 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.
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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]
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