Christingle services at St. Augustine's; some notes.

Preparing and distributing the Christingles.

The Christingles are prepared as assembly kits. Each kit contains the components for one Christingle - an orange, a candle, four toothpicks, and four "fruits". The orange is prepared by drilling a shallow hole where the stalk used to be to accommodate the candle. Each kit is in a plastic bag.

The Christingle kits are distributed just before they are assembled. ( If they're available any earlier, the children take no notice of the service. ) The distribution should happen as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to the service. Details will depend on church geography. We usually have four distributors, two starting from the back and two from the front, and moving towards each other. In each pair, one distributes to the left ond one to the right.

The unscripted bits.

There are two parts of our Christingle services which we rarely describe in any detail in the scripts. These constitute what is essentially the real Christingle service; the preceding "dramatic" performance is a device which we hope communicates something of the real message of Christmas to the congregation, many of whom rarely, if ever, visit a church at any other time.

In this important core, the presenter describes the assembly of the Christingle, bringing out the significance of the components, and, when the Christingle candles have been lighted, offers a prayer of blessing.

Points often made in the description include :

  • the ORANGE represents the world which God made and has given to us;
  • the four ARMS represent the four compass directions ( or, equivalently, the four corners of the earth ) or the four seasons, emphasising the universality of the message; and the FRUITS on the arms symbolise God's love shown to us through His provision and His blessing in each and every season.
  • the RIBBON, red like blood, reminds us of Jesus's sacrificial love as He willingly died on the Cross that our sins might be forgiven. It goes all round the orange to show that Jesus's sacrifice is for ALL, whoever they may be, who choose to accept that sacrifice.
  • the CANDLE symbolises God's light that shines through the life and witness of Jesus and of all His followers.

In describing the Christingle and demonstrating its construction, we usually use a large demonstration model, which is much easier for everyone to see.

The main church lights are then turned off, and the Christingle candles are lit ( see below ). When all are lit, the presenter invites the people to stand and hold up their Christingles. The presenter then offers a prayer of blessing, and all sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus"; the order of these two is decided by the presenter.

Finally, the lights are turned on again, and the presenter urges all to blow out their candles.

Just in case you need it :

  Happy Birthday to You,
  Happy Birthday to You !
  Happy Birthday, dear Jesus -
  Happy Birthday to You !

( perhaps twice )

Lighting the Christingles.

This procedure is rather like the distribution.

We usually have four helpers who come to the front with tapers and light their tapers from the Jesus candle on the Advent Wreath. These helpers then go two to the front and two to the back and light the Christingles at the centre aisle end of each pew; people on the ends of the pews then light their neighbours' Christingles, and so on along the pew.

Alan Creak,
2007 October.