As we arrive at Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I find myself thinking about how deeply music and family are woven into this holy season. There is something about Christmas music that slows us down. Familiar melodies invite us to breathe, to remember, and to gather close. Whether it is a carol hummed softly at home, sung boldly in worship, or played in the background as meals are prepared and gifts are wrapped, music has a way of holding our stories together. It carries memories of Christmases past and makes space for new ones to be formed.

This season has also reminded me how much family matters, not only the family we are born into, but the family we discover along the way. My family and I have found something truly special here at Northbrook UMC. From the very beginning, we have been welcomed with open hearts, kindness, and grace. You have made space for us to belong, to serve, and to be ourselves, and for that we are deeply grateful.

Christmas Eve, in particular, feels like a sacred meeting place, where candlelight, song, and the story of Christ’s birth draw us together as one family. In those moments, surrounded by familiar faces and new friends, it becomes clear that church is not just a place we attend, but a people we love.

As you move through this week, through gatherings large and small, through music and laughter, through quiet moments and full ones, my hope is that you feel the warmth of God’s love and the comfort of knowing you belong. May the songs you hear remind you that you are not alone, and may the presence of Christ fill your homes with peace and joy.

Thank you for being the kind of church that feels like family. We are so thankful to share this season, this music, and this life together with you.
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With gratitude and Christmas joy,
Chance Passmore

My grandfather, after retiring from both the Navy and public education, started a Christmas tree farm in my hometown. (The man could NOT sit still.) I spent the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas for much of my childhood working on the tree farm. And because they remind me of those magical times and my grandad, I love REAL Christmas trees. And before I developed an allergy to pine, I would buy the biggest one Drew would accept. I named them. I’m weird. I know.

So a few years ago, I bought a tree from the lot at the church. We put it in the stand, and there it sat, a bare, beautiful tree for a few days. And I loved it. I smelled it and looked at it and loved it. Then one day, I spent a few hours wrapping strands of lights around the branches – round and round; back and forth in semi-circles – and as I sat in the mostly dark room looking at these tiny, white lights covering this beautiful tree, I was reminded once again just how magical a simple strand of tiny, white lights can make a big, beautiful tree.

Light is a powerful thing. Turn on a nightlight in the room of a scared child and the shadows and monsters disappear. Open the blinds of a dreary room and the room immediately fills with life and energy. Put a tiny, white bulb on a big, old tree, and it goes from a tree to something magical.  

Our world is filled with darkness – monsters both real and imaginary. There is political and social darkness to be found in every corner of our world. Our lives are too busy and filled with stress – darkness. Teens and children are constantly faced with self-doubt, stress, bullying, too much pressure – darkness. It’s everywhere. It’s pervasive. It’s oppressive. And sometimes it feels like the darkness has come right to your room. Sometimes you can feel the darkness sitting right beside you. 

But so many years ago, God sent us light. It wasn’t the light everyone expected. It wasn’t a huge spotlight that cleared away all of the dark corners in our world. Instead, it was a tiny, little light in the form of a baby. And he put a little of it in you and he put a little of it in me. And if we let the light inside us shine – in a smile, in holding a door, in a kind word, in an Angel Tree gift, in hugs and encouragement, in doing the right thing, in truly seeing the people we encounter, in praying for and with those around us – we can help dispel the darkness sitting beside our neighbors. We can dispel the darkness that has come to someone else’s room. We can chase away the fears and monsters and sadness that seem to fill our world. And on days when the darkness comes to your room and sits down beside you, you just have to remember the magic and power of our one light. Remember that it burns inside you. Remember that it never leaves. 

God is with you. He is in you, and he will dispel the darkness.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5

In His Light,
Leslie Bowers
Director of Creative Services

It’s hard to believe that Advent is upon us! The crisp air, the last of the autumn leaves stubbornly clinging to the trees, people scurrying to and fro making plans--it all adds to the sense of anticipation, doesn’t it? But hark! Have you heard the voices of the season ringing out?!  If so, it’s more than likely the Northbrook UMC Chancel Choir which has been diligently preparing for the 2025 Comforts and Joys musical celebration, which will be Sunday, December 14 at 11 a.m. Come early to get your seat!
 
This year’s selection of music features some classic English and German carols to warm the heart as well as a riveting piece that reveals what it might have been for Mary to “ponder these things in her heart.” We will also have a visitor from that time period, someone who was there at the manger. The service will end with a spectacular and moving arrangement to welcome the Christ Child.
 
It is the hope and prayer of the entire music ministry that you will find warmth, joy, peace, and blessings from the service. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with such talented and committed singers and musicians on a weekly basis. And what a blessing it is to be part of a church that recognizes the importance of sacred music in worship.  
 
Let’s prepare the way for the coming of the Christ child!
 
With Joy!
Dr. Chad Hunt, Director of Worship & Music