Got home tonight from an all-acoustic low-lit Christmas Eve at Vintage Faith Church. When I was at my former church and we put on Christmas Eve gatherings, we had fancy lights, full band and everything. In the building we are in now - we can basically turn the lights "on" and "off" with not much ability for other things at this point. Because it is an old building, we can't add any more lighting until more power is brought into the building which we plan to do hopefully this Spring. But we put on an acoustic, candle-lit Christmas Eve. Did the traditional everyone hold a candle which was lit from the "Christ Candle" of the Advent wreath (photo below). It was totally packed and a lot more people can than we imagined. The highlight for me is sharing why Jesus is "Savior" as we read the passage from Luke 2 and that the Christmas story leads to the Easter/Resurrection story as the reason Jesus was born. So that is always a thrill as you never know who has not heard that before and the meaning of the story.
But the other highlight is the handbell choir. It is absolutely fascinating to watch them. The white gloves remind me too much of either Michael Jackson's white glove or some sort of clean inspector who wears white gloves and does a dust check. So perhaps black leather gloves would look nice. But the handbell choir did a solo song and then joined the acoustic band for two other songs. I could listen to them a long time. Next year, I very may well join them as it is something I never have done, but it mesmerizes me every time I see it. For some handbell choirs are cliche, but for others it is a brand new experience. Tom Penello is handbell choir king and I thank him for leading it.
We also had a time where people came to several stations we had set up and put a gold stamp on their hand of a star. We shared how tomorrow it will be a rush of traveling to family members homes, opening presents and all the fun things we do. But we had the stamp for people to stamp their hand and keep it on, so tomorrow in the midst of everything we will be constantly reminded of Jesus as the Light of the world who entered the world on Christmas, whatever day of the year it actually was. So I am typing this with my left hand stamped. Sort of looks like I went to a club tonight, but instead I was with a community worshiping and listening to the Christmas story from Scripture and being hypnotized by those handbells.
These next 10 days I am dedicating every day to writing and finishing the "Adventures in Churchland" book. So that is my task over Christmas break. The book actually opens with a story from a Christmas musical when I was so embrassed I was in it with the horrible music (I was forced to when I first became a youth pastor and they made me be in the choir) - but it was so weird when I got up on the stage wearing a shepherds outfit and all. I ducked down behind the choir and hid the entire musical as I didn't want anyone to see me up there. That is my only (and last) Christmas musical I ever was in. But I do hope do be in a handbell choir one day.
