What’s your liturgical MO for Christmas Eve? Are you going to do the same thing you did last year? Plan something new? Steal Borrow something from a friend? Hang out here and write something new with your LiturgyLink friends?
Here’s a place to brainstorm about Christmas Eve–one of those days where everything needs to be familiar and comforting and at the same time challenging and fresh. Throw in a big crowd….no pressure, of course!
So, what’s cooking (liturgically) for Christmas Eve?
(Or, if you just can’t focus on that right now because you’re busy cooking (literally) for Thanksgiving, that’s okay too–what are you cooking? Share a virtual feast as we think ahead!)
For the past several years, I’ve approached Christmas Eve as something of a vigil, starting in candlelight and moving to light. This just makes more sense to me than lighting candles at the end of the service and singing “Silent Night” after we’ve talked about the light coming *into* the world!
However, this year I’m up for something different. People want candlelight, and communion is a growing tradition for us. Any ideas for doing something different? Simple ways to adjust the liturgy a little to make it less of a repeat from the past 4+ years?
Andy, that’s a great idea to start with candles and grow the light instead of the other way around. It does make a lot more sense. Thanks for the insight!
I’ve been working with the image of a prism as a focus for the entire season of Advent, culminating during Christmas time. We’re going to build one slowly on the chancel – each week a new portion of the prism. The idea is that the light goes in but comes out in multiple “colors.” We’ll see how it goes.
We don’t change things up all that much on Christmas Eve — but I’m working on a new version of Lessons and Carols. There will be two different versions. The family service will loosely follow the genealogy in Matthew to recall that we are a family (this is a big theme for this particular church). The later service will be a more traditional lessons and carols reading the story from Luke (and just Luke) with a selection of poetry.
Elsa, what kind of poetry do you use? I would like to incorporate some on Christmas Eve but feel I have only used Ann Weems when I try to do that!
What about interactive liturgy for involving children other than the traditional make them dress up as sheep and angels kind of thingy. I have three regulars ages 5-9 and will probably have four to six guests that same age.