Ideas for Your Church: A Christmas-Easter Service

It is important to show that Christmas is more than the sentimental celebration of a birth. It involves the incarnation of the Son of God, who came to give His life as a ransom for lost sinners. Thus there is an important tie between the crib and the cross. So, why not have a service, mid-way between the two events, which brings the two together?

The date of Easter: Easter does not fall on the same day each year, as Christmas does. But there is a way to calculate when it will occur. It always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21st. Here’s a site that shows the date of Easter for the next 100 years.

A good date is usually sometime early to mid February. (If it’s close to the 14th, perhaps a link could be made to the love theme of Valentine’s.) When we did this in our church, there were simple decorations representing both occasions. The hymns (carols) and Scriptures (etc.) in the first half of the service revolved around Christmas. In the second half, the focus was on Easter. The Bible message emphasized the relationship between the two. The program was greatly appreciated by all in attendance.