There's just something so magical and special about sharing fellowship on Christmas Eve in a place that's lit only by candlelight. If you're planning a Christmas Eve candlelight service, our outline can help. It's totally customizable, so you can make the service entirely your own.
Customizable Outline
A Christmas Eve candlelight service usually includes choir performances, congregational Christmas carols, scripture readings, prayers, and possibly a short sermon or special speaker. The outline below gives you a great starting point and can be tailored to your church's specific needs, traditions, and time constraints.
Although this outline suggests lighting the congregation's candles at the end of the service, they may be lit earlier. Some prefer to have candles lit for the entire service, while others wait until closer to the end.
These are some elements to consider:
- Prelude (instrumental) into dimly lit room/hand out candles
- Welcome & opening prayer
- Lighting of Advent candles
- Congregational Christmas carols
- Scripture readings
- Choir performance, solo music, or poetry reading
- Sermon, homily, or speaker
- Blue Christmas prayer and lighting of blue Christmas candle
- Communion with music
- Lighting of the congregation's candles with music
- Benediction
- Postlude
Recommended Songs and Scripture Readings
With so many songs and scripture readings to choose from, it can be challenging to determine which to feature in your service. Here are some suggestions — your church's choir or music director can also add valuable input.
Congregational Christmas Carols
These are all beautiful carols the congregation can sing on Christmas Eve.
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Hark the Herald Angles Sing
- Joy to the World
- Silent Night (This song is a good choice to sing as the final congregation carol after the candles are lit.)
Solo Performances
Solo performances really add depth and emotion to your service. The following songs are perfect for solo musicians:
- O Holy Night
- Mary, Did You Know?
- Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming
- Ave Maria
- What Child Is This?
- O Come, O Come Emmanuel
- Coventry Carol
- Still, Still, Still
Scripture Readings
For your service, you'll want to choose scripture readings that relate to the meaning of the season — the birth of Christ. Following are some options to consider — you can read the entire chapter or choose specific verses that relate to and flow with your song choices:
An Inspiring Celebration
A Christmas Eve candlelight service is a wonderful way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. It provides time to reflect and an inspirational and uplifting escape from the hustle and bustle of the season. No matter what elements you decide to include in the service, make sure things run smoothly by planning ahead and creating a detailed outline.
