Here's what others have said about their Christmas Eve traditions:
At our church we walk the line between those who want a very quiet almost somber service and those with children who need something that engages the kids. A couple of things we have done include have live tableaus with lots of carols and the scriptures read as a choral type reading. I have also handed out different parts of the ceramic Nativity set out to children as they come in to the service and have the family bring that piece up and put it in the set at the time those scripture passages are read and carols and choir music are woven into all of that. Letting the kids put the the nativity scene throughout the service and including them in the communion service at the end seems to keep them engaged and also to address the need to have a quieter service. (from JoAnn)
Our service is late afternoon (5 pm) and the focus is on the kids. The content is a bit different each year. I keep the kids with me as much as possible through the service - use a call and response style reading of the gospel to keep them tuned in - and then the "sermon" is a story or activity with all the kids involved. Different years have had different story or activity - one year, paper cutouts of the characters so the kids could choose who they wished to be as we acted out the story together; one year Santa arrived with his bag full of Christmas items that have Christian explanations (from Sharon)
Christmas Eve will be mostly candle light, favourite hymns, and scripture. This year I intend to portray the arrival and birth of Jesus from the character of the Innkeeper. (from Jim)
I've done Christmas Eve services that have included different (short) readings interspersed with Christmas Hymns. My favourite was the last few lines of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, when he realizes "maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas means just a little bit more"...I've done a Birthday Party for Jesus as an early Christmas Eve service. (from Katharine)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Here's another idea for Christmas Eve....At the end of the service during the singing of Silent Night, I have the ushers turn the lights down except on the chancel. As the congregation sings, a couple with a little baby walks slowly forward, (they are in costume) and when they reach the front of the church, turn and face the congregation for a moment then walk out a side door. The lights come up, the final blessing is said, and Joy to the World, ends the service. You just have to get lucky with the timing if there are not a lot of babies in your congregation. (from Bob)
Post a Comment