Hymns, prayers highlight German Christmas service
Community of Joy’s seventh annual German Christmas service was a great success. Worshippers came from across the Rio Grande Valley as well as from Santa Fe. The oldest participant was a 92-year-old, German-born woman from Albuquerque who has been living in New Mexico since 1954.
One-hundred-andthirty-six people attended the service, which offered Christmas hymns, prayers, scripture readings and a sermon all in the German language. Pastor Michael Bastian, who was born in Germany, led the service in his native language. Whether people’s background was German or they had lived or worked in Germany as Americans, visitors shared with Pastor Bastian that this service reminded them of their childhood or revived family traditions from long ago.
The German Christmas choir under the direction of Susan Hurll-Bastian provided choral music and led the singing of hymns in German. “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) and other traditional German Christmas hymns were sung at the service.
Pastor Bastian invited a mother of a gravely wounded U.S. veteran, Christine Schei, to offer a Ministry Moment about the work of Wounded Warriors. Her son, Eric, is a recipient of help and support from Wounded Warriors. In response to his mother’s personal and inspiring presentation, a free-will offering in the amount of $909 was collected in support of Wounded Warriors project. PASTOR MICHAEL BASTIAN Community of Joy Lutheran Church