NOTES
for the
Christingle Service
at
St. Augustine's

2007 December 24

These are notes and comments on some of the items which appear in the Christingle Service script. Links from the script point to these entries; clicking the links in the left hand column of the table takes you back to the corresponding link in the script - or, where more than one link from the script points to the note, back to the first such link. The comments are typically related to features of the service which are specific to our church or the time of the service, or which for some other reason we think might require alteration for another setting. For references to the internal geography of the church, it might be helpful to inspect the plan.

BEFORE THE SERVICE :
FURNITURE ETC. : Inherited from the Carol Service : Christmas Tree. Stable. Manger : in the stable. On blue curtain : "GOD IS SO GOOD" in "gold" on a red background. Also : Camp fire for shepherds to sit around, out of the way but ready to move into position; Stand for big Demonstration Christingle on a small table by the centre gap in the altar rail. PROPERTIES : Doll hidden by manger ready to be Jesus. Demonstration Christingle parts, all ready to be carried on from organ side : "Orange"; Four "arms" representing winter, spring, summer, autumn; Red ribbon; Candle. Advent wreath : all candles lit. Christingle kits for ( at least ) all the children. One assembled Christingle at the lectern for the narrator to use. Polystyrene, can and milk top rings for Actor 2. Winter bird seed for Actor 4. Kitchen steps hidden behind tree for Mum. Seed packets for Actor 6 and Actor 7. Bowl of water for Actor 9. Rake or garden brush for Actor 11. PEOPLE : Narrator at lectern ( or proceeds in from the back ); Reader at lectern ( or proceeds in from the back ); Computer person at computer; Organist at organ.
ADVENT WREATH	We follow the custom of the Advent Wreath ( described here - or, for a brief summary, here ). If you don't, you'll have to make several changes to the service.
ARMS	Instead of the usual fruity arms, for the demonstration Christingle we used arms specifically representing the four seasons. Here are pictures : WINTER : SPRING : SUMMER : AUTUMN : As well as the arms themselves, we included pictures of them in the overhead projector presentation so that everyone could see.
CAMP FIRE	Our usual electric "fire".
CHRISTMAS TREE	A traditional Christmas tree, decorated only with red ribbon and gold "angel hair" ( long thin - about 20cm × 2mm × 0.5mm - flexible strips of reflective "gold" material ). There were no lights, but the tree as a whole was illuminated with a spotlight.
CURTAIN	The blue curtain is on the front wall of the church, behind the altar.
DOLL	A baby doll to represent the Baby Jesus. It should be around life-sized, or perhaps rather bigger.
GOD IS SO GOOD	The first verse - "God is so good ..." - is from the original version. All following verses used in this service are composed for the occasion, and may be freely used. Here is a collected set of the verses.
KITCHEN STEPS	These are never used as steps, and are introduced purely for effect to emphasise the implied climbing. We used a short ( four steps ) folding ladder.
MANGER	Something that could plausibly be a feeding box for cattle. Anything that looks like the traditional notion of the manger would probably do. Obviously, it has to be big enough to hold the Jesus doll. Ours is like this.
POLYSTYRENE, RINGS FROM CANS, AND CAPS FROM MILK BOTTLES	... or something of the sort. Any examples of potentially harmful rubbish will do.
RED BAND	A band of red crêpe paper, about 20cm broad. It isn't mentioned anywhere else, and the symbolism is less than obvious. Optional; you decide.
SEED PACKETS	Anything that looks like seed packets will do. We didn't have any real seed packets ( - though we did find some for the spring arm ), so printed a few more of the "Jesus seed" packets we used in a previous service.
STABLE	The stable must be big enough to accommodate Mary, Joseph, and the manger in reasonable comfort. It will later become Mary and Joseph's house. Our stable was made from two wooden clothes driers and draped with sheets; construction details here.
WARNING	Intended light-heartedly. The description of winter given is a lot closer to the traditional English Christmas card sort than to an Auckland winter.
WINTER BIRD SEEDS	A "bell" made from compressed seeds. It is intended to be hung in a tree so that birds can feed from it when there's nothing else. It isn't essential to the story; any other "kindness to animals in winter" item would do just as well.