Second Baptist Church is inviting the community to join it for a special Christmas Eve service.

The service will include praise and worship in the form of seasonal musical selections, followed by testimony from the church’s new pastor, John R. Koch, and his wife, and a candlelight communion, according to Koch. Koch will also share how the true message of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Communion is a way of memorializing Jesus Christ and his sacrifice, represented by the bread, and his shed blood, represented by the juice,” Koch said. “When we talk about the importance, especially on Christmas Eve, we understand Christ’s birth and his purpose was to die for our sins, which is why celebrating communion is such as important thing.”

Koch said the candlelight element of the communion service represents a direct quote from Jesus in biblical text that says, “I am the Light of the World,” in John 8:12. During the service, Koch will speak about how God sent Jesus as humanity’s saving grace.

“We find trouble all around us and part of what I’ll share is related to terrorism, crime and drugs,” Koch said. “When a person is in trouble, you want someone to show up and save you. God sent someone to save us, and his name is Jesus.”

Another element of the service, the testimony that will be given by Koch and his wife, represents the coming of Christ, Koch said. The church will have an Advent candle on display near the pulpit, with many symbolic meanings: three purple candles and one pink candle represent joy; a bigger white candle at the center of the display symbolizes light in the darkness of life, especially individual life — it is the symbol of holy illumination of the spirit of truth, representing Christ as the light; and the Advent wreath surrounds the candles, used to symbolize God, the Father, and eternal life, since circles have no beginning or end, Koch said.

“Christmas can be an emotional time, in both a positive and negative sense,” Koch said. “If you find yourself down or unsure or even curious, come join us and check it out.”

The service will be held on Christmas Eve at 5:30 p.m. in the Second Baptist Church sanctuary.

Second Baptist Church is located at 2516 W. Fifth St. in Washington.