2017 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
“Home for Christmas”
Welcome
Carol - “Joy to the World”
Home for Christmas, part one
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home
This sentiment was literally true for my family when I was growing up. We never missed a Christmas Day at my mom’s parents’ home in West Virginia. (That had the added benefit of opening our presents the night before, on Christmas Eve!) The gathering of the Ross clan in that itty-bitty house with grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins was the highlight of the holiday season.
The old house is gone now, and we’ve all grown older with children and grandchildren of our own. New traditions are formed—but family and home are still central to most Christmas celebrations. Some things never change…such as the truth that “there’s no place like home for the holidays.”
Carol - “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
Home for Christmas, part two
Being home for Christmas is important to nearly everybody, but some folks won’t have that opportunity this year. They may be serving our country overseas. They may be in a hospital or nursing home, unable to come home. They may be incarcerated. They may not have a home to come to.
They all have one thing in common: None of them want to be where they are. No one wants to be alone. While isolation and loneliness are painful at any time, during the holiday season it seems doubly distressing.
Special - “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” - Tina Leathers
Carol - “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
Home for Christmas, part three
The words “Home for Christmas” have a different significance for some families this season. There will be an empty chair at the dinner table, and an empty place in the hearts of all. This will be the first year without a special loved one, and it will be difficult to celebrate with a heavy heart. Yet, as this Steven Curtis Chapman song points out, considering this from their perspective may help ease the pain…
Special - “Going Home for Christmas.” - Steven Curtis Chapman
Carol - “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
Home for Christmas, part four
Tonight we have considered some folks who will not be home for Christmas. If you think about it, though, the very first Christmas family did not spend the holiday at home, either. The Bible records in Luke 2:1-20,
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
We hear a lot about homelessness, especially as winter weather sets in. Despite the efforts and generosity of many, thousands of men, women, and children have to home to go to, not only at Christmas but at any time. Jesus can relate to them, having been born in a barn since there was no room in the inn.
There is another kind of homelessness, though, that is not often talked about: spiritual homelessness. So many people find themselves without a spiritual family or spiritual home. They may believe in Jesus, but they are spiritually on their own, without the warmth and shelter and support that a church family can provide.
If you find yourself spiritually homeless, I want to invite you to become a part of our church family. Come and join us, not just once or twice a year, but all year round. We welcome you home—home for Christmas!
Carol - “Silent Night.”
Merry Christmas, and good night.
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