The love of Christ is in Light the Night. We often get tangled up in the grandeur and scope of a big Christmas production, but we need to look beyond the giant inflatable whale to see what Light the Night is really all about.

Early in the Light the Night process, the Performing Arts team re-envisions the timeless story of Christ’s coming to earth in a new and engaging way. As fall Performing Arts Academy classes begin, we add teachers and classes into the mix, finding ways to include as many students in the age-old Christmas story as possible. This year, we included the ballet class as jellyfish, hip hop dancers as tigers and lions, acting students as Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and disciples, and even an aerial dancer representing the vault between the waters. It was a lot, and I didn’t even mention the schools of elementary choir fish or life-sized puppets. Finally, the week of the show, we add lights, sound, video, and all 181 students in costume. The amount of preparation, meals, transportation logistics, and rehearsal hours is tremendous. It’s easy to get bogged down or even to wonder if it’s all worth it, especially when we add up the investment and the stress of the ongoing pandemic.

Then we finally get to the performance — the big show — and we see thousands pack the sanctuary. The show begins with a little bit of stage fright, and we wonder again if it’s still worth it. Then, slowly, everything comes together. The dancers beautifully grace the stage, the inflatable whale grabs everyone’s attention, and the choirs and the band preach through music. The audience loves it, and everyone sees the story of God’s plan, from the beginning of time to Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. Next, Pastor Ed delivers a simple Gospel message to a willing audience: what they all just saw on stage is a gift freely given to anyone who accepts it. When Pastor Ed asks if anyone wants to pray to receive this gift, hands pop up across the sanctuary, nearly 100 each evening! At this point we know it’s all been worth it. All the planning, the discipline, good and hard conversations with parents, CDC guidelines, and bus driver shortages are surpassed by the realization that the eternity of a person has been forever changed.

Watch the full performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Vuo8AHDzA