Christmas Hope in the Form of a Glow Stick
What’s your favorite Christmas memory? That’s a question we like to ask our neighbors from time to time. This year, one of our neighbors shared this enlightening Christmas memory with us.
“Our church has a sharing-of-the-light service every Christmas Eve where they hand out candles with little paper drip guards. At some point—usually when the choir is singing “Silent Night”—they take a candle from the altar to light everyone’s candles. When someone lights your candle, you turn and light two others.
One Christmas, I had family visiting on Christmas Eve, so I couldn’t attend the later service,” said my neighbor. “So, I attended the earlier children’s service instead. This was an abbreviated service with just a sing-along of the catchier Christmas songs and a nativity pageant, which I hadn’t seen in years. I really enjoyed it.
But I was sad when I found out there would be no candle lighting. I understood the reason; 50 young children with lit candles in an old wooden church might spell disaster. Imagine my surprise when toward the end of the service baskets were passed around with dozens and dozens of little glow sticks. As the choir started singing, the first kid broke his glow stick and shook it to life, then tapped two kids next to him, who did the same. In no time, the whole church interior was alive with light, all these little faces lit with a green glow.
It sounds like a corny substitute for real candles, doesn’t it? But it was beautiful! And the best part was they didn’t have to extinguish them at the end. They filed out into the winter night holding their glow sticks, spreading their light into
the world.”
Candlelight services are one of our favorite Christmas traditions, too. The heartwarming glow of candles and the convivial spirit of spreading the light embodies the true meaning of the season. And, what a clever way to bring a modern touch to an age-old symbol of peace and light! We wish you and your family a holiday season filled with light, love, and hope.
The Orton Family,
Gardner, Cabot, Eliot, Lyman
Leave A Comment