Noah nodded. "I agree. Even if we use some of the music that we've already done this season, the candlelight would make it special in a way that it wasn't before."
"The snow would add that magical touch as well."
"And we could clear off an area around the church to do it outside. Although we could practice inside. We wouldn't need to practice the candlelight, of course."
"No, but we might need to figure out how we're going to set them up and light those candles. That might be the thing."
They stood there thinking for a moment, and then Pastor Mark said, "Maybe we should just ask Olivia. She might not be able to get that many candles, although she might be able to estimate how many candles we would need. If she can provide them, she might have an idea about how to light them."
"She is the expert in this area. But with your blessing, maybe I can coordinate with her." Noah seemed thoughtful. Then he said to Pastor, "I'd like to have a short message. Nothing terribly long, but just enough so that people who maybe normally don't go to church might hear the gospel."
"I could do that. Make it non-threatening. Thank you for thinking of that."
"The older I get, the more I realize that the point of my life here is not to make myself happy, but to live for Jesus. It's funny how that becomes more urgent with every passing year."
"Some Christians never get that urgency. And I don't understand why. If you truly believe that Jesus saves, and He saved you from eternity in hell, wouldn't you be desperate to tell as many people as you could?"
He never understood that. But he supposed that was why he ended up being a pastor, because he couldn't shake that urgency, even from his youngest years. Other people didn't seem to be bothered by it at all, which was hard for Mark to comprehend.
"I don't want to take you from other duties if you're busy, Pastor, but if you're not, we could go over and talk to Olivia now." Noah looked at him with a studied gaze that didn't seem to have any ulterior motives.
Mark wasn't sure why that thought struck him, but it did.
Maybe it was because he was eager to go over and talk to Olivia.
"Absolutely. I’m excited about this idea. I've always wanted to put on one of these with the candlelight, and you're right, this is the perfect time to practice."
"But if Olivia doesn't have candles already made, she might have trouble coming up with as many as we need in as short of time as what we need them."
"Yeah. That would be disappointing, but not surprising," Mark said. But he knew that she could use the money. And he was excited that they could give her the work. He just didn't know how she could get it all done.
Unless someone helped her.
Christmas was his busiest time of year, other than possibly Easter. And especially since he was just starting out, he really shouldn't take the time. But the idea of giving Olivia a hand stuck in his brain.
The three of them walked across the floor, greeting people as they went, smelling the delicious smells of the soup rising around them.
For now, people were content and happy, although he could tell that there were some anxious ones among them.
He didn't see any point in getting upset about things. There wasn't anything they could do now while the storm raged around them. The time for looking to see what they could do to fix it would come later. It could be a lot of work. So they might as well enjoy their time off now.
"Hey, Mrs. McBride, do you mind if we steal your helper for a minute?" Noah said, charming Mrs. McBride with a boyish grin.
"I suppose. Then bring her back. We were having a great conversation."
"I enjoy talking to you. I'll definitely be back," Olivia said, patting Mrs. McBride on the arm before she smoothed down her apron and came around the table.
"What can I do to help you guys?" she asked, and Mark figured that she probably had no idea what she was about to get into.
"I'll let Pastor explain," Noah said, exchanging a look with his wife that Mark couldn't read.
"All right." He turned and faced Olivia fully, glancing around to make sure they weren't being overheard. There was no point in announcing it before they were sure they were going to be able to pull it off.
And packed together the way everyone was, rumors were bound to swirl.
"We have an idea, but we're going to need your help to pull it off."
Olivia's brows went up, but she waited, giving him time to speak.
