This was followed by a multimedia presentation of the Christmas story as described in the second chapter of Luke.

“If you were lacking Christmas spirit before the Christmas concert, you certainly didn’t lack it afterwards! Here we could just sit back and enjoy nice tones, happy faces and warm smiles. But most importantly, we got to hear about the message of Christmas – Jesus who came to earth to make a way for us,” said Eunike Hanken (28), one of the participants at the weekend’s event.

One musical item followed another during the Christmas concert at the Advent event this weekend, and in between we got speeches and greetings from some of the participants.

The musicians, soloists and choristers all did a brilliant job. During the evening, 150 children also filled the stage, singing both “Silent Night” and the Swedish carol “A Thousand Christmas Lights” with joy and enthusiasm.

“Jesus is the prince of life; He is life itself.”

Kåre J. Smith was the keynote speaker and began with the verses from John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

He continued reading from John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Smith emphasized the life and light that Jesus brought:

“Jesus is the prince of life; He is life itself. He lived the life, and He has revealed it to us. Before that, it was completely unknown. He brought life to light, and the life He brought, the light He brought, was only to serve and to give.”

Christmas reminds us that light has triumphed over darkness

“The more I get to know you, the more I discover all the valuable things you have”

The statement comes from one of the guests who also spoke to the congregation, namely Sigbjørn Sødal, Rector of NLA University College. He talked about how they found that young people are increasingly interested in Christian faith and the meaning of life.

“The more I get to know you, the more I discover all the valuable things you have, what you stand for and which other Christians in Norway have a lot to learn from,” said Sødal, and continued:

“You are international, you invest in young people – in the future. And you are impressively at the forefront, both technologically and in other ways, in youth work, children’s work. At the same time, you hold on to good traditions and values in a society where we as Christians face a lot of opposition.”

Dagfinn Høybråten, Secretary General of Norwegian Church Aid, emphasized that despite conflicts and unrest in the world, Christmas reminds us that light has overcome darkness.

“During Advent, we remind each other of the deepest source of hope in dark times. For the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that shines for every human being now came into the world. Jesus said ‘I am the light of the world’, but He also said ‘You are the light of the world.’ We can connect to the light of the world and be light in the world. And Jesus came as one of us. He took our conditions upon Himself. He is Emmanuel – God with us, all the time, every day.”