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Sending universal messages of love, peace Local churches will welcome many visitors tonight for their annual Dec. 24 services
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he well-documented Christmas ceasefire between British and German soldiers on the Western Front in Europe is nearing its centennial. The combatants halted their pitched battles briefly on Dec. 24 and 25 to celebrate Christmas together, enjoy a drink, exchange gifts, and in some cases, play a game of soccer. It was a show of humanity between enemies who found they weren’t so different from each other after all. So what is it about this time of year that softens hard hearts and leaves Christians and secular people alike contemplating the meaning of the Don Descoteau season? Rev. Ian Victor, who Reporting presides over St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Douglas Street in downtown Victoria, estimates about 70 per cent of people who attend their Christmas Eve services are not regular congregation members. While few visitors come looking to be converted or even enlightened, he says, many incorporate the event into their family traditions, enjoying the singing of carols and the feelings of goodwill that envelop the room. To make tonight’s service (7 p.m.) more accessible to non-churchgoers, St. Andrew’s will focus on readings with broad appeal, Victor says, and a sermon “that doesn’t presume prior knowledge of the (Christian) message.� That message can still hit home, says one practising Christian. As the convenor of the St. Andrew’s worship committee, church elder John
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Don Descoteau/News staff
Congregation member John Mitchell, left, and Rev. Ian Victor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church stand in front of a stained glass window depicting the birth of Jesus Christ, in the balcony of the church’s sanctuary. Mitchell finds himself busy with details surrounding the service in the days leading up to Dec. 24. But once things get underway and he’s able to sit down and take in what’s happening, he sometimes finds himself transported. “I like Ian’s sermons,� Mitchell says. “And sometimes what he says hits a nerve with me and I can feel God’s presence a little bit more.�
Victor explains that phenomenon with a reference to ancient tradition. “In Celtic spirituality they talk about ‘thin places,’ those times when heaven seems a little closer,� he says. “I think Christmas Eve seems to be one of those thin times, in that it provides (an experience) outside of the everyday.� Mitchell notes how some people turn to God only in times of crisis, or when
they feel they need a lift. He says he always feels he has a place to go to find comfort, and it doesn’t always mean going to church. “It’s a special time for Christians, too,� Victor says, acknowledging the universal appeal of the Christmas season. PLEASE SEE: Cornerstone themes, Page A9
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