Joy showed up at Hope on Christmas Eve (and God’s joy is better than our perfect)...⁣ ⁣ I had hoped the manger scene candle would light by itself. That was the “perfect” plan. A week before our first service, I asked our highly skilled Production Team, “Can we find a way to light a candle (with a flame) safely and efficiently from about 15 feet away?”⁣ ⁣ They gave me that look practical people give dreamers. To their credit, however, they didn’t say “no” right away. A few days later, they had a Fire Marshall approved plan to rig a small spark, triggered by a concealed wire from the manger scene to the sound booth that would hopefully light the candle right on cue…⁣ ⁣ My idea was to show the “joy” that God brings from heaven above to our world below symbolized by an angelic dancer (the amazing Lindsay Skinner) carrying a light that would arrive at the manger scene and activate the Christ candle just as Matt Baird or Mike Butterworth finished singing “Light Has Come!” Then, this beautifu...