Comments on: Open Mic at the iMonk Cafe: Christmas Worship 2008

By: davidbmc

davidbmc — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:49:08 +0000

I just posted a video of the now famous “Wii Incident” at our Christmas Eve church here:

http://voyageministries.blogspot.com/2009/01/christmas-eve-at-newchurch.html

By: C

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:27:59 +0000

Went to a children’s mid-afternoon Christmas Eve service where my 10 year old was a shepherd. Unfortunately it was not the best experience, music was slightly out of tune, the timing both frazzled and irritated me to have to be there so early. It was an Episcopal Eucharist with slightly sloppy liturgy since it was “only” the children’s pageant/service. The attention to detail, I presume, was saved for the later 10:00 p.m. liturgical extravaganza, the service I sorely wanted to be at. I can’t convince my family that our Christmas traditions involve two church services in one evening. Spent a good part of the service stage whispering to my teenager to “stop-texting-now-or-you’ll-never-have-a-cell-phone-again-so-help-me”.

The last few days, I’ve soothed my battered soul by listening on the internet to Choral Evensong and Lessons and Carols on BBC Radio 4.

I worry in 25 years I’ll be that brittle old lady sitting in the front pew, mad at the newfangled liturgy,
irritated at singing the wrong version of “Away in the Manger” and fuming when the sopranos can’t hit the high notes during the descant for the third verse of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.

God have mercy on me, a sinner.

By: Karen in AZ

Karen in AZ — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:20:07 +0000

We attend a small, “non-denominational” church. Historically, we haven’t had a lot of liturgy, yet the congregation where we attend currently has an Advent wreath. And we do have a Christmas Eve service which is very well attended.

This year, we extended an invitation to a small Presbyterian congregation that wanted to have a service, but had no place to meet to join us in a combined service. (Our worship band led; their pastor spoke.) It’s a service with kids of all ages, full of worship and a focus on the coming of Christ.

We conclude the service with communion (taken in families who come to the front, serve each other, take a candle and circle the sanctuary), candle lighting, and Silent Night.

I don’t recall much of the message in particular (we were sitting in the back with our kids and granddaughters so it was a bit distracting), but the sense of community was strong.

I didn’t make it last year since I was preparing to fly up to Oregon the next day (yes, Christmas) to spend my Dad’s last Christmas with the family up there. (He died 2 weeks later.) I missed it, so this year was bitter-sweet.

By: Giovanni

Giovanni — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:26:53 +0000

I went to Tridentine Midnight Mass at St. Anne’s in San Diego, it was the first time my wife was going to see the Mass in Latin. She liked the Mass she told me though she was bothered by a couple of things:

(1) There was this realy tall guy in front of her so she could not see what was going on at the altar most of the time.

(2) She was not ready for the amount of kneeling and standing. I told her she did not have to kneel if she did not want to but she said she did not want to appear as if she did not belong there.

Oh and she was the only one not wearing a Mantilla (head covering) she kind of noticed that as soon as we went in.

It was great though, the music could have and should have been better.

By: austin

austin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:25:09 +0000

The past two Christmas Eve I have attended a midnight service of a very small “break away” Anglican fellowship. This year they moved it up to 10 and since I was not finished with family stuff then I went to the 11 service at the large stone Episcopal church downtown where I have snuck in a few Wednesdays to their Celtic Liturgy.

To say it was moving and impressive would be an understatement. I’m pretty sure they have never had a small church rural baptist pastor have a running fit in their services, but I came close when the bells tolled, the organ crunk up, and the choir in white and red robes came marching in singing “Old Come all ye Faithful” accomponied by a large banner, the crucifer, a large golden bible held aloft, and a guy swinging incense. I’m not sure how much of that fits into the regulative principle but it sure was impressive. And the service itself was nice. I like the order of it. The sermon was reflective. In fact if I could convince the episcopal church to reverse itself on about 500 years of teaching on infant baptism I’d probably convert next week. I find very little else there that I disagree with. Add to that the fact that everyone their was well dressed and smiling and it was a great night.

By: BlaineFabin

BlaineFabin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:49:14 +0000

Went to 6:00 evening mass with childrens choir. Very crowded but nice. Bishop Lynch presided and it was nice to see his staff moving down the aisle. The gospel reading was interrupted at several places, where the choir would sing the corresponding carol, (angels we have heard on high, silent night, away in a manger etc.) and children dressed as Mary, Joseph, shepherds and angels took their place in a living nativity. Nice homily with the children invited to the front as the bishop told them a great story about the nativity, and traded shepherd staffs with “joseph”. All was very good.

mike

By: Bob B.

Bob B. — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:45:25 +0000

For the third year in a row, our pastor began the Christmas Eve candlelight service by having the congregation sing “Jingle Bells” and “White Christmas.” This act is considered so sacrilegious by my wife that she hasn’t attended Christmas Eve service for the past two years. I don’t know whether he just enjoys those particular songs or wants to provide a decompression chamber from the world before continuing with a totally traditional, Christ-centered hour, but it does seem totally out of place. I accompanied on the piano a flutist who played “The First Noel” and “What Child Is This?” and “Go Tell It On the Mountain.” A man who teaches at a local Bible college read Luke 2. A trio sang. A young man played a jazz version of “We Three Kings Of Orient Are” on an electric guitar. Pastor spoke on “Fear Not” and also about darkness and light. We ended with everyone lighting candles and singing “Silent Night” (apparently a very common thing to do at Christmas Eve services in the United States of America).

Several years ago the choir director and I and our wives attended midnight mass at the RC cathedral in Atlanta and heard beautiful choir music such as Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” accompanied by organ and a small ensemble from the symphony. Very few in our church would have understood or approved of either the music or our attendance.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:40:17 +0000

My greatest experience during the season happened early Christmas Eve morning. I stepped onto the porch of very dilapidated frame home where a former student of mine lives with his parents and an older sister. The two siblings came with me to the car to help retrieve a large box of groceries, a fruit basket, a gift basket, along with some cash. When we got back to the porch they were sounding their very sincere ‘thank you so much.’ As always, I told them the gifts were not from me. They ‘are from your Heavenly Father. He loves and CARES for you so very much.’ I cupped my hands to the young sister’s face and said, “I am so sorry for all the troubles you see. Please know that the three beautiful children you brought forth and were taken from you…are blessing three households in ways only God knows. They are gifts from God and from you. Know that your sins are no greater than mine. Know that our Father’s love and mercy sustains us all.” I left knowing that the Father had touched His kindness to their hearts. I knew the ‘visit’ to their affliction had brought Christmas to them because they literally were visited by the Christ Child.

By: Bry McClellan

Bry McClellan — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:14:12 +0000

I have enjoyed each of these comments. My heart goes out to Bob Pinto and there is little that can be said to bring comfort in those situations. It in a reminder to me about how fragile life is and how quickly most of us could be in his place with the loss of a job or illness. There are no guarantees and I wonder how the prosperity gospel folks react to these situations. No doubt they would blame Bob for not having faith.
I also am part of a tradition that has no tradition except not having a tradition. It seems to become more shallow as the years pass for me. I attend a small Episcopal church often and get much from it. The Christmas eve service was small but very traditional with great music from a visiting organist. We don’t have to worry about the media situation that Davidmc mentioned for there is not sound system and no projectors or computers. That removes most of what can go wrong in the service. I am quit familiar with the many things that go wrong in media for I use to operate the sound system in the church I am a member of. It was always embarrassing when things went wrong and then you had the added embarrassment of the pastor or music director trying to be funny by blaming it on the demons. I often wondered why they could not commend us for a thankless job at these times. The media people are taken for granted until something goes wrong. Anyway Christmas eve was wonderful at the Episcopal church and there was no service at my Baptist church that I love dearly. I just can’t understand why we baptist have to work so hard at being nontraditional and continually reinventing worship.

By: davidbmc

davidbmc — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:08:57 +0000

I still havent bothered to ask the media guru what happened, but while everyone was holding their candles and softly singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve, over the sound system suddenly a very loud recorded announcement came on that said, “CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO RECEIVE A BRAND NEW NINTENDO WII!”

Everybody cracked up laughing and it totally ruined the mood.

But it was fun. We all survived the trama.