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Try this one on for size: a pastor’s experience of a Christmas Eve service as a proxy for how Christmas may feel to all of us.

I’ve told people this before––and please keep your holy water nearby if this sounds impious to you––but I have mixed feelings about Christmas Eve services, especially when I’m in charge of them.  Imagine playing your Super Bowl but with a different shaped ball, different sized field, a different team, and different fans.  Helloooo, Christmas Eve!

Still, I must immediately disclaim: every year at Liberti Collingswood, I’m proud of all of the work that our staff and congregation put into the Advent season, and without exception every year has been a success.  The same holds true for the Christmas Eve service itself, since our already worn down staff and volunteers pull off yet another worship service just a couple of days after Sunday.  Imagine the Eagles beating the Cowboys on Thanksgiving day but then turning around and facing the Giants three days later.  This is what churches do every Advent!

Plus, Christmas Eve isn’t just another service.  We do different things than normal, and the mix of people is different.  A good chunk of our regular members and attenders are out of town, but on the other hand, the Liberti Collingswood peeps that are left behind will tend to rope in lots of friends and family to worship with us.  There’s a much different mix than usual in the room.  Meanwhile, many of our stalwart staff members, musicians, and set up teamers will likewise be away on 12/24, and it’s not like we can enlist first time visitors to step in at the last minute to take their place.  

As a result, Christmas Eve can feel like our most important service of the year that also happens to be our most undermanned (and -womanned).  No pressure there, pastor!  If I’m not careful, I find myself looking forward to the long winter’s nap after 12/24 much more than our main event.

This will be me in my moments of negative headspace, but thankfully, it’s not all the time.  Sure, Christmas Eve brings with it some particular stressors, but it more than that offers specific joys.  There are some songs we sing on Christmas Eve that we save for that night only.  There are extended families in the room that won’t be with one another like this until about 365 days later, give or take.  It’s the one time all year that we light the Christ candle and pass the flame around during “Silent Night.”  I probably preach the gospel to more spiritual seekers and skeptics that evening than in any number of normal sets of months combined.  And on Christmas Eve, I’m able to reflect in a unique way upon what Christmas Eve is all about in the first place.  Emmanuel, God with us.

When I was a younger pastor, I would miss the blessings of Christmas Eve for the stress.  Please don’t do the same between now and 12/25.  It’s of course the case that this season can be a pressure cooker like no other, and the mom/dad/son/daughter/friend guilt meter rocks off the charts.  Nevertheless, seek God’s Spirit to fight through the once-a-year hard stuff so that you can catch the once-a-year hope, peace, joy, and love of Advent.  It’s all there for you.  He is here for you.

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