by Jennifer Vo
Want an early dose of Christmas cheer? Come celebrate the coming of the season with Lighthouse at our annual Christmas concert! Unfortunately, this year’s concert is now but a memory (albeit one that is recorded on video and able to be experienced vicariously, if you ask the right people), but mark your calendar for next year to make sure you don’t miss the party and, more importantly, the much-needed reminder of the real reason for the season: the birth of Jesus Christ.
As nine-time LBC Christmas concert performer Christine Cho remarks, “I really think LBC does an excellent job of putting on a great concert that’s both well-organized and Christ-centered.” From the choir’s opening lines to Pastor Patrick’s devotional, the story of Christ’s birth and the significance of the Gospel are front and center in the words being sung and spoken. Although the musical offerings range in genre from traditional hymns to contemporary melodies and in style from acoustic ballads to upbeat ditties, the same diligence is applied to all song selections in weighing the lyrical content of each song. As Christine puts it, “one of the challenges is choosing the right song.” With songs about Christmas trees and Santa Claus beginning to outnumber proclamations of Christ’s birth (at least on radio airwaves), it is refreshing to see how LBC’s Music Ministry never loses sight of what—and who—is most important. Christine reflects that “I try to stay away from anything too secular, remembering that the concert is being used as an evangelistic event [for] the message of Christ.”
In addition, attendees can be assured that LBC music director Eugene Park has done his best behind the scenes to strive for quality in the concert performances. “One of my jobs as the music director is to protect the church from bad music and bad singers,” says Eugene. “Therefore I have ‘tryouts’ for those who want to sing a solo of some sort for the concert. And yes, I have asked people not to sing because they weren’t good enough. Having the right heart is a requirement, but having at least some talent is also a requirement as well, especially for something like the Christmas concert.”
On the note of worship, Christine Cho offers a glimpse into the careful heart preparation undertaken by all performers before showtime: “During the concert, it’s easy to get caught up with when you’re supposed to go on stage, remembering what your lines are, and trying to sound your best. While it’s important to strive for excellence in these areas, it’s even more important to remain worshipful through it all.” Christine shares how she stays fixed on Christ: “I pray throughout the concert to make sure my heart is in the right place, and I also reflect on the lyrics of my songs so that I can convey the message of the songs appropriately when I perform them.”
Lastly, with all the performance, production, and heart issues in order, only one piece remains: the audience. (Read: Come, and invite all your friends, family, and co-workers!) At Lighthouse Bible Church, Christmas concert is not an event we host only for ourselves but as an opportunity to reach out to the local community, to loved ones and strangers alike. In addressing the purpose of Christmas concert, Eugene emphasizes the potential for the concert to “possibly open up conversations” with unbelievers. Eugene tells us, “We don’t depend on guests to fill the seats. However, we still stress the importance of inviting people who normally don’t come to church because a lot of them will tend to come to something like a concert, and they’ll get a chance to hear the gospel [as a result].”
Thus, at the end of the night, when all the music has ended and words linger only in silent air, the Gospel is still the most significant aspect of it all. Christine Cho summarizes it best when she reminds us that even after all the hours of hard work poured into the quality of the production, “My hope for those attending is that they would look past the quality of the performances and hear the message of Christ instead.”
Words to live by, indeed. Merry Christmas, everyone!