Grace Lutheran Church hosts Santa in the Manger

 

[December 18, 2021] 

On Thursday evening the community was invited to attend a drop-in event at Grace Lutheran Church in Lincoln. Santa in the Manger was an event with a subtle message that children and families can enjoy the mystique of Santa Claus and still acknowledge that the real meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Families gathered, permitting children to spend time in the stable with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and Santa Claus all at the same time. Santa’s ambassador for Thursday evening was the Grace Lutheran Pastor, Dan McQuality. Joseph and Mary were portrayed by Logan County Sheriff Deputy and church member Chris Twente and his wife Ally.



The Christ Child in the manger was a doll, but at one point during the evening, Mary and Joseph were asked to hold a real baby for a photo op. The new born was dressed for Christmas, and unfortunately not all that happy about being the center of attention. None the less, it made a great picture for baby’s first Christmas.

When children came to visit Santa, he gifted them with an upside down candy cane. Upside down, a candy cane is a “J” for Jesus. According to the legend of the Candy Cane, a candy maker in Indiana created the sugary treat as a reminder to all of the real meaning of the season. The “J” of course, represents Jesus, but it is also shaped as a shepherds staff when held the other direction. The white of the cane represents the purity of the Christ Child and the virgin birth. The red stripes on the cane represent the blood shed at the cross.

Santa presented the candy to each child and shared part of that story with them to help them remember that the real reason we celebrate Christmas is the birth of Christ.

In the back of the room, McQuality’s wife Rachel was encouraging kids to take advantage of another fun activity.
 

Everyone knows that we have to be good, or Santa Claus won’t come visit us on Christmas Eve. Sometimes though, no matter how hard we try, we fail. But, we can confess our crime and Santa will give us a pass.

Children and adults alike were asked to stand in front of a large white sheet that said at the top “Dear Santa, we can explain.” Then, the culprit could choose a card that best described what bad thing they had done, or what bad habit they have not let go of.

Rachel posed for a picture with her own confession “I made cookies with raisins instead of chocolate chips.”

After visiting with Santa, Joseph and Mary, and then going to the confession wall, everyone was invited to visit the back room in the church where mountains of homemade cookies were waiting to be consumed along with cups of hot chocolate.

Volunteers assisted children with their snacks and also stood by at the front of the church to make sure that kids got their turn in the stable.

The church is located on South College Street in Lincoln and has been the home of Grace Lutheran only for the past couple of years. Grace was formerly located in the old Maple Club building just outside of Lincoln on Route 121. The church on South College for many years was the Lincoln Hill Free Methodist Church. After Lincoln Hill disbanded a few years ago, the church building changed hands a couple of times before the congregation of Grace took it over.



The church is lovely inside with beautiful stained glass windows and was very nicely decorated for Christmas.

The church offers worship services every Sunday. Sunday School begins at 9 a.m. with morning worship starting at 10 a.m.

The church will host a special Advent Service on Wednesday, December 22nd at 6 p.m. and a candlelight service on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. The community is invited to attend.

[Nila Smith]