Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Church Service

On Christmas Eve, there is only one thing we ever plan on doing; going to church.  For Christians everywhere, we are ever mindful of the "true" meaning of Christmas and never so much for me as on the Eve of Christmas when my family attends our Candle Lighting Christmas Service.

Ever since the children were very young, we would dress them in their Christmas best and head to town for this service.  Upon entering the church you can hear the sound of Christmas carols coming from the pipes of the organ.  You see people who live far away, visiting their families, and there is much hand shaking and hugging going around.  And then as the service begins, a much more thoughtful mood begins to descend upon my soul, as everyone stands to sing Christmas carols of old and then responsively read about the birth of the Christ Child from the Bible.  Each year that I attend this service, it becomes more meaningful to me.  I look around at my family and think how much God has blessed us over not only the past year but our lives.  And I am thankful; very thankful because it is only by the grace of God that we are all in attendance, in possession of our health, have roofs over our heads and food in our stomachs.  Yes, we are blessed, indeed.

And then the candle lighting part of the service begins.  As people file row by row to the front of the church, there sits wooden built trees, holding candles, one to be lit by each family.  Our family's tradition over the years was to let each person take a turn being the lighter of the candle each year.  Now that my children are all grown, it is back to just Robby and me lighting our own candle, while our children will light a candle with each of their own families.

After the entire congregation has lit candles, we all sing another Christmas carol before filing out.  More hugging and Merry Christmases go around and then it's back home with the family.  This annual Christmas tradition is the most meaningful one to me.  After all, Christ really is "The Reason for the Season".

                                                             MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Rogenmoser Crew (Minus Ryan and Allison who were on their way in late from New Orleans)