Christmas... When Music and Worship Create Community and Family

By Cherie Brooks

Christmas...
When Music and Worship Create Community and Family
by Cherie Brooks

Picture this: a soft glow of candle light, a church full of people standing together, the organ softly playing, and voices lifted in song. What are they singing? “Silent Night..Holy Night...All is Calm…All is Bright…” I bet if you close your eyes, and are entirely still, you can hear that glorious sound, the beautiful carol in your head right now. Christmas carols and music can transport us to our childhood, to a place of togetherness and home. What a fantastic, otherworldly power…

As Director of Music at Covenant and the Olentangy Orange High School Choir Director, this time of year is so busy, so full of sound, song, and performance. Sometimes I’m so busy “delivering” the music I forget what makes it absolutely mystical, transformative. Music, at its very finest, is personal prayer. Reverent worship. A link to the Divine. Emotion incarnate. Explicit joy. Deep, painful grief. Music comes directly from the innermost parts of our human hearts. When you couple that most intimate of expressions with Christmas and all the emotion that brings, you have worship in its truest form.

At Covenant, we are worshipping WITH you, BESIDE you, even, well, FOR you if your heart is heavy and needs held. We sing WITH you, BESIDE you, FOR you…so that we might, all together as one community, be in the presence of that mystical One: the Son of God, the Holy Spirt, and God, our Mother and Father. Join us for any or all of our celebrations in the upcoming weeks, and know that the community you need, you crave, is present. We will worship. We will sing. We will be your home for these holidays.

• Wed., Dec. 21, 7pm - Longest Night
Whatever the reason, if you’d like some time to sit with the hard parts, to honor the pain in your life and in the world, join us. Tell the truth about the darkness and behold the Light bursting in.

• Sat., Dec. 24
   5pm - Children’s Service
   The children lead us in worship and ever deeper into the story of        the birth of Jesus, God with us.
   8pm - Candlelight Service
   This service features carols and candle light, and exquisite music,      interspersed with ponderings about how the Light of the world
   makes its appearance in our lives here and now.

• Sun., Dec. 25, 10am - One Service Christmas
Christmas Stories & Songs
Church Closed Mon., Dec. 26 & Fri., Dec. 30

• Sat., Dec. 31, 5-7pm, New Year’s Eve
Come and go as you wish. Meditative reflection and communion.

• Sun., Jan. 1, 10am - One Service New Year’s Day