Merry Christmas EVE!!!!  Today will be my last daily entry for a while.  Stay tuned for updates and at least weekly updates.  I will keep you on the list until told otherwise. 🙂  The next grand adventure is Guatemala with Habitat (starting Jan. 8th).
 
If you are in the McMinnville area, join us today at 7pm for a lessons and carols family service or at 11pm for a lovely Candlelight service.  See you then!
 
Today’s readings: Isaiah 52:1-53:12, Luke 2:1-20

As many of you know, I LOVE Christmas eve….I love the anticipation, the candles, the singing.  I love the way people greet one another and how we even care for those who are having a hard time today.  I love the gathering of friends. I love the food that people choose to celebrate with.  I especially love when we gather to worship with our whole hearts.  I love looking around and seeing people that I haven’t seen the entire year ready to hear the Christmas story once more.  I love hearing the kiddos sing and parents gush.

Christmas eve is a time that before the chaos of Christmas day (or for some the relaxation) we can take a moment to remember an important story that changes everything.

I get slightly ridiculed for my excitement about Christmas.  For me, it’s not about the gifts or even about gathering.  It’s not about something Santa would bring up.  For me, the excitement comes from a promise that the world is changing and transforming and that by some miracle, a baby can transform the world. 

I have been joking with some friends that on Christmas morning I am the perkiest.  I wake up a bit early (even though I work until about 1am) and I yell out, “It’s Christmas! The world is TRANSFORMED!”  And yes, it is probably annoying to anyone who might be around me.  And yes, it is optimistic.  And yes, there are still people out in the darkness of the world.  That is the magic of it all.  That is the God moment.  The world will transform and be new again.

Then that is when we really get into Christmas…..

In that light, I hope you enjoy the words of Howard Thurman.  Please do have a Merry Christmas.  Much love to you all. 

Peace,

C

 
 When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the king and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman
The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations