Some reflections from another Christmas Eve Candlelight Service



Another Christmas Eve and some reflections from the night.  The first is that I am so thankful that churches have this opportunity still in our time to gather the community together to focus on the birth of the Christ Child and share the message from the cradle to the cross.  Back in my easy chair after the service I surfed the web to our children's churches and others of our past and took in their services.  So blessed to see this all out effort to probably the most attended church service of the year.


This church building is so easy to decorate for Christmas because its base color is green.  A little lights, poinsettas, and candles and you are ready to go!


A very simple service this year with the reading of the birth event in Luke 2 and singing to cooresponding carols.  We read the story and also sang it.  May the Word of God ever be center to our time together.


We went from about 60 last year to about 140 this year.  We had enough candles and space.  Our sanctuary seats about 175 at the max.  The location of the church going and coming from town on the main road also help people who are from here and also vacationing for the holidays to find us.


We end with the singing of Silent Night and what a joy to have it shoulder to shoulder around the sanctuary.  Standing in the center with Stephanie at the end is something we cherish.  

Here are some pictures from around the sanctuary.




This couple and family were crucial to our service last night.  Their first service at SCC was last year at the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.  They followed it up with making SCC their church home.  They established their presence not only with attendance but participating in the life of the church.  I had them at the door when people left to invite others to do the same and handled out flyers and a piece of candy about our weekly and monthly activities.  What a blessing to see the interactions and also the conversations with others who live locally.  It has been our prayer that more people (especially families) from the Grand Lake and Granby area to walk again through the doors.  

Some of the pieces of candy were broken.  It was an opportunity to share that we are all broken here (no one perfect) but we have come as we are to the One who can make us whole.  It is important to us that others know they can come as they are and also hear about the One who went from the cradle to the cross.

Adam

A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 39th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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