MERRY CHRISTMAS…AGAIN! 

Looking ahead to Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25th: 

Advent will have ended and Epiphany is on the horizon, but for at least this one Sunday, December 25th, we get to bask in the glory that is Christmastide! 

(No, Christmastide isn’t something you spilled on your purposefully-ugly sweater. It’s the official, churchy name of the Christmas season. You know, that thing that lasts for 12 days? Don’t worry, no collections of birds are involved in this worship service. Though there may be some leaping—that’s up to you.) 

In other words, this Sunday, December 25th, is a day for us to say: 

“We’re in church and we’re singing…we’re in church and we’re SIIINGIIING!!” 

Because that’s what we do during Christmas to celebrate Incarnation, God’s ultimate act of solidarity with humanity: we sing! 

Oh sure, we will pray, light candles, read scripture, and Pastor Dave will talk a very little bit. (What? It’s not impossible for him to talk only a little. It’s Christmas; it’s a time of miracles!) But our main focus this Sunday is on singing! 

We’ve picked a couple favorite Christmas carols and we’ll leave plenty of time for a hymn sing. What’s a hymn sing, you ask? A glorious time where you, the congregation, get to play hymnal DJ and pick what we sing! Because our Music Director, Carrie Marcotte, is just that awesome! 

Christmas songs, like all our songs, are full of theological statements. We’ll let them do most of the talking in our annual tradition of “Homily and Hymns.” That accounts for the first half of Pastor Dave’s sermon title, “Sing We Now of Christmas, Vol. 7” OR “Back to the Beginning.” 

But we will also take a few moments to consider the Christmas story according to the gospel of John. (Ok, you’re right: “what passes for a Christmas story according to the gospel of John” is more accurate.) This segment accounts for the second half of Pastor Dave’s sermon title, “Sing We Now of Christmas, Vol. 7” OR “Back to the Beginning.” 

All are welcome as we worship together Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in person and online via our Woodridge UMC YouTube channel.