We will forego the Christmas Eve Service since Christmas is on a Sunday this year. And because many will be home on Christmas Day, we have chosen to do that Service as a comfy, cozy, “stay in your jammies or favorite sweater” kind of Christmas morning service on Zoom only.
Since I have been in the Ministry, which is nearly 33 years, I usually conducted two candle lighting services every Christmas Eve for at least 20 of those years! The early Service was for families with children, though anyone was welcome, and the later Service was for adults only.
I began my ministry in Tempe, Arizona, where I spent nearly 8 years; and when I started there, my sons were 7 and 14. For those 8 years, they were my “candle lighters,” lighting the Christ candles for everyone else. At first, it was an honor to them, a way of compensating for the fact that I was a single parent, unable to be at home with them on Christmas Eve. So, they could come with me to “work.” It took some of the sting out of it for them and the fact that we did not arrive home until around 11 pm. Over the years, they longed for a different Christmas Eve, which is only normal for a couple of “preacher’s kids!”
Every year, I find that I still love the Candle Lighting Service, whether it is actually on Christmas Eve or on the Sunday before Christmas. I feel honored that I have been allowed to create it for so many years, along with the musicians, to bless the entire church community. This year, Judi Vinar will be performing for us, and she is wonderful. And to this day, I still always feel that my sons are there with me in Spirit during the Candle Lighting Service, and it adds a special quality for me personally. (If weather forces us to meet only on Zoom, it will still be a “special” Service)! It is all about the birth of light and joy in each one of us.
