in itself is overwhelming, but Mary also had all the other unnatural occurrences to consider and deal with.

She knew that she had given birth to a very special child who would be known as the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Emmanuel the long awaited Messiah. How difficult it must have been for her to realize that her son was Jesus, the Christ.

We are told only that Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Choir: Song of Bethlehem

The Shepherds Return

Luke 2:20: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Response: On this night, we, like the shepherds, return to this place to glorify God and give praise for the birth and life of Mary’s Son.

We, like the angels, keep music in our hearts and sing the familiar and well loved songs to remind us of that night long ago in Bethlehem.

Perhaps, just for this little while, we can turn off the Christmas tree lights, ignore the glitter and tinsel, forget the wrapped gifts under the tree, and remember with all our hearts and minds the most precious gift of all, God’s Son, Jesus.

Let us remember his birthday with these gifts: our promises to help bring Peace, Justice, and Righteousness to all corners of the earth.

Then, truly, the angels’ music will fill the heavens once again “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth, Peace!” Amen.

Congregational Carol: “Go, Tell It on the Mountains”

The Coming of the Light

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the word

and the word was with God,

and God was the word.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things through him came into being,

and apart from him nothing came into being.

That which came into being in him was life.

And the life was the light of humanity.

And the light in the darkness shines,

and the darkness did not overcome it.

He was in the world,

and the world through him came into being,

and the world didn’t know him.

To his own he came,

and his own didn’t accept him.

But all who accepted him, 

he gave to them the ability to become children of God,

And the word became flesh 

and dwelt among us,

and we saw his glory,

glory as the first born from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Because from his fullness,

we all received, even grace upon grace.

The Response: According to the Evangelist John In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God  and was truly God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone. The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out.

After the reading, I went to the advent wreath, lit the center candle and extinguished the others.  I  returned to the center with his candle.  The deacons came forward, lit their candles by mine, and stood facing the congregation. I explained that the Deacons would light the candle on the inside and the flame should be passed on and that we would continue to sing Silent Night until everyone’s candle is lit.

Congregational Carol: Silent Night!  Holy Night!

An usher in the back extinguished the sanctuary light, beginning with the light in front and ending with the lights on the side.

Dismissal: You see, this was the work of God, how the word became flesh, how the light entered a dark world. Of course, at first the light was so faint you could hardly see it. And through out history, there have been those who tried to make the light go out. (As carefully as you can, will you lower your candle in front of you into the pew).  But no matter hard they tried, they couldn’t stop this love and light. And so it spread, from a flicker to a flame. (Now, as carefully as you can, raise your candle over your head.) And now there’s just a little time left before we celebrate the birth of Christ. 

But after the service, as you’re going home, I want you to remember the story we shared tonight.  Children, share it with your friends.  And parents, share it your children.  How the world changed with the coming of the light.

 

We Light the Advent Candles - Four candles burning brightly announce that Christ has come...

For the last ten years, we've sung all or part of "We Light the Advent Candles" during our Advent worship services. You see, as we go through the four weeks, we sing the verses sung during the prior weeks, and we add a new verse recognizing the candles that have been and are being lit on that particular Sunday. During this Advent season, we're going to focus on the meaning of each verse, as expressed in the song. 

The last message dealt with "Four candles burning brightly announce that Christ has come..."

Well, we’re almost there. We’ve made the final turn and we’re heading down the home stretch. In other words, Christmas will be here in just three days. And I’ll tell you, when I get to this point, as I have 63 times, I tend to feel the same sort of way, and it’s really not what I would have expected two weeks before. Now I recognize that I’m only talking for myself and my experiences may be radically different from what y’all are feeling right now. But when I get to these last few days, I sort of feel this weird sense of calm, something I can guarantee wasn’t there at the beginning of December. As a matter of fact, it’s like this uncomplicated and uncluttered, almost child-like view of Christmas, with all it’s simplicity and innocence and wonder.

Of course, like I said that wasn’t the case a few weeks ago. I mean, back then, all the stuff that needed to get done was overwhelming. Good night nurse, I had to get the tree assembled and haul all the decorations up from the basement and down from the attic. And even though these last few years, I’ve done my shopping online, I still had to do go on the sites and buy the stuff, another source of stress. And as to my life around the church, trust me, Advent isn’t exactly a relaxing time. Let’s just say, as we entered December, with all the decorating and purchasing and activities, my stress level was hovering between orange and red. But I can’t say that’s unusual. The same thing has happened every year, starting right after Thanksgiving.

But I’ve got to tell you, right now, I’m feeling a real sense of peace. You see, in the last week before Christmas, my stress and anxiety tends to tank, which is a good thing. And the reason, well, I don’t think it’s exactly rocket science. I mean, let’s face it, when I get to this point, the stuff that’s still in the basement and attic will probably stay there for another year. And as to gifts, I’ve either bought them or come up with a good excuse for why they’re late. And right now, all I have to do is to finish preaching this sermon that I’ve already written and do a traditional candle light service I’ve done before (that’s a no-brainer), because we all know that Christmas Eve isn’t the time to innovate, certainly not in a Presbyterian church. And if you don’t believe me, let me just tell you about a colleague of mine who decided to change his whole approach to the night before Christmas and found himself not only alone on Christmas Eve but called a Grinch by his congregation. No, by the time I get to this point in the Advent season, I really do feel this genuine sense of peace.

And that’s probably a good thing, because this morning we’re going to talk about the last verse of the song we’ve sung as we’ve lit the Advent candles. I mean, after singing “We light the Advent candles against the winter night, to welcome our Lord Jesus who is the world's True Light,” on the first Sunday in Advent, we sang, “The first one will remind us that Christ will soon return. We light it in the darkness and watch if gleam and burn,” and with that in mind, we talked about the second coming of Jesus. And on the next Sunday, we added, “We light the second candle, and hear God's holy Word, it tells us, cling to Jesus, prepare to meet your Lord,” and during that service we focused on how the Old Testament pointed to the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. And then last Sunday, we added, “Three candles now are gleaming and show us the true way, rejoice, the Baptist cries out, your Lord has come today,” and we looked at how John the Baptist can still help us to prepare to celebrate the advent of Jesus. Now that’s what we’ve done. And this morning, as the fourth candle was lit, we sang, “Four candles burning brightly announce that Christ has come, prepare, my heart, believe it, and give the Christ child room.” Now that’s what we sang. And because of that, we’re going to focus on the peace that surrounded the birth of Jesus, and we’re going to talk about this idea, that we can best understand the coming of Christ when we take a step back and appreciate its almost childlike simplicity.

And I’ll tell you, when you think about it, peace and simplicity is really what the birth of Jesus was all about, especially when you read how it’s described in the Gospel of Luke. For example, just consider the birth itself. This is what Luke wrote: “About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family. Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.” [Luke 2:1-7, CEV] Now that’s what Luke wrote. And I don’t know about y’all, but this doesn’t seem all that impressive, you know in a CGI sort of way. I mean, where are the laser beams and explosions and special effects? And where are all the animals that just started talking in a Hanna-Barbera kind of way? And my gosh, where’s that beam that sort of shot right through the roof of the barn spotlighting that cute, chubbie, white baby (I mean, he certainly doesn’t look Jewish), a kid who was at least a couple months old lying in the manger there with his mother looking amazing given the fact that she’d just given birth? I can tell you, Debbie didn’t look like that right after Maggie was born, and she was in a hospital, not a stable. No, when you get right down to it, as described by Luke, this is a pretty unimpressive birth.

And I think we can say the same sort of thing about first people who came to see Jesus. Again, according to Luke: “That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.’ Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: ‘Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.’  After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.’ They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant. As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.” [Luke 2:8-20, CEV] Now I know this part of the story is pretty impressive, with flashing angels and a heavenly choir and all. Let’s get real, that’s impressive. But the guys who heard this just weren’t, were they? They were shepherds for crying out loud. And do you have any idea where shepherds stood on the ladder of success in ancient Judea? Well, not on the bottom rung, that was reserved for children and women and foreigners. But right above them were the shepherds. Let’s just say, the only parents who hoped their boys would grow up to be shepherds were shepherds. And yet it was to these rough men that the announcement came. And they were the ones who were the first to see Jesus. And after seeing him, they returned to their flocks and were never heard from again. I mean, if the birth was unimpressive, the ones to whom it was announced, man, they were mega unimportant.

And yet, I believe this is extremely important for us to remember as we make our final approach to our celebration Christmas. For example, because his birth was so unimpressive, that reminds us that Jesus really was and is one of us. You see, he wasn’t some kind of star child beamed down to earth. He didn’t spring from the head of Zeus like Athena nor was his birth the result of an elaborate game between the gods like Hercules. No, the birth of Christ just wasn’t dramatic at all. And I’ll tell you, that’s really a good thing, at least for us. You see, we don’t need to be superior to follow his example. And we don’t need to be god-like be his disciples. And we sure don’t need to be perfect to be considered one of his brothers and sisters. Instead we can be who we actually are, men and women who are made of flesh and blood but also animated and inspired by God’s spirit, human beings who are collections of a whole bunch of stuff that’s positive and negative, a race of folks who are both sugar and spice and everything nice as well as snips and snails and puppy dog tails. You see, because Jesus was a real person like us, we can find direction in his life and freedom in his death and genuine hope in his resurrection. You see, his birth reminds us that Jesus really was like one of us.

And since the first folks called to see him were a pretty motley bunch, well, that can remind us that he really did come to call other motley people, you know, people like us. You see, his message was never intended for just the high and mighty or those who are important or even self-important. Rather, he came to be the savior for folks on every rung on the socio-economic ladder, with particular focus on the guys and gals near the bottom, because they may have a greater need to feel secure than those at the top. And I’ll tell you why I believe that’s so important for us to recognize and to accept right here and right now. Since shepherds were the first to the manger, our relationship with him isn’t about who we are or even who we expect to be. And it isn’t about the work we’ve done or even the work we may have promised to do. And it’s sure not about what we’ve achieved or even what we believe we’re capable of achieving sometime in the future. As a matter of fact, when it comes to our relationship with Christ, it really doesn’t start with us at all. It all begins with him, who he is and what he’s done for us. Therefore, all we can really do is to trust and believe, you know, to trust in his work and to believe in his promises. You see, it really is good news that some pretty unimportant people were the first to come, because that can actually give us hope that we’ll be included too.

And so there it is, the birth of Jesus. And now, as we move into the last few days before Christmas and our pace settles into something less hectic and more peaceful, maybe we’ll be able to appreciate the simplicity of the whole story and remember that, based on his birth, Jesus really was like us and thanks to those who were first invited to come, we can believe that we’re invited too. And I’ll tell you, that really is good news, something that we can understand when we claim the simplicity and the innocence and the wonder that children can feel this time of year. Because let’s face it, when it comes to Christmas, “Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.”