Christmas is all about music to celebrate Jesus birth. We had plenty of it on Dec. 24 at our Christmas Eve service from violin and vocal on “What Child is this”, guitar and vocal on “Away in a Manger, “Silent Night” with the first verse sung in the original German, Vocal duet on “Joy to the World” with beautiful light on the cross behind the table, vocal solo on the 16th century Personant Hodi (“On This Day”) and then combined singing on the traditional anthems “O Come All Yet Faithful”, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”.
It is about words- Luke’s stirring Christmas story which Catherine said for memory.
We also celebrate the light of Jesus by lighting all the Advent candles in front of and all behind the altar including candles in the baptism font. Words and music in the bulletin celebrated it
1 Bulletin
2 Sermon
Excerpt
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.”
When Jesus was born, the first thing Mary did was to wrap her baby in swaddling clothes. She must have brought these bands of cloth with her to Bethlehem so that she would have what she needed to care for this child as soon as he left the warm and comfortable safety of her womb.
Mary wrapped her baby Jesus with warmth, love, security, and protection in his first minutes on this earth.
And this sign of Mary’s love for her baby, his swaddling, was the way that the shepherds would know that they had found the Savior when they ran to Bethlehem looking for the newborn King.
The promise of Christmas, “you will find the baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes” becomes reality every time we choose to love, whether at the cross or at the manger.
Because every time we choose to love, Jesus comes to us and abides with us, and all will be well.”