Mistletoe, tinsel and figgy pudding were noticeably absent from Candlelight Carols this year. The traditional colors of red and green faded into a splash of bright colors at the multicultural performance.

Candlelight Carols has been the Sacred Music Department's annual Christmas program for over 50 years. Moody Church partners with the department to host three performances over one weekend during which each of the music ensembles perform individually and corporately in combined pieces.

This year's program beckoned audiences to experience a tour through the history of humanity, beginning with the tower of Babel. The drama poignantly visualized God’s scattering of mankind over the face of the earth. This set the stage for the internationally themed program’s trek around the globe. The program journeys through ancient civilizations and up to the present year through a montage of television news clips, vividly illustrating that Babel did not change everything; mankind is still broken and in need of a Savior.

Kyle Groombridge, Chorale member and freshmen pastoral studies major, remembered attending Candlelight Carols as a kid. "I didn't really pay attention when I was young because I didn't really care about it. But it adds a lot more meaning now that I’m in it."

Groombridge transferred from Word of Life Ontario, Canada, where he was a member of a traveling singing group. For him, participating in this year's program was an unexpected pleasure. "Candlelight Carols is absolutely fantastic. It’s all of our voices coming together for the Christmas season, for Jesus' birth and for everyone who’s going to be coming to hear it."

Movement played a central role in this year's performance as well. Actors continuously rearranged 50 Styrofoam blocks to form the backdrop for various nations. Soloists volleyed sound across the sanctuary during the traditional African call and response piece "Noel."  The choir loft then became a sea of motion as choir members performed choreography accompanied by African instruments such as the cowbell, shaker and drum.

Jamin Subramanian, senior ethnomusicology major and Women's Concert Choir member, never expected to perform a traditional Indian dance at Candlelight Carols. The bells jingled on her colorful Indian dress as she swirled, transporting audiences back to her home in Delhi, India. Subramanian joked about being suspended for dancing but got serious when expressing what the experience really meant to her. "It's just my way of forgetting myself and worshiping God. For me, worship is an act. What I can't say in words, I'm going to say in the notes that are being sung and in the motions of gratitude that my hands are making. It's all to God."

Kelli Worrall, drama director of the program and professor of communications, spent hours deliberating over the best way to incorporate the international theme with the message of Christmas. "When I write Candlelight Carols, I feel the responsibility to portray the significance of Christ's birth as best I can," she said. "That is best done by demonstrating how much we need Him." She brainstormed concepts for the program with her husband during a long road trip this summer, and settled on the idea that she wanted to set the international stage for Christ’s arrival.

The end result was a dazzling display of bright costumes, stately flags and visual media from Scotland to China. Cast members representing different nations punctuated the visual display with monologues about Christmas celebrations in their country.

Playing the role of an Egyptian was no challenge for John Yany, freshman evangelism and discipleship major. He grew up in Egypt and Sudan. "The performance should point all eyes to Jesus and remind people of the presence of the body of Christ that is existing worldwide," said Yany. "It is a great reminder that people need the gospel everywhere, not just here."

That broader perspective set this program apart from previous years for Nathan Lattanzi, senior elementary education major. This was his third year as a cast member. "Last year's theme emphasized Christ as the God in the flesh whom the Scriptures prophesied. This year's theme focused on the timeless and universal need for Christ as Savior," said Lattanzi.

The climax of the Candlelight Carols’ journey around the globe culminated in Israel at the birth of Christ. One by one, each cast member reverently approached the newborn in the middle of the stage. The flags of the nations surrounded the baby Jesus, welcoming him as the Savior of the world.

Article by  Anna Leonhard. Courtesy of the Moody Student, Volume 74:6, December 9, 2008.