Erin Lundberg '08 dances at Christmas in Christ Chapel 2006. (Photo by Anders Björling '58)
By Ashley Helgerson ’08
Each year during the season of Advent the Gustavus community celebrates its Christian and Lutheran heritage through the annual Christmas in Christ Chapel.
“For 35 years, Christmas in Christ Chapel has been a place of pilgrimage and prayer for thousands of people preparing for the Nativity of our Lord,” Chaplain Brian Johnson said.
During Christmas in Christ Chapel Gustavus students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College all unite to worship God at this signature Gustavus celebration that began in 1973.
Each year a theme is chosen to both facilitate worship and teach participants something new about faith, culture, and the world. About 350 students, faculty, and staff bring the programs to life through choral, orchestral, brass, handbell, and organ music, dance, spoken word, and prayer.
This year’s theme is The Word Becomes Flesh. Some past themes include A Celtic Pilgrimage (2001), The Holy Family (1998), Child of Light (1996), and Old and New Spain (1994).
“This year’s liturgy draws on how the Word becomes flesh: how the spaces within Holy Scriptures beckon poets, musicians, artists, and dancers to imagine and embody the narratives related to the birth of Christ,” said Chaplain Johnson.
In addition to music, prayer, and spoken words, Christ Chapel is adorned from wall to wall with vibrant decorations that relate to the year’s specific theme.
For more detailed information on Christmas in Christ Chapel 2007: The Word Becomes Flesh please visit http://gustavus.edu/events/ccc/. For ticket information, contact the Office of College Relations at collegerelations@gustavus.edu or (507) 933-7520.