....and to all a good night!
My favorite church service of the year is the 10:30 pm traditional candle light service at my church every Christmas Eve. We close the service with the lights dimmed, four Christmas trees along the walls of the alter strung with glowing white lights and an alter adorned with a plethora of lit candles.
As the service comes to a close, like many churches, we sing Silent Night. As a connection to the founders of our church (German settlers who founded the church I attend over 160 years ago) we sing the first verse of Silent Night in German with the remaining verses sung in either German or English depending on each individual's preference. While we are now a congregation of a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds there's something comforting about going back to our roots and German church founders.
In addition, there's something comforting about the fact that this tradition reminds me of Christmases of years gone by when we'd visit my paternal grandparents for Christmas. My home church reminds me often of my paternal grandparent's home church an hour and a half south of me that was also founded by German farmers. Simple, hardworking folk that have taught me well the importance of stopping for a moment to remember that which is important.
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