Green Pastures Promises a Christmas Carol Spectacular This Year!

Nothing speaks of Christmas more than a traditional Christmas carol. Even Christmas dinner, receiving presents, and picturesque conditions can't rival an excellent old-fashioned Christmas carol service. Christmas carols bring joy and warmth that help spread light, shorten the deep midwinter months, and make them brighter.

Christmas carols celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and are always sung ahead of Christmas Day. They are frequently heart-touching and welcomed by churchgoers and many community members – and that's the expectation and intention of one local church this year – to bring together one big singing family.    

For example, this Sunday evening, 17th December, Green Pastures Church, Ballymena, is holding its annual Christmas Carol service at 6.30 pm. The organisers hope for a significant turnout of both members and non-members.

Gary Shirlow has eight years of membership behind him at Green Pastures and recently joined the staff as a teaching pastor. He is helping organise the musical programme for Sunday evening and has explained why Christmas carols mean so much to him.

 "My favourite thing about Christmas is playing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve at home. It reminds me of my childhood and how we knew Christmas had arrived in earnest with Christmas carols. It also pinpoints how important family is at this time of the year," commented Gary.  But why is a Christmas carol service appealing to people of all backgrounds? Why do people still love to sing them? People have been singing carols for centuries to lift spirits during the darker months of the year. Then, when Christmas was introduced, Christian music and carols replaced pagan worship to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus.  

Well-known tunes like 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', 'O Come All ye Faithful', 'O Holy Night' 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,' 'Away in a Manger', 'Silent Night', 'In the Bleak Mid-winter' and 'Joy to the World' are familiar – and most are on the Christmas musical menu at Green Pastures this year, along with a more contemporary theme.   

Added Gary, "Although we will sing most of the traditional carols, the exciting aspect is that we're also adding our stamp and church style to the evening at Green Pastures to make it a memorable and magnificent evening."

Of course, Christmas Carols have a way of honouring such an occasion. They've endured centuries of competition and continue to announce with such delight the arrival not just of the Christmas season but also the birth of the Messiah. Despite many distractions at this time of the year, Christmas carols remind society of the reason for the season: Jesus Christ. 

These inspiring and superbly memorable melodies and appealing harmonies bring hope amid hopelessness. Sung by choirs, children, and adults alike, and even enhanced by instruments, Christmas carols reverberate with positivity – something to be welcomed following such a harsh year economically at home and abroad.

Concluded Gary, "For me, what I love about our Christmas Carol service is getting lost in the moment. You're there with family and friends, shut in from all that's happening outside. In that moment, you're reminded of the fulfilment of a promise that can't be broken – the coming of the Saviour to the world. From the first note to the last, all our troubles are forgotten, leaving room for the realisation that there's a bigger picture at work – Jesus Christ, the hope of the world."

So why not gather for a special night of Christmas Carols by candlelight at Green Pastures Ballymena this Sunday evening and stay around afterwards for festive treats and fellowship?

It promises to be a memorable and magical evening.