Christmas Eve Lovefeast & Candle Service

On December 24th, 2025 we will hold our 272nd Christmas Eve Lovefeast & Candle Service

What is the Lovefeast & Candle service?

The Lovefeast, used on many special occasions including Christmas, is a worship service signifying brotherly love while sharing a simple meal of coffee and a slightly sweetened bun. It is celebrated in the spirit of the agape meal of early Christians as they gathered to express their love for the Savior and for one another. The service is not a sacrament of the Church.

      At Christmas, a Candle Service accompanies the Lovefeast. Each worshiper receives a red trimmed beeswax candle, which has been made by members of our congregation. The red trim on the candle and its flame represent the sacrifice of Christ for humanity. The flame also represents the flame of love that He came to kindle in our hearts. At the end of the candle service, as is tradition all worshipers are invited to hold their lit candles high expressing their willingness to let the light of Christ shine in their lives and help illuminate the world with His Love. 

     We hold Lovefeasts throughout the year to mark special occasions in the life of the Church. Such occasions include the Anniversary of Bethabara, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  

History of Bethabara’s Christmas Eve Service 

The Moravians are notorious for their record keeping — which means we know what happened at Bethabara’s first Christmas!

During the cold December of 1753 (271 years ago!), the small group of Moravians at Bethabara had only recently arrived in North Carolina. While busy developing their settlement in the Carolina back country, the brethren took time on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of their Savior. 

From the Bethabara Diary on December 24th, 1753:

“At 9:30 P. M. we began the Christmas Eve Watch service. We read the story of the birth of our Saviour, and rejoiced that the Holy Child was born for the salvation of the world. We had a Lovefeast also, and soon after midnight closed our first Christmas Eve Watch meeting in North Carolina.”

271 years later, we at Bethabara follow in the traditions of our forefathers, holding a lovefeast in celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord. While our service ode is certainly different from that of those early Moravians (Many of the songs we sing were written after Bethabara was founded!), the intent is the same — breaking bread as a community of believers, loudly proclaiming: “God with us!”

To learn more about the history of Bethabara and the Moravians, click here.