Christmas Eve special for Maine Christians

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BANGOR – To Connie Muth of Hampden, the chance to celebrate Christmas with family is something she does not take for granted.

As she arrived for a Christmas Eve service Sunday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on outer Ohio Street, Muth said that one of the things she is most thankful for during this holiday season is to be living in Maine.

“We’ve recently moved back here from Hawaii,” said Muth, carrying her 21-month-old daughter, Samara, on one hip as she made her way to the church with her husband, Dan, and son, Aaron, who is 5. Muth said holidays are much more special in the midst of family and friends here.

“I’m thankful for all of my blessings,” said Mike Spekhardt of Bangor, while waiting outside St. Mary’s for other family members to arrive. “One thing I wish would happen today, though, is that we’d have world peace, so that people would stop fighting.”

Like their counterparts around the world, some Christians in Maine set aside the commercial aspects of the season to contemplate what for them is the true meaning of the holiday, the birth of Jesus 2,000 years ago.

In Bangor, as well as in virtually every other community in the state, numerous denominations gathered for Christmas Eve worship services. Some of the services were steeped in tradition and others more contemporary. Several events were designed especially for children.

At St. John’s Episcopal Church on French Street, the Rev. Kevin Holsapple made a case for a holiday figure who has been the subject of some controversy in recent years.

“You might find my subject a little strange, because I’m going to use my pulpit to make a case for the defense – and the defendant is Santa Claus,” Holsapple said.

According to Holsapple, some Christians have accused Santa Claus of taking attention away from Jesus. They say Santa is a “myth, a fantasy created by greedy capitalists” for the sake of feeding the business cycle. Some Christians today want to do away with Santa.

“I do not agree,” Holsapple said emphatically.

Holsapple told of how Santa evolved from a fourth-century Middle Eastern saint who was the bishop of Myra (now Kale) in the land now known as Turkey. According to many written accounts, St. Nicholas was called “Sinterklaas” or “Sint Nicholaas” by the Dutch, who would eventually settle on the East Coast of North America, bringing their traditions with them.

Santa Claus, as the saint would eventually be called, was known for his love on children, his kindness and the miracles attributed to him.

It was St. Nicholas, Holsapple said, who helped write the Nicene Creed, a profession of faith. “That’s the most important page in our prayer book,” he said. Holsapple also pointed out that the saint’s feast day falls on Dec. 6. That gifts once were given to children on St. Nicholas’ feast day might be one reason why gifts are exchanged on Christmas today.

Holsapple noted that the passing centuries have distorted the image of St. Nick. For starters, Holsapple said, the saint was not a jolly fat man. “The real Santa fasted two days a week.”

St. Nicholas did not wear a red cap and coat, but a bishop’s mitre and robe, nor did he wear shiny black boots. “The real Santa,” Holsapple said, “gave his shoes to the poor.”

Having debunked some stories, Holsapple said, “I don’t want to get rid of Santa. We need more of him, not less.” He encouraged the adults in his congregation to tell their children and grandchildren the real story of Santa.

Later that morning, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church on Park Street presented their first multigenerational Christmas pageant.

During a 10 a.m. service titled “The Spirit of the Christmas Tree,” children and adults gathered to worship through song, a children’s story and a re-enactment of the story of the birth of Jesus.

The actors ranged from a smiling infant dressed like an angel with tiny silver wings to three women who portrayed the three Wise Men. Other characters brought to life include Joseph and Mary, animals in the manger where Jesus was born, a host of angels, and the shepherds and Wise Men who followed a bright star in the sky to find the child.

Pastor Elaine Beth Peresluha offered her insight as to why Jesus remains such an important figure today.

“He taught us that we should love one another, even our enemies,” she said. Jesus also taught of the power of forgiveness, the need to seek justice and the importance of caring for the less fortunate, Peresluha said, lessons that remain relevant almost 2,000 years after his death.

After the service, members of the UU congregation ate Christmas cookies made by the children of the church. They gathered again for a free public supper later Sunday afternoon.

So many people attended Christmas Eve services at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Sunday afternoon that simultaneous celebrations were conducted in the main church and the adjacent parish hall. The Rev. Frank Murray and the Rev. Richard O’Brien split the preaching duties.

Worshippers began arriving at the church a full hour before services began at 4 p.m. Nearly a dozen volunteer attendants, including members of the youth group, helped help parishioners park their vehicles in an orderly fashion. The attendants also helped at the 6 p.m. service.

“It’s like this every year,” said Julie MacLeod, one of the attendants. She said church attendance swells at Christmas, when family from away return home.

During a brief telephone interview before the service, Murray said he planned to emphasize how the joy of Christmas devotion animates Catholics throughout the year, and how the joy experienced so easily today is due to the way in which God surprises the faithful.

Jesus did not have an auspicious beginning, as logic would dictate, but was born essentially homeless, Murray said.

“God does truly work through surprises,” he said.