Candle Light Service
A few days ago, I found myself in complete bah-humbug mode, just looking forward to Christmas being over. This time of year, I feel like we all follow along with what everyone else is doing, because we must. We must look at Christmas lights, because that’s what you do. We must put the kids in cute, photogenic, matching Christmas jammies because that’s just what you do. We must buy things, make gift lists, shop and do this Christmas thing “right”.
More often than not this year I found myself inwardly yelling, “WHY??” And, where is my place in it all? Don’t get me wrong, I followed along like I always do but I was late this year to feeling genuine Christmas cheer, excitement and contemplating the “Reason for the Season”.
I think I’ve been to a total of two Christmas Candle light services in my lifetime. One, years ago, and the other this Christmas Eve. Usually, feeling the pressure of making three children behave in a service other than our usual Sunday morning worship and twice a week Bible class is something I would avoid.
Our Christmas Eve service just happened to be a part of our usual, combined worship time this Sunday. I was there more because of the Calendar and the need to get our usual churching in than I was to be filled with Christmas magic.
AT first, the idea of my children holding lit candles made me wonder which articles of our clothing we might find out suddenly to be highly flammable and I picture how I might proceed to tamp out a fire in some elderly lady’s hair and what I would say in apology.
To my pleasure, apologies weren’t needed. At the end of service, one of our Elders talked about spreading Jesus’ light from the four corners of the earth. As the lights dimmed, they were replaced gradually with the sharing of four flames as we sang Joy to The World, Silent Night and O’ Holy Night.
They lit up each individual face and you could see glowing smiles and tears patted away with Kleenex.
It was beautiful.
I watched my kids, fascinated by the flames hold them so very still. I’ve never seen them that still for that long in my life, unless they’re sleeping.
It was a pure, innocent kind of special.
At one point in the service we were asked to raise our candles as we are Jesus’ light to the world.
My middle child, now 7, my greatest mover and shaker, stood there and stretch up as far as he could to raise up that candle. I had been helping him hold it, so he didn’t get hot wax on him and I helped him raise it as high as his little body could stretch.
It was as I stood there, helping him, I finally got that whoosh. That breeze of being right where you need to be. That sudden flush of understanding.
So, what’s my place in it all? Helping these three kids share that light, helping them to reach and stretch as high as they can in the capacity that God gave them.
The fact that I only got the kids each three presents, filled their stockings with simple candy and apples, no toys this year, the way it went this year didn’t matter.
Christ matters. More than anything else.
We had a wonderful Christmas. I wish I had gotten my daughter’s reaction on video when she opened up her ukele. Each kiddo swore it was the best Christmas ever.
We found ourselves so blessed and not in want of a single thing. We ate in excess, we rested and really enjoyed the day and I can’t think why at this point I was worried about anything.
Maybe I should make an effort to go to more special services at church but this time I left with a simple and pure directive.
Shine your light and help them shine theirs.
