We were welcomed to St Mark’s Lutheran Church by the stunning colours of the large and beautiful orange and red Poinciana Royal Flame tree that grows at the front of the church. All year this tree provides lovely shade and then at this time of the year it really puts on a show.
Inside the cool retreat of the church, 30 or so cheerful Danes eagerly embraced the Danish tradition of attending a Christmas church service in the lead up to Christmas.
The service started with a small but very lovely Lucia procession to help set the mood. Thank you girls. You did a beautiful job and Magnus did a great job with the entrance and exit prayer.
The church was filled with cheerful voices as everyone joined in the Danish Christmas hymns including ‘Det kimer nu til julefest’, ’Julen har bragt velsignet bud’, ‘Et barn er født in Bethlehem’, ‘Dejlig er den himmel blå’ og ‘Dejlig er jorden’.
This was the first service with our lovely new priest Anja Grønne Mathiassen. She provided a great and inspiring sermon sharing the Christmas story of Jesus birth and the Christmas message of love and understanding.
Thank you Maya and Isabella for doing the collections and to everyone who gave so generously to help keep the Danish Church going in Brisbane.
Afterwards everyone gathered in the hall under the church for some great Christmas cheer.
Thank you Joan for your effort in making and sharing amazing homemade ‘brunkager’ and ‘klejner’. They were gone in an instans. Thank you also to everyone who attended the service and joined in the Christmas cheer afterwards over a cuppa and Christmas goodies and then helped to tidy up at the end. Your support and help is so valuable.
Thank you Anja also for the invaluable preparation lesson conducted before the service for our two konfirmander Martin and Amalie.
Last but not least, all of this would not have been possible without the small but dedicated ‘two man show’ of Carlo and Asbjørn who set up the church with lighting, sound system, air conditioning, handed out hymn books and flyers, got the children into their Lucia outfits, provided the music, brought and sold the remains of the imported Danish goods, set up the downstairs hall with tables, chairs, cheerful Christmas table clothes, turned on the earn, provided tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and heated up the æbleskiver. Thank you.
On behalf of the Danish Church Committee in Brisbane, we would like to wish you all a fantastic and blessed Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous New Year.
Merete, Pia and Asbjørn
