The Christmas Eve candlelight service at church is always a Christmas highlight for us. This year marked the 20th consecutive year that the church has hosted a Christmas Eve service. I am never disappointed in the attendance. Folks willingly and joyfully carve out the time to be in attendance.
Because of the pandemic, last year the Christmas Eve service was held in the church parking lot with the church building adorned in Christmas lights to serve as a back drop. We carefully had marked off the church parking lot to keep family groups at least 6 feet apart. Though the attendance differed from a packed-house on Christmas Eve, it was well attended.
Did I mention it was very cold outside? Despite the discomfort, most would say it was time well spent. Pausing to focus on the reason for the season always serves us well.
Somehow this year's service seemed doubly significant since we'd all be sharing space inside the comfort of the sanctuary. As Christmas Eve approached, I learned that several in our church family would be traveling out of town for Christmas. Certainly, you could not find fault in anyone for that. That being said, I had no idea what kind of attendance we'd have this year.
One of the things that has come to be significant for the Christmas Eve service is a brief personal testimony (2 to 3 minutes) regarding something associated to the reason for the season by three or four different church members. Last year, because of being in an outdoor venue without a microphone, we dispensed with that portion of the service.
This year, the General and I determined to host refreshments for those in attendance in the church fellowship hall after the service. My daughter had crafted the menu and she and her husband did the lion's share of the work. The General spent an inordinate amount of time making deserts. I was looking forward to the evening.
Early afternoon on Christmas Eve, the General and I learned that we had recently been in contact with someone who just tested positive for COVID. The person had no symptoms of the illness, but in anticipation of a large extended family gathering, had undergone the testing just to be on the safe side.
That is not the kind of news one wants to hear three hours before a Christmas Eve service. Yet, it could not be ignored. The only way we could attend the service was to get tested before being in attendance.
The liklihood of that happening on Christmas Eve afternoon looked pretty slim. I'm calling it a Christmas miracle, but we did locate self-tests for COVID. The General opted to decline testing unless she developed symptoms, but to simply stay quarintined.
She, Andrea and Kevin, got everthing set in place for the after-service party at chruch. They, too, opted to quarintine instead of testing unless they subsequently developed symptoms.
Less than an hour before the service was to begin, I was on my way to church. I also had a mask to be doubly cautionary. The attendance for the Christmas Eve service filled with sanctuary. The music was awesome and the personal testimonies thoughtfully shared. In addition, most folks who attended the Christmas Eve service stayed for the time of fellowship following the service.
Needless to say, it was another memorable Christmas Eve experience.
All My Best!
Don