We’re into our Christmas series for 2009 called “Catch the Christmas Spirit.” This year, we are focusing on helping people remember and capture the true meaning and spirit of this time of year. As soon as Halloween is over, we are thrust into the season of red, green, and sales.
The rush to get the right stuff for the right people is all that many people know and experience at this time of year. But, when we settle for that, we settle for a cheap substitute of what this time of the year is really about.
In Isaiah 9:1-7, God promised an amazing gift for the people. If we can catch the true Christmas spirit, our holiday celebration will not be the same, and neither will we.
Click to find out about the first two weeks of the series.
November 29, 2009
For the first week of the series (November 29), we focused on letting Christ shine through us and the contrast between darkness and light. Before the service started, we asked people to come in and reflect. As the service started, we had an oboe play the first lines of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. We then had a lone voice sing the first verse very simply and moved into a reading meant to capture the feeling of lament and longing for Christ. The congregation then joined in singing the first few verses of O Come, O Come Emmanuel, but we did not sing the refrain.
The service then unfolded like this:
Message
Video from creativepastors.com called “Upside Down“
Agnus Dei (Smith)
Refrain of O Come, O Come Emmanuel (traditional)
Sing to the King (Foote)
Mighty to Save (Morgan / Fielding)
Baby Dedication
Offering with special music (Shine On Us (Smith))
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Arise, Shine (O’Brien / Davis)
Announcements and Dismissal
The service was designed to capture the contrast between darkness and light. The service began darkly (both in content and lighting). The lights were gradually increased as the message unfolded, and then everything exploded on during the chorus of Agnus Dei. It was an awesome response to the good news of the light of Christ that has come and is coming. By doing the Advent Candle at the end, we were able to again tie into the theme and reinforce the good news.
December 6, 2009
For the second week of the series we focused on the amazing names of Jesus, and whether or not we would allow Him to be the rightful leader of our life that is His rightful place.
The service flow was:
Welcome/Announcements
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Hark the Herald Angels Sing (HymnCharts)
Because of Your Love (Baloche / Brown)
Isaiah 9:6-7
What Child Is This (HymnCharts)
Prayer
Offering and Encouragement Cards
Jesus, Name Above All Name (Hearn)
Message
Response: Are you following Christ as the leader of your life?
Video: The Word Became Flesh from The Work of the People
Revelation Song (Riddle)
Dismiss (Numbers 6:24-26)
It was a good week, although some of our transitions were a little less than smooth. Not necessarily because we didn’t do them well, but because of the inherent challenges of blending Christmas songs with regular songs. But it was great to be able to declare and celebrate Christ and His names. We pulled out an older song with “Jesus, Name Above All Names.” We played it during the offering, and then invited people to sing it just before the message. One of my team members, Dave, led this song and did a great job.
The “highlight” of the service came during “Revelation Song” in our second service as we were in one of the big parts of the song. I’m playing the piano, and all of the sudden I hear this loud snapping sound. One of the strings broke, and actually flew out of the piano and hit one of the vocalists. There was no damage to the person, but it means another string on the piano broke. We’ve been having a problem with this over the last few months, and no one is really sure why.
If you were a part of either of these services, it would be great to hear your thoughts. What worked, and what was impactful to you? How did God speak to you as we worshipped together?
Thanks for stopping by.
