Snapshots of Christmas Eve Candlelight Service December 24, 2024

Verses one through five in Matthew 7 (NIV) advise: 

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.²For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye..."

These verses and this message by Guest Speaker James Snodgrass highlight several questions and observations about Christianity. One question is, "Where would we be today without Christianity?" This is a big question to ponder.

Christians comprise about 31 percent of the world's population. Since there is strength in numbers, the second question follows, "Isn't it better to focus on the big things we have in common as Christians rather than becoming divided over small differences?" 

Pastor Steve's January 5 message focused on the Epiphany. The lit Christmas trees in the church made a beautiful background to the story of the Magi travelling and following the light of the bright star, taking the prophecies of the newborn King to heart, and interpreting other signs in the Bible that guided the the Wise Men to the young Jesus Christ. As written in Matthew 2, verses 7 through 12:

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Pastor Steve focused on this journey of faith that the Wise Men undertook and noted that Epiphany is about wonder and mystery. There are many great lessons in this message with the over-arching thought being that we all can see the signs of God in the world around us and those signs are intended to turn us toward the richness of God.

As the year 2025 approaches, Pastor Steve encouraged the congregation, "Let's open our hearts to the miracles around us. Let's make this a prayerful time and take every opportunity to talk to God. Let's fix our minds on God for everything we have and truly enjoy His blessings. We can't face a crisis if we don't face God first." 

The Scriptural focus for pastor's message was Luke 2: 22-40, recounting Mary and Joseph presenting baby Jesus in the temple for purification rites in keeping with the Law of Moses. Verses 25 to 45 (NIV) tell us:

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.²⁷Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss^[c]your servant in peace. ³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

³³The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,³⁵so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Luke 1: 26-33 The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will  never end." 

In reflecting on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, Pastor Steve went back in time to discuss various aspects of Jesus' life in this message. He does a bit of storytelling as he imagines the mystery and confusion surrounding Mary's birth of the baby Jesus and then delves into the impact of Christ's birth, his life, and the days following Christ's Crucifixion, when the resurrected Jesus appeared to over 500 people.  Pastor discusses the miracle of God's gift to the world and concluded with a prayer that the congregation keep the wonder of Jesus' birth alive in their hearts.

Guest speaker Jim Gans spoke about the four pillars of joy, in reference to the birth of our Savior and the type of joy being celebrated during the Third Advent Service. Speaker Gans cited many biblical references to help shed light on the difference between spiritual joy and the idea of just being happy. He referenced the first pillar of joy as God's Creation, Jim related that  the second pillar of joy is The Word of God, the third pillar of joy was described as being found in the prophesy of Christ and our Savior's birth, with the fourth pillar of joy being the assurance of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. A variety of verses from the Old and New Testament were quoted by Speaker Gans to shed further light on biblical references to rejoicing in the Lord and the gift of His Son. Phillippians 4:4 was the scriptural focus of this message:

"Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, rejoice."

Jennifer Johnson, Oliver Fox, Jim and Laurel Snodgrass, and Don Hasbrouck led the congregation in singing at the Thanksgiving Service.

Gary Hackbart and Frank Gagliardi opened the special Veterans Day Service on November 10, 2024.

Frank Gagliardi as the "First Veteran" presented colors at the special DCCC Veterans Day Service with Gary Hackbart leading the Pledge of Allegiance and Call to Worship. There was a special reading, songs, and prayer and Pastor Steve gave the sermon listed below.

The DCCC Candlelight Service included special songs, nativity for children, a sermon by Pastor Steve, and closing with all attendees singing Silent Night by candlelight. All guests received gifts of ornaments and cookies upon exiting. The children who helped with the Nativity received gifts as well. It was a beautiful night of honoring and remembering the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Please listen to Pastor Steve's sermon below.