You can describe it in painstaking detail – and you can post hundreds of photographs of it – but unless you have sat in the sanctuary and experienced it yourself, in person,  there is no way that you can fully grasp the joy and poignancy and color and pageantry and heart of Holy Communion Lutheran Church’s annual Christmas program called “Look for the Light.”

The program was created roughly twenty years ago by Kate Potter-Barrow (someone needs to go back into the church archives and figure out exactly when the first one occurred) to combine a carefully written narration (recounting the Christmas story), an array of songs by yours truly and others,  and the fun of live farm animals brought in to create a living nativity.  I remember Kate saying that she wanted the young children and youth of Holy Communion to be able to experience the kind of Christmas program that they would be sure to remember for the rest of their lives – something roughly akin to the Christmas programs she so fondly remembers from her childhood in rural Minnesota.

And that is exactly what she and an incredibly dedicated group of volunteers have delivered year after year after year-  a joyous, moving, unforgettable experience for everyone participating in it as well as for everyone experiencing it from the pews.  It is a retelling of a story that by now is thoroughly known- and yet we return again and again to hear it retold.

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS COMES ONCE MORE – What makes “Look for the Light” so very special?   It begins with Kate’s vision in creating this program in the first place-  for placing the Jesus story squarely in the center of it-  and for creating opportunities for young people of every age to be a part of the story,  from preschoolers to high schoolers.

And because Kate knows them so well from working with them all year long,  she has an uncanny ability for matching up kids with special speaking parts and solos … and she doesn’t select only the most gifted or skilled kids-  but also finds opportunities for those kids who might really need a moment to shine, a moment to feel special.   I also appreciate (and frankly envy) how Kate can plan everything so meticulously, down to the finest detail –  and yet is able to shrug off all of the surprises that inevitably arise in a program involving both young children and live animals.  I’m not sure I know anybody who is so thoroughly organized and also able to roll with the punches like she is.  It’s exactly that rare blend of careful organization with easygoing flexibility that makes this experience as joyous as it is for all of the rest of us.  And Kate would be the first to say that there are all kinds of other people who work incredibly hard to make all of this work – including my wife Kathy, who likes to think of herself as Ethel Mertz to Kate’s Lucy Riccardo.  Kathy helps Kate work with the youngest participants, drawing on her experience and expertise as a retired elementary music teacher.  But beyond Kathy is a small army of helpers without whom this could not happen.  Blessings to you all!

THE FRIENDLY BEASTS – Even for those of us who have been part of this for twenty-some years, it is still an amazing sight to see live farm animals at the front of our sanctuary, amidst the young people.  And although they have no solos to sing nor lines to recite (aside from the occasional ‘baah!’) they are an indispensable part of the telling of this story and making it vividly real.  You can hear the scene described or see it depicted in paintings, but it’s not until you are stepping over hay bales and brushing up against goats and sheep that you begin to grasp the central wonder of the Christmas Story …. that the Messiah would enter the world in such incredibly humble fashion, far away from the glittering places of comfort that are so easy to take for granted. The Christmas story is about the poor and humble, about people looking for a safe, warm place to sleep … exactly the kind of theme that Hallmark Christmas Movies manage to ignore completely.  These animals we bring into our sanctuary are a powerful reminder of that truth.

There is always a bit of special drama when it comes to the donkey and whether or not it will live up to the reputation that donkeys rightly or wrongly have of being stubborn.  There have been years when getting the donkey down the aisle with Mary and Jesus has been all but impossible.  (The song that is sung during the donkey’s entrance is “Shaggy Brown Donkey” which includes the lyrics “Steadily you go without complaint.”  It’s a bit absurd to be singing those words when the donkey in question is dragging its four heels, both literally and figuratively- resisting direction with all of its might.  And there have been at least a couple of occasions when the donkey made the journey down the aisle to Bethlehem (so to speak)  but then got unhappy and impatient and would attempt to exit the premises by whatever means possible.   This year’s donkey, however, was as gentle and compliant as could be.

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY – This year’s entrance of the donkey was accompanied for the first time by percussion-  one of our youngsters, Owen, has been taking percussion lessons,  and Kate asked him to provide us with a steady “clip clop” to help usher in the donkey.  He was thrilled to be asked and could not have been more earnest and focused.  And as he played,  I couldn’t help but think of the words to the last verse of Little Drummer Boy:  “Mary nodded … Pa rum pa pa pum. The ox and lamb kept time … Pa rum pa pa pum.  I played my drum for him …  Pa rum pa pa pum.  I played my best for Him … Pa rum pa pa pum.  Then He smiled at me …. Pa rum pa pa pum.  Me and my drum.”

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? – Most years,  our baby Jesus is a doll … but this year, we were blessed to have a real, live baby lying in the manger – and it helped all of us grasp the astonishing notion of God entering the world as a tiny, helpless baby.  In the words of one of my own compositions,  “So long awaited, and yet a surprise- the shepherds can hardly believe their eyes.  They were expecting their Messiah to be a leader of armies, a conquering king … not the child named Jesus.”  By the way,  little baby Jaxon was absolutely precious …. as were Emma and Cameron, his Mary and Joseph.

THEN ENTERED THOSE WISE MEN THREE –  One of my favorite moments in “Look for the Light” is the entrance of the three kings and the singing of “We 3 Kings of Orient are.”   This song is always sung by three middle school or high school boys- and in many cases,  they can only sing within a very limited range because their voice has just changed or is in the midst of changing.  So Kate will patiently sit down with each of them and determine what key is best for each of the kings – and that’s how we do the song – each verse sung in the key that best suits that particular boy, with the congregation entering on the refrain,  even if the key in question is drastically different from the familiar key found in the hymnal.  This year I had to chuckle because two of the three kings sang their respective verses in the key of a-flat minor …. which means a key signature of 7 flats.  For any of you who know music theory, you can appreciate how tricky a key that is to play in, but it was well worth it to hear those boys singing so confidently.

O COME, LITTLE CHILDREN – My place at the piano, right down front,  gives me a lovely view of much that goes on during “Look for the Light” – and I usually find time to snap a photo or two.

But where I am also means that I miss out on seeing the very youngest of the participants – the elementary students who are stationed right up in front of the altar on risers.  I hear them but I never really get to see them from where I’m seated, right next to violinist Ann Heide.

That’s why I take special delight in looking at all of the photos of the young children that get posted; it’s the next best thing to actually being able to watch them sing.  And a couple of videos I have seen show not just the wonderful young soloists whose singing graced “Away in a Manger” and “Angels we have heard on high” – but the energetic singing of all of the youngsters, singing with such heart.    It’s a reminder of why we do this – in the hope that the love and joy of this story will take root in their precious young hearts.

P.S.- As I looked back over my “Look for the Light” photos,  I was sad to realize that I had neglected to take any pictures of the set up or the take down.  It’s not that they would have been pretty pictures- but it would have been a way to honor the men and women from our church who give their time to this huge undertaking.  Most people have no clue just how much is involved in preparing the sanctuary.  We have big wooden platforms in our choir room that are moved into the sanctuary (once the 40-some chairs are moved off of them)  in order to create some semblance of a stage.   Then the entire center aisle of the sanctuary plus the whole front of the sanctuary is carefully lined with plastic.  Last but not least,  6 bales of hay are laid down.  All that has to be in place in order to make the program possible.

And then once the program is done,  the whole process is done in reverse …. plus the entire sanctuary has to be thoroughly vacuumed.  It’s a mammoth job – and by the time it occurred to me to snap some pictures of this major operation,  there was only one person left – congregation president Gregg Albright and his trusty vacuum cleaner.   Just know that he is representative of a whole lot of other people who deserve a medal for their devotion.