Being at Disney during the Holidays is pretty special I think (and not just because I'm the father of two children in one of their key demographic groups), as I've related on this blog before. That being said, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot is just down right moving. There is an orchestra, what appeared to be three choirs (or at least three different robe colors) in addition to featured singers, and celebrity readers. At the Processional we attended, star of stage and (small and big) screen, Gary Sinise was the reader. As Mr. Sinise reminded the audience, this was a Disney tradition he was proud to be a part of (his tenth time serving as a reader), and one that was started by Walt Disney himself.
What, for those of you who've not attended one, is going on here? The music and singin is mostly (though there were to be sure a few more secular/popular tunes interspersed in the orchestral opening section) what you might expect at a Christmas Eve service, the most popular, well known hymns you can think of, played and sung wonderfully. At what are these readers reading? Just the Gospel accounts of the annunciation and birth of Jesus Christ. Mr. Sinise did offer a few remarks towards the end (a well scripted homily on peace on earth, the theme, if you could imagine of this Epcot event in the midst of the World Showcase, as well as some others about the origins of the hymn "Silent Night"), but most of what he had to say came straight from the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. I've attended Christmas Eve services in churches that didn't have as much scripture read as what I heard at Disney.
And maybe that's what made it so special and powerful for me. For all intents and purposes my family were strangers to the roughly 1000 people or so that made up this "congregation." But for the hour we were together, we weren't just park guests. We were part of something bigger. And it wasn't Disney "magic" or glitz or glam (the Epcot facility is outside, with great lighting and sound, but minimal in the way of set decoration and effects of any kind) that made it so. It was the music, the songs, and the message, the very Good News itself. If the folks at Walt Disney have anything to say on this to churches, it might be that you don't always need the bells and whistles, or to be trendy or cutting edge. Sometimes, maybe just talking about the basics, of what made you you to begin with, is exactly all you need.
Although Black Friday is behind us, and Cyber Monday still lies on the other side of the first Sunday of Advent, I'd make a small suggestion to you dear readers. First, take a look at the Gospel accounts for yourself, let the remind you what the "reason for the season" is all about. But then second, if you find that you need one more present (perhaps in honor of someone), might I suggest Mr. Sinise's Foundation (you can link to it here), which is dedicated to helping the men and women of the American Armed Forces and their families. The bar for Christmas Eve services is now high. But the service that these men and women perform for their country, and the sacrifices they and their families make on our behalf, so that those church services can happen in peace, is greater still. They deserve our support as well as our prayers and thanks.
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