by Josie Schieffert ’20
With the holiday season approaching, students and faculty at Gustavus Adolphus College have been tirelessly preparing for the annual celebration of Christ Chapel. Christmas in Christ Chapel 2019: Love Beyond Borders is Thursday, December 5 through Sunday, December 8, and involves over 350 students sharing a Christmas message through music, readings, prayer, and dance.
The theme this year, “Love Beyond Borders,” will follow the incarnation story in the gospel of Matthew, connecting us to God’s abundant and generous love and inspire us to transcend borders that keep us divided from one another and from God’s reign of justice and compassion in our world.
“The incarnation as we see it in the nativity story is an event of God’s spirit taking shape in the human body of Jesus that reveals God’s ability to transcend the boundary between heaven and earth, between spirit and flesh,” Gustavus Chaplain Rev. Siri Erickson said. “Through all of the movements in this story, we learn of a God who cannot be contained by any border and who encourages people to transcend boundaries for the sake of love and the opportunity to live an abundant life.”
For the first time, Christmas in Christ Chapel will include a Thursday evening worship service. The final service will take place Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Dates and times of the services for Christmas in Christ Chapel are as follows:
- Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, December 6, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 3:30 p.m.
- Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets are going fast!
A limited number of tickets remain for each service, with more available for Thursday’s service. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased online at gustavustickets.com or by calling the Gustavus Office of Marketing and Communication at 507-933-7520.
Hat and Mittens Drive
The Gustavus Hill Crew is sponsoring a hats and mittens drive during Christmas in Christ Chapel. Donations will be collected in Christ Chapel during the entire weekend. Please bring in new or gently used hats and mittens to be donated to the Connections Shelter in Mankato, Minn.
Livestream Information
Christmas in Christ Chapel will again be livestreamed online to the public on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 7. Heroic Productions, which annually provides audio, video, and lighting solutions for both Christmas in Christ Chapel and the Nobel Conference, will produce the livestream after winning a Gold Hermes Creative Awards for the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Christmas in Christ Chapel broadcasts as well as the Bronze Telly Award in 2018.
If you plan to livestream the service on Saturday evening, you can access the video online at gustavus.edu/CinCC.
Watch Christmas in Christ Chapel on Public Television Stations
Previous Christmas in Christ Chapel services will also be broadcast on public television stations across the country this holiday season. To learn more and see showings in your area, visit the Gustavus Christmas in Christ Chapel broadcast website or check your local listings. The services from 2017 (Ubuntu, Jesu) can also be streamed online at TPT.org.
About Christmas in Christ Chapel
A tradition since 1973, Christmas in Christ Chapel is a time for the Gustavus community to celebrate the holidays with one another through music, spoken word, and prayer. Approximately 350 students, faculty, and staff bring the program to life each year through the use of music and visual art. A new theme is chosen each year in order to educate participants and audiences alike about faith and cultural traditions. Choirs and orchestras lead the five services, with approximately 1,200 people attending each one.
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