In the early years of my ministry, while we were still planting the new church, it was our custom to partner with a retirement community for a Christmas Eve Service. We were without a church building and would worship at a local school gym on Sunday mornings. This is not an ideal setting for a Christmas Eve Service, however, and we sought out a location where our worship could be a blessing for others.
A retirement community is an interesting place on Christmas Eve. It is a peculiar mixture of expectations, joys, and sadness. Many residents are expectantly waiting for family or churches to pick them up for other Christmas Eve Services or patiently anticipating seeing family on Christmas Day. Others know that nobody is coming for them because of death or distance and so they are filled with sadness, loss, and memories of better times. The staff who are there on Christmas Eve will likely be the staff that will be there on Christmas Day, as well, and so they too are filled with a mix of expectation at what is to come and sadness that they are away from family and friends, if only temporarily. I can imagine it was no easy thing to accommodate a church of people coming to worship in their midst - no matter the intention.
I will admit my own worry for this service too. There were always a lot of “will they show up” moments in that new church, and there were the first time we had Christmas Eve at the retirement community. With ten minutes until the start of the service, it was mostly our group gathered around a Christmas tree and fireplace in a main gathering space of the community.
But they did come. Eventually, a lot came. Young and old gathered, sang, and heard about God, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They heard about God’s promise and love. They found joy and hope. Even the staff who peeked from behind corners and stood against walls found something they may have thought they were missing out on. Several people who stayed away or had not heard about the service started making their way into the common space when they heard what was going on. We even sang Silent Night - with battery operated candles for safety reasons – and you would have thought it was everybody’s first Christmas it was so filled with awe and wonder. It was an amazing celebration and piece of ministry I will carry with me forever.
To me, the Christmas story is about the inbreaking of God into this world. It is about Jesus Christ coming to us. It is about unfailing love. It is also about how that story continues to break into our lives no matter where or how old we are.
Christ has come. God is with us.
Blessings,
Rev. Tim Blodgett
General Presbyter
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