Seven churches unite to tell the Christmas story

A manger scene at Messiah Lutheran Church on Cottage Grove Road.

By Phil Haslanger
Collaboration Project Story Team

Think of it as driving around to see Christmas lights, but based on the Christmas story.
Think of it as a way to honor Christmas traditions in the time of a pandemic.
Think of it as a venture in cooperation among seven congregations that could be the groundwork of future collaboration.

Seven Lutheran churches that stretch from McFarland, across the east side of Madison and touching the city’s south side have come up with what they are calling an Advent Adventure. Starting Dec. 6 and running through Jan. 6, each congregation will have an outdoor lighted display that tells a part of the Christmas story. At each stop, visitors can watch on YouTube a 10-minute program of scripture, music and prayer from that congregation telling that part of the Christmas story.

When a car stops at McFarland Lutheran, they will hear the story of the angel Gabriel letting Mary know that she will be the mother of Jesus. They will hear the Christmas carol, “What Child is This.” And there will be a prayer for the world in this time of pandemic. 

And so it will go until at the end of the journey at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Monona, there will be the reading from the beginning of the Gospel according to John proclaiming that the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us” and visitors will hear the hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and a prayer for all holiday celebrations.

The idea grew out of the regular monthly scripture study of the pastors of congregations that are part of the Eastside Madison Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). 

Rev. Andy Twiton, pastor at Trinity Lutheran on Winnebago St. in Madison, said they struggled with the question, “How are we going to find a way for people to hear the Christmas story and the music that is such a huge part of Christmas and how we do that in a way that is safe?”

They started talking about how people drove around to look at lights in a normal year and realized they could build off that concept as a way to help members of their congregations find ways to dive into the Christmas story in a new way.

“I’m kind of imagining it’s like driving through the holiday lights at Olin Park,” said Rev. Heather Hayward, pastor at New Life Lutheran Church between Madison and Cottage Grove on Cottage Grove Road. She said she remembered being at her grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve and hearing them read the Christmas story. “I hope it is similar to that,” she said.

Twiton noted the challenges of this year: “There is a lot of sadness about Advent and Christmas for members and for pastors. It won’t be the same, but if we can at least find a way to have some of the music and the lights and the story, we can make the best of it.”

“It’s a time when we are all cooped up, so what do you do?” he added. And Hayward saw the advantage in this approach:  “You can get out of the house but stay safe out of the house.”

The route is set so if people want to do the story in order, they will start at McFarland Lutheran, then follow the route on the map and end up at St. Stephen’s in Monona. To do it all in one night would take between two-and-a-half and three hours. But people can take it in segments or really do it in whatever order they like. 

Each church will reflect its own personality. The music will be provided by musicians from that congregation.  The other congregations participating are Hope Lutheran whose address is McFarland; Messiah Lutheran Church, closer into Madison on Cottage Grove Road; and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on Madison’s South Side.

For those who cannot drive around from place to place or cannot use a smart phone to access YouTube, there is a phone number to call into to hear the same audio and those at home can follow along on the guide. (The link to YouTube, phone number, and map are included in the guide.)

While the Lutheran churches participating in this have not had a lot of collaborative activities in the past, they have had more conversations as they each deal with issues raised by the pandemic. The pastors have gotten together regularly for that scripture study, but now new possibilities are opening up.

“I can see more partnerships post-pandemic,” Twiton said.

This is a joyful beginning for that. 

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