Yesterday was a busy day. The choir led the 11am worship service with the Christmas Cantata they’ve been working on for months. We assembled later to share a meal together and to be amused and touched and lifted by the Pageant put on by our young people (and some very patient volunteers). It was a great day, and I bet if you were there you enjoyed it all, too. But if you’ll indulge me a moment, I want to explain why yesterday was so important to me.
I had a few prayers yesterday, and I read a psalm and spoke a few lines, the grand total of which was about 4 minutes. I put some thought into what I would say, but in comparison to what I normally do for a sermon, well there is no comparison. Mostly, I sat on my pew, I listened, I heard the Scriptures read and sung. During the worship hour, I was able to let go of the order and just be present. I was moved throughout the worship hour at different times.
In the evening, I brought our dishes, printed off a goofy little songsheet quiz (way to go Turner Sunday School class), and just generally enjoyed the night. I strolled upstairs to the pageant and enjoyed it. All in all, it was a good day for me.
But I know none of that just happened. The choir, the musicians, and Tim worked for months to make that Cantata the piece of worship that it was. For all the appearances of it being so, that wonderful meal doesn’t just happen. The Family Life Team worked hard all day making hams, bread, setting things out, keeping things warm, not to mention all the folks who cooked all afternoon to bring something delicious to share. And those children don’t just throw together a pageant. It takes a lot of work by our young people and the adults who work with them to make it happen. That is the truth in all of these events: it looks so simple and easy because someone behind the scenes has worked really hard to make it look like it.
I was able to simply worship yesterday. So, to all the people who worked so hard to provide a space where that could happen, I say thank you. You made Christmas real for me.