The Christmas season is a wonderful time to invite neighbors to church. We can hold a genuinely worshipful Christmas Eve or Day service without assuming that everyone present already knows how Christian worship works. The goal is not to make the service less Christian for neighbors; it is to make the meaning of what we are doing unusually clear, hospitable, beautiful, and participatory. We don’t remove Christian elements; we briefly explain them.
The emphasis should fall on God coming to us before we come to God. God is the one who is already “acting, sending, and arriving” before people have even noticed. That also helps Christmas connect naturally to the whole gospel rather than ending at Bethlehem.
Worship is participating in Jesus’ continuing work by the Spirit, reminding one another who God is and bearing witness to others. A Christmas service can bear witness to our neighbors. See this Church Hack for ideas for extending the invitation and an invitation template you can customize.
Sample Christmas Eve / Day Service
Keep the service brief, simple, and centered on the Christmas story. The goal is to create a worship experience that feels recognizably Christian but has easy entry points for neighbors and guests.
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- Welcome — brief, warm, and low-pressure.
- Sing familiar Christmas carols — choose songs many guests may already know, such as O Come, All Ye Faithful, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, or Silent Night.
- Light the Christ candle of the Advent wreath — briefly explain that the candle represents Jesus, the Light who has come into the world.
- Read the Christmas story — rather than a sermon, simply read a clear portion of Scripture, such as Luke 2:1–20. You might divide the reading among several readers and intersperse it with carols. A host might say, “Now we’ll hear the Christmas story from Luke’s Gospel. Christians have been telling this story for centuries because we believe that in Jesus, God came to share our humanity.”
- Play the Christmas sermon bumper video between songs.
- Offer a short prayer — thanking the Father for sending the Son and asking the Spirit to help us receive and share Christ’s peace and joy.
- Optional candlelight closing — if the space and safety requirements allow, distribute candles and sing Silent Night together. Battery-operated candles are a good alternative, especially with children or larger crowds.
- Simple blessing and sending — close with a brief blessing and thank neighbors for joining the congregation. Tell them they are always welcome.
Key: Make participation easy and never embarrassing. Print or project every congregational response. Don’t unexpectedly ask visitors to introduce themselves. Don’t ask first-time guests to stand. Don’t require people to sing, pray aloud, or come forward. Say instead, “You’re welcome to sing with us, or simply listen.” Hospitality includes giving people permission to participate at their own level of comfort.
A service like this could easily be 30–45 minutes. Resist adding too much. The simplicity itself can be welcoming — carols, candlelight, Scripture, prayer, and the good news that God has come to us in Jesus.
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