Written by Dave Johnson (Youth and Children’s Coordinator, Beyond Youth)
I love Christmas, and I love Christmas as a youth and children’s worker. I often get caught up in organising and forget what of a privilege it is to spend time with families reflecting on and celebrating the Christmas story together, but once we get to the event I’m always reminded of just how joyful it is. Christmas 2024 with Beyond Youth was no different.
We started our week of celebrations waiting outside Grace Darling School in a very chilly Newbiggin, wrapped up warm and carrying a star on a stick, covered inside and out in fairy lights. We’d advertised that people could join us as we “followed the star” down to the church on the headland. While most families took the far more sensible option of driving down and meeting us at the warm church, a few young people and one family braved the elements as we made our way down.
We arrived at the church to join in with the crafts and prayer spaces taking place amongst the lights. Young people made lanterns, reflected on the different people in the nativity, and enjoyed the fairy lights, Christmas tree and light up nativity to which we added our star. Young and old alike then joined for a short service where we prayed together, sang carols, and told the story of the shepherd’s together (including lots of “baa” and “hallelujah” noises from the audience!).
Then at the weekend we gathered again, this time at Ashington Holy Sepulchre Church. Some people came already in costume, others dressed up, others opted to cover themselves in battery powered fairy lights (and some did all three – lights on costumes on costumes). We thought about our gifts and what we could bring to God as the magi brought their gifts to Jesus, and put these on Christmas tree decorations to take with us on our walk. After a brief service with carols and part of the nativity story we set off on our way – around 40 children and adults made our way, following the same star, to St Andrew’s Church in Seaton Hirst parish. On the way we stopped at some residential homes to sign carols with residents and celebrate with even more of our community.
On arriving at St Andrew’s we hung our gift decorations on a waiting tree, to be displayed at the upcoming tree festival, and sat down to hear the rest of the nativity story. As we ended with a final carol, one of the young people asked to stand in front of the congregation and lead our carol with Makaton sign language that they’d learnt at school. It felt so fitting that as we celebrate our infant saviour we would be led by a child.
Both events finished, as many good things do, with hot chocolate, snacks, and time together simply enjoying each other’s company.
At both events two things really stood out to me in particular. The first is that, for all I miss the sun during the long winter nights, I am always amazed at stars. As we followed our big star through Newbiggin and Ashington the pinpricks of starlight shone above. Those ancient stars joined us as we explored an ancient story. We invite people to encounter a God who is so phenomenally huge that the entire cosmos of stars was created by God’s word, yet at Christmas we remember that same God became as tiny and knowable and like us as a baby.
The second is how much people want to show up and have fun exploring this story. It was a cold night as we walked through Ashington, but the mood was warm and joyful. Newbiggin Church is set out on a dark and windy headland but in the cosiness of the church itself there was a real sense of cheer and gladness. Just like at the first Christmas, where the light of the world entered into what can be such a dark world, joy despite everything marked these events, and I’m so glad for the people who made that the case.