Langley United Methodist Chancel Choir presents its annual Advent Concert over two performances this weekend.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, and 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, at the church on Third Street and Anthes Avenue in Langley.

This year the concert features two choirs with a large number of performers — 80 singers and musicians in total. Thirteen pieces will be performed during the concert with centerpieces “The Dark Night of the Soul” and “Luminous Night of the Soul” by Norwegian composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo.

But for Bill Humphreys, director of music and liturgical arts, the presentation is much more than a holiday concert. It’s not just Christmas songs. People come because they know something different is going on, he said.

“It’s really about our own story as people,” he said. “We don’t just sit and wait — we journey. The journey includes everything we experience in the past and future.”

He said the music and poems provide a powerful vehicle for that journey and carries the soul to a deeper place.

“This time of year can be a dark time of year for some people,” Humphreys said.

He hopes the music inspires people to bring light to their lives, not necessarily joy.

“Mainly that we hold each other on our own individual journey,” he said.

Along with the idea of a journey, the concert is also about mixing generations, he said. This is the first year returning alumna Anna McLeod will join the concert with the Kentlake High School Chamber Choir, which she directs.

It’s a first for the church as well, inviting an off-island group to join the concert.

The choir will perform two pieces on their own along with two pieces with the concert choir. Guest artists also include bass Karl Olsen, Claudia Walker on celtic harp, Kathryn Fox on piano, Gloria Ferry Brennan on violin, James Hinkley on cello and Alan Benson on guitar.

“This concert is going to be remarkable,” Humphreys said.

Tickets to the performance are filling up quickly with Friday nearly sold out. Tickets can be purchased at the church from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays for a suggested donation of $15.