The John Nilsen Trio will be joining us to help us continue the celebration of Christmas.

There is something about Christmas Eve. It is hard to describe that "something" that many of us feel and it is different, to be sure, for everyone. The older we are and the more memories we accumulate, the more complex the feeling becomes. Perhaps the tendency for reflection upon one's life and the presence or absence of loved ones on this night is why we love to hear "all is calm, all is bright." On this night we remember the promise of God–that God would be "Emmanuel," God-with-us forever more.

This hybrid Christmas Eve service celebrates the birth of Jesus and will end with spreading the light as we sing “Silent Night.”

**Note: You must sign up ahead of time for this special service, space is limited. Sign up here

The last verse of the hymn invites us to lift our voices in alleluia's to the one who is "King." This descriptor was more radical for the people of Jesus' time as it resisted the powers of empire that threatened "the least of these" that Jesus came to serve. We are reminded by this seemingly benign and sweet song that whenever there is injustice in this world, we are to look to the one whose power is love.

How might this increase our hope for the future?

The presence of God in human form is the "dawn" of redeeming grace, says the hymn's third verse. God so desired to be "up close and personal" that God came to live, breathe, feel, teach, touch, and love. Made in the image of God, we are called to nurture relationships that birth, multiply and radiate grace in the world.

What would the world be like if “love’s pure light” was at the center?

The shepherds got quite a wake-up call that night when the sky lit up "like a Christmas tree" (so to speak). Awe at the transformative glory of what God can do in our lives is the focus this week. Glories are streaming every day if we only have eyes to see.

How would our lives be renewed if we saw the world and our lives through the lens of wonder?

One of the most famous stories about this beloved hymn took place in World War I. British and German soldiers on the front lines called a truce on Christmas Day. So close were the encampments from which they were fighting one another, they could hear each other in the peaceful quiet of the truce singing “Silent Night,” each in their own language. This prompted the soldiers to come out and meet on the battlefield, without weapons, and they spent the day playing soccer and exchanging small gifts–whatever they had. Humanity is the holy infant for whom God so desires a heavenly peace.

Is it possible to bring calm and bright to our own corners of this world?