Every year, my family attended the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at our church. As the sun set, we sang hymns, followed the Christmas story, and watched as the final candle, the Christ candle, was lit. Then, the light was passed around the dark church and faces shown and eyes sparkled in the candlelight.
A people in darkness no more.
For many years after I married, we continued to travel to my home church for this special evening; however, as our family grew, the tradition became a scary one, rather than one filled with beauty. I spent the first half of the service trying to keep the children from eating their candles and the second half trying to keep them from burning themselves. All this while sitting in a church pew longer than my arms could reach. Finally, I decided we would have to give it up and just stay home.
However, I wasn’t about to let go of the tradition and all its rich meaning altogether. Instead, I exchanged the long church pew for my living room and wrote my own Christmas Eve service for our family to enjoy.
The Candlelight Service is a simple one, but so beautiful as it takes hymns and Scripture and follows the story from longing to realization to spreading the Good News!
This week, I share this Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with all my wonderful subscribers! Look for the link at the bottom of my emails to you.
Not a subscriber? Type your email in the box below, follow the instructions in the confirmation email and enjoy your FREE daily dose of Raising Arrows right in your inbox! You’ll find the link to our Christmas Eve Service at the bottom of your first email from me!
Please, feel free to share this post with others if you feel they would be blessed by our Christmas Eve Service!
I can’t begin to tell you what a blessing this will be for my family this Christmas Eve. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us. Merry Christmas and God bless you!
SO many times I find myself heart connecting with your thoughts and how you express them. Not to get all sappy-happy on you…but sometimes it’s good to hear and say…you fill a Spiritual Mentor void for me. We live in a very spiritually dark area of the country. My husband is Providentially (otherwise we’d be somewhere warmer with more churches!) leading a small church plant. And my heart resources are close to nil. I’ll have little pity parties more often than I care to admit. But then, you’ll post something that speaks to me. Encourages me. Challenges me. Frees me. And it’s such a blessing.
Thank you. And Merry Christmas!
…danielle
Awww, thank you, Danielle! That does my heart good. And I hope you can use this – It really such a simple, yet beautiful service.
This was my FAVORITE part of Christmas growing up. I was disappointed to see that things had changed to more of a special music service the last time I was back. (I think that may have been the first time I took my husband back home.) I was thinking of writing my own service, too, to have at home, but it wasn’t going to happen this year very well, so thanks so much for sharing!
I knew you would be able to relate! I had no idea it had changed.
Thank you so much for sharing this special tradition. I will put it in the works for our family’s Christmas dinner together. A few people in our family are lost (that sadly includes my Dad) and I hope this will help bring the light of Christ into their hearts.
Wonderful! I pray it does help to bring light.
Thank you for this. It’s very lovely and a nice tradition to start.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Merry Christmas to you and yours and may your season be filled with Love, Laughter, and time with your Family.
This is so lovely and just goes to show that you can praise the Lord anywhere. And how beautiful to have family traditions.
I’ve been thinking about doing something like this since we will actually be home this year instead of traveling. Reading the Christmas story, candles and family communion – I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Christmas.
Your readers may also be interested in the Nine Lessons and Carols that date from 1918. King’s College, Cambridge, has a beautiful recording of this service.
thanks
I’ve been a subscriber for a while. I would like a copy of your prayer service. How can I get it since the current emails I receive do not have the link? Thank you!!
At the bottom of today’s email, you should see a link.
Thanks Amy!! When I read your reply from my phone earlier today, I thought you had said, at the bottom of EVERY email I should see a link. lol I was like wow, how did I miss that?
Checked it out… love it. Definitely want to incorporate it. Our church doesn’t have services on Christmas Eve.
Wonderful! Enjoy it!
I love the title of your blog! My “arrows” are raised…God bless you in raising yours!