While it was a Holy Night, it wasn’t a Silent Night this Christmas Eve as the joyful sounds of the season reverberated throughout the Sanctuary. Musical Director, Melanie Eberhard, provided another enjoyable program of selected music to accompany a prayful and blessed Christmas Eve service.

The Jubilation Ringers opened the program with “The Friendly Beasts,” a selection arranged by Kevin McChesney and “Gentle Mary Laid Her Child Down,” an arrangement by Barbara Kinyon.

Chelloist, Karen Meier, daughter of Rev. Meier, offered the soothing tones of Gounod’s “Ave Maria.” Later, Nicole Gillete’s sweet voice drifted down from the choir loft as she sang Franz Schubert’s rendition of “Ave Maria”

Liturgists for the evening, N. Cameron Chandler, Marissa Locklear, Dierdre Pearson, Joyce Daywalt, Ray Korup, Nicol Evanik, Mark Dooling, Nancy Foster and Rev. Meier, read selected passages from the scriptures which served as the “Nine Lessons” for the evening.

The Gagliardi and Sheets Family offered vocal arrangements of “Remember, O Thou Man” and  “Me Thinks I See A Heavenly Host.”

The congregation sang:
Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story,
now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

As always, N. Cameron Chandler’s voice graces our services. This evening’s solo was Adolphe Adam’s arrangement of “O Holy Night.”

The Dooling Family assisted in the lighting of the Advent Wreath Candles.

“We relight the four Advent candles and recall what the good news means:

Hope
Peace
Joy
Love

Jesus Christ is the greatest gift who makes all these other gifts possible.”

The Doolings also assisted with the Offertory.

Joy to the World! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing

Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nation prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love
And wonders of his love
And wonders, wonders of his love