Christmas Eve 2024

Christmas Eve service is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I love going with my whole family and seeing the church lit up for Christmas. I anticipate singing "Silent Night" and lighting the candles at the end of the service. I remember my father and grandmother singing and then being quiet because their hearts were so touched. I feel that way when I sing, "Silent night, holy night! Son of God love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face With dawn of redeeming grace..."

As we sing, ushers light the candles on the aisle from one large candle. Then, one by one, we pass the flame down the rows by lighting our neighbors’ candles, until the sanctuary is lit with the glow of hundreds of flickering lights. In many churches across the world, lights are dimmed and candles are glowing. Voices fill sanctuaries with a carol welcoming the birth of Jesus Christ. Anxieties melt away as worshipers sing "Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, All is bright." The significance of having a single lit candle representing Christ, the Light of the world, being shared, one by one, and lighting individual candles is powerful. It is a visible sign of the truth that the Spirit of Christ is shared and lights up the world!

"Oh Holy night the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Savior's birth!"