Yesterday was our 2020 Christmas Service “Let There Be Peace”
I’m currently working on getting the video from yesterday on my blog – and it’ll hopefully be up by the end of the week. In the meantime, i’ve included the program information below, and you can also watch this video – one of my favorites from the OMPC Christmas season
Mark Long sings his favorite Christmas carols from Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church on Vimeo.
Special thanks:
Steve Upton and Craneworks
Kelly and Rob Bright
Band:Drums – Jon Harvill
Bass – Drew Taylor
Synth – Michael Southerland
Electric Guitar – Jack Swaim
Electric Guitar – Landon Ditto
Acoustic Guitar – David Conrad
Acoustic Guitar – Trace Armstrong
Staff and Technical:Wes Smith – Technical Director and Sound
Mandy Sears – Kids Choir Director
Video Production – Wes Smith
Lighting – Ben McGucken
Slides – Keith Griffith
Cameras and Streaming – John Porterfield
Graphic Design – Michael Southerland
Stagehand – Josh Phillips
Heaven Everywhere – Alicia Baker
And His Name
These Christmas Lights – Angel Duke
Holy Night – Frazier Taylor
Light of the World – Lisa Moffett, Adria Vernon, Kala Waldron, Carlee Green
Glory in the Highest – Landon Ditto
Hallelujah Light Has Come – Kala Waldron, Mandy Sears, M.C. Godfrey
Emmanuel
Messiah – Carlee Green, Mandy Sears
A Christmas Alleluia
He is Wonderful – Lauren Roberts, Mandy Sears, M.C. Godfrey, Angel Duke
Glory (Let there be peace) – Brian Simmons
He Shall Reign Forevermore – Jeff Sauceda
Ring the Bells – Jenny Pruitt, Alicia Baker
Program Blurb
Welcome to Let There Be Peace
Unprecedented. Extraordinary. Relentless. Uncertain.
So many different words have been used to describe this year. It’s been one of pivots and changes and quarantines and isolation and difficult times for families, businesses, friendships, marriages and the Church. For the Worship Ministry, the state locked down just one night before the Kids Musical and just two weeks before our Palm Sunday service “Still Rolling Stones” (coming soon to OMPC, March 14, 2021!)
Choir shut down, worship went online only, and our world became accustomed to constant change, sudden quarantines, and a virus that’s been unpredictable and indiscriminate. And yet – Jesus has still been calling us, still showing up and still promises that He’s coming back to rule and reign. And so in the midst of 2020, we get to Advent and get to celebrate that 2020 isn’t the end. Jesus is. His Kingdom is.
I was that guy that Bob referenced in his sermon a few weeks ago. I put up my Christmas tree about 4 weeks early, and my outside Christmas lights 3 weeks early. It brought such joy, and became such a reminder of the season, and our call to WORSHIP that I texted Wes Smith (our Technical Director) that night and told him we were decorating the sanctuary a week early too – a desire to bring that same joy to Oak Mountain. We’re singing a song today called These Christmas Lights which has a chorus that says “open my eyes, oh heart believe the wonder of that Christmas night, be born in me….” The bridge goes on to sing “the lights are shining brightly for the glory of the king, the lights are shining brightly for the of Your name.” YES! These lights, this joy – is unprecedented, incomparable, relentless, and extraordinary. It’s for the glory of our King.
My encouragement for you is to WORSHIP with us today. Today is different from the 17 Christmas Services we’ve had over the years. The choir isn’t on stage. It’s been a sad season and there’s been mourning over what we’ve lost, and how we’ve had to pivot, but not only is today a worship service, but the choir has participated in service of worship. Over the past month, and 16 different recording sessions, the choir has come in and been individually recorded. At the end of the sessions we had over 80 different voices, all mixed together to bring what you hear today. What you SEE today is video from past services of the choir singing these songs, and my encouragement to you is to engage in the texts that we’re singing, and be reminded in the midst of however your experience with 2020 has been, that He came to redeem our souls, and He is coming again to rule and reign forever.
Jason
