Mark Katrick faith column: To have both Christmas Eve and regular Sunday services or not
The day after tomorrow is the Christmas Eve that rolls around every seven years. Since it falls on a Sunday, churches that are large, small and in between have a decision to make: Should we have regular services in the morning AND candlelight services in the afternoon or evening?
Because of the diversity, traditions and makeup of our congregations, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. For the bigger membership churches and facilities with more staffing, there may very well be more flexibility to simply add on extra services. This will meet the needs of families that gather to celebrate and open presents on the night before Christmas.
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For the smaller membership churches, where a higher percentage of worshippers may be older, having just one service might be preferable, especially when the road/traveling conditions are not optimal.
One of my most memorable candlelight services was during the COVID-19 restrictions. I was at St. John’s United Church of Christ, and we’d moved all of our afternoon and evening worship outdoors. While people sat in their cars with heaters blowing, I was doing my best Frosty the Snowman imitation on the patio. You’d never thought so much frozen precipitation could accumulate on a preacher who is emitting hot air.
Last December, at Brighton Presbyterian, we had to cancel our services because the weather had truly become “frightful.” So we rescheduled them to the middle of the next week.
There is a myriad of ways we can welcome the Divine-human one whose love came down at Christmas. This is a lesson I learned early on, when my father, mother, sister and I traveled to South Lorain to Grandfather’s house and met up with aunts, uncles and cousins alike.
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First, we prayed and sat down to a traditional Slovak Christmas Eve dinner. Then, we shared stories, passed around and opened presents stacked as high as the ceiling. My cousins and I took turns playing Santa Claus. To me, these rituals were sacred, just like the Mass we attended at midnight or the next morning.
What are your family traditions? And when/where do you worship on Christmas Eve or Day? To coin the most well-worn of phrases, it’s all good. It’s good because we’re TOGETHER, worshipping ONE who is a gift that is greater than any other. And it’s good because the Christ who lives within has more staying power than anything we will find under the tree, for his grace-filled love will last for an eternity.
Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual guide.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mark Katrick faith column: To have regular Sunday service on Christmas
