In German it’s called Kerzenlichtgottesdienst

This Sunday is odd – the 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. I guess that makes it a short Advent season in total, since Advent is the 4 Sundays before Christmas and we just squeaked by with Dec 3 being the start of Advent. Is that why things feel rushed this year, or is it just getting older? 🤔

So we will light the 4th Advent candle this Sunday morning at our 11 AM worship service, and then light the Christ candle at our candlelight service Sunday night at 6:00 PM.

How come we can light the Christ candle/Christmas Day candle the night before? Partly because Protestants don’t tend to have Christmas Day worship services, but mostly because of Christianity’s Jewish heritage. In Judaism, a day actually begins with the night before. So for example: tonight is technically the start of tomorrow, which then ends tomorrow night, which is part of the day after tomorrow. This is why, for Orthodox Jews who observe the Sabbath, it begins Friday at sundown and ends Saturday at sundown – the Sabbath (Shabbat) is the 7th day which is Saturday. This idea and practice is actually Biblical; if you read Genesis 1:5b, it says “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

A candlelight service is always lovely and moving – the music, a sacred space like our sanctuary, and the beauty of many lights in the darkness. I look forward to sharing and remembering the light of Christ this Sunday night with you.

– Kevin