Ken Carter, a United Methodist bishop, says, “Don’t make fun of people who only attend church this time each year; they are telling you that, when it matters, yours is their home church.”
On Christmas Eve, there are likely to be a fair number of people in our church who aren’t there on a regular basis. Sometimes church folks – the people who are in worship most weeks throughout the year – have a tendency to make jokes about or give a hard time to the so-called “Christmas and Easter people” – the folks who make it to worship for the big holidays, but not during the rest of the year. But, what if, instead, we chose to approach the people who will be in church this Christmas Eve with a sense of wonder and gratitude? What if we took Bishop Carter’s words to heart and recognized that their presence means that our church is the place where they feel at home, where they feel welcomed, where they trust that they can encounter the love and mercy of God?
On Christmas Eve we get to tell the Good News of God with us – a truth that stands at the heart of our faith. Christmas is a promise that God has chosen to be with us in whatever situations we face – from the beauty of an angel’s chorus to the mess of the manger. That is news that everyone needs to hear – it is a gospel truth that our world desperately needs. I’m excited for the folks who don’t attend worship frequently, but who consider Williamsburg UMC their church home, to come hear that news together with us.
And I’m also excited for all the new folks who we might have a chance to meet on Christmas Eve. Christmas is one of the easiest times of year to invite someone to church – because even for folks who don’t attend church regularly, there’s something different – and often comforting – about the ritual of worship by candlelight on the night before Christmas. I hope you’ll take this opportunity to invite someone to worship together with you. Maybe you can reach out to a neighbor, or a friend, or a coworker – someone who you care about, who you think might benefit from worshiping together with us. Invite them to come to worship and sit with you, promise that you’ll be there with them to sing together and hold your candles high. The story we tell on Christmas Eve is one that has the power to change everything. If we really believe what we say we believe about Jesus, this is a story that’s worth sharing.
I’m looking forward to spending Christmas Eve together with Williamsburg UMC – with y’all, with people who we see every week, with people who only come to worship a few times a year, and with people who may be worshiping with us for the first time. I hope you’ll invite a friend. I hope you’ll be ready to warmly welcome someone you don’t know or haven’t seen in a while. We will worship on Christmas Eve at 5:00 (our Kids & Families Service), 7:00 and 9:00 (Candlelight Communion). Whoever you are, whichever service you attend, and however you find yourself coming to worship, I am excited to celebrate Christmas together with you!
