Katie; I just posted today on my reflections after way too many years of Covenant pastoring that Christmas is a season to survive not thrive. I'm neither jaded nor cynical about it, but aware that Christmas season has been overrun by our culture. There are so many expectations (talk about people's musical preferences!!) and cultural, familial and merchandizing pressures that Gospel proclamation is pretty difficult. I have fun with it all and really do try to laugh at dropped lines by angels and squeaky violins. The best part is that I get a chance to meet and visit with extended family members who are coerced into coming to church prior to the big meal/party. If I can preach briefly and effectively about hope....then I feel good. Give me Epiphany any day!

Don.

That's the spirit! My sentiments exactly. And how refreshing to hear such honest wisdom coming from an accomplished artist and faithful pastor like yourself.

I love your mention of the cast of visitors. How true. If we do this for no one else, we do this for them. Offering a glimpse of God to those who don't usually attend church is a fine thing indeed. And like you say, talking with people and treating them like fellow humans? Better still.

Maybe this is all a set up for the sobriety of Lent. If so, it works. 

Katie

We did something pretty unusual this Christmas.  We CANCELLED Christmas Eve evening services and instead sent everyone out to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  We called this event Christmas Presence.  I was the catylyst for this idea because I was inspired by the new Reggie McNeal book, Future Presence.  I approached the staff and leadership and asked them basically to consider living into the challenges of this book to go to the people God misses the most.  Unusual for a worship person to initiate the cancellation of worship services for something else.  Our Advent services were re-shaped to include each week an orientation to who we were as a church and why we were "giving up" Christmas Eve.  Pastor Breuninger was preaching from the book of Mark (with no birth narrative) so it worked beautifully to integrate the messages with the event.  Even people who left town were inspired to do the same kind of service on that night in the community they were visiting.

We identified 12 sites from nursing homes and neighborhood caroling to street ministry in downtown Seattle to feeding the homeless at several shelters.  All in all we had over 280 adults and children from the church participate. It's the first time our church gave up a "sacred cow" to go out into the community.  If you're going to make a bold statement as a church you can't get much bolder than cancelling christmas services, Easter being the other exception!

Beth,

That's FABULOUS!

You said that it was strange for a worship leader to suggest the cancellation of a worship service.  That's not what you did!  You encouraged your church to worship in a different way.  It has become too easy, and too common, I think, for us to understand service as something other than worship.  Do we not lift up who we understand God to be when we feed the hungry?  And isn't being present with those who are alone an affirmation of God's continual and powerful presence among us?  When we give our "extra tunic" to someone who doesn't have one, don't we, by our very act of giving, express our love for God and his ways?  I'm thrilled that you empowered your congregation to serve God, to respond to who they know God to be, and to act upon their faith in what God has promised is our hope, to WORSHIP God with more than just their voices.  Well done!!!!

I used clips from Christmas Movies as illustrations for Worship.

"Home Alone" illustrated facing our fears... relationships - for both Kevin and Mr Mally. We focussed on the fears Mary faced as an unwed mother.

"The Santa Clause" illustrated our reluctance to get involved with God while God is involved in our lives. As Scott Calvin was invited to put on the Santa coat, God invites us to "put on Christ".

"White Christmas" illustrated how much some people will do to help someone... as the whole "show" at the Lodge is Maine was put on to bring people to help the General who was "losing his shirt" because there was no snow. I contrasted King Herod and the religious leaders with the Magi... asking the congregation to consider "which am I more like?"

"It's a Wonderful Life" illustrated that we all have hard times, and when we help others we can anticipate others helping us. We are so blessed that Christ came to serve us.

Pastor Dan Ward, Buffalo NY

This is fun, hearing how Covenant churches celebrated the birth of Jesus this year! I briefly mentioned what we were doing here in Hilmar in a previous post on prayer, but now our "Living Nativity" is history--and it was a fantastic experience all around! Both for the community and for everyone in our congregation who got involved. The production was a 30 minute presentation, right out of the Bible, of the Christmas story, using actors, singers, live animals, 18 angels (who danced the "Glory to God" to the shepherds), seven foot "star of Bethlehem," and six week old "baby Jesus" played by little Jacob Ahlem in all six presentations, outside in the cold, on two Friday nights in December. It was our first production on our church's new outdoor stage, and it drew over 900 people--far more than would ever come into the sanctuary for a traditional choir concert. Our church is intentionally trying to break out of the four walls of our church and connect with our community better, and this Christmas presentation certainly accomplished this. I wish I could share a "goof" or funny mistake, but we really had six seamless presentations.

Oh, except for the one cow that got more and more jumpy as the cymbal player got closer and closer to the stage at the beginning of the "children's march" to Bethlehem. On each crash, the cow bucked a little higher, and I was thinking a stampede through the audience was only moments away! Fortunately the animal handler was a 4-H member and kept his cow under control. The animal was "retired" to its trailer in the parking lot after the first performance and we added a second calf to the scene instead!

Our "Living Nativity" will certainly going be repeated next year. People are still commenting on it even now in the middle of January! My only concern is that twice in a row can mean that it must become a never-ending TRADITION!