christingles

This year I was introduced to a new kind of Christmas service called a Christingle Service. Christingle means "Christ Light" and the service is a celebration of Christ coming to be a light to the world. The church I am a part of has done several of these services and has used the article in Reformed Worship as a guideline for the service. For us, the service began in the fellowship hall. It was here that we made our Christingles beginning with an orange and ending with the fruit, nuts and candy on the toothpicks. Each part of the christingle is symbolic. I think what I enjoyed the most about the service is that with the symbol, the ideas stick with you. It's also a great opportunity for children and teens to get involved. We distributed the parts to members of the youth group and had them help everyone make their Christingles as the service began. Though it is probably best saved as a Christmas Eve service, we found it helpful in preparing ourselves for the coming Christ a few weeks before Christmas. Whenever you do it, it is a great opportunity to share the story of Christ - that old familiar favorite - with a bit of a different twist. And, it gives you something to take home to remember the event as well!