A light in the dark: Candlelight services hold special meaning for worshippers

Before gathering around the Christmas tree, exchanging presents and eating a large helping of holiday ham, some people will celebrate another tradition -- filling the pews for candlelight services Wednesday evening.

For many, holding a candle inside a dark auditorium while singing "Silent Night" is a time-honored part of the Christmas season, said the Rev. Rob Hurtgen, associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Jackson.

"There's something about singing 'Silent Night' while it's lit," said Hurtgen, who expects a near-capacity crowd of 500 when the service begins at 5 p.m. "For a moment it takes away from the humdrum and focuses on the real reason for the season."

Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau has been celebrating candlelight services for more than 30 years. The Rev. Scott Moon said a large part of the service will be music, consisting of three bell anthems. Moon said the 6:30 p.m. service will end with the lighting of the candle while singing "Silent Night" that includes a verse in German to celebrate the congregation's ethnic heritage.

"The significance of having a single lighted candle representing Christ, the light of the world being shared one by one and lighting individual candles is a powerful and visible sign of the spiritual truth that the spirit of Christ is shared and lights up the world," Moon said.

The Rev. Mike Parry echoed the thought.

He said that at Fruitland Community Church's 5:30 p.m. service, worshippers' candles will be lit and extinguished several times throughout the evening to signify the stages of Christ's life from birth to resurrection.

"At one point we'll actually let out the flame of the candles and take the Lord's Supper in the dark," Parry said. "Then we'll relight the candles as a symbol of his raising from the dead and being the light in a darkened world. The whole idea is that he was born, died, resurrected and now is the light of the world."

But Parry said Christians should be challenged to carry on that light beyond Christmas Eve.

"The real challenge is taking that truth and living it out the rest of the year," Parry said. "The candle helps us look forward to Christ's return back to Earth."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

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