rejoice

Christmas eve is by far my favorite night of the year. every year offers a new experience, a new way to celebrate His birth... i guess that's one upside to having such an unsettled life.

Christmas eve, 1998 is one that is extra special to me. i was still married, and we were living in cheyenne, wyoming. we had only been there 2 months, and did not know our way around. i searched for a church that offered a candlelight service, and found one in downtown cheyenne. well, long story short, we got lost. way lost. as in ended up on a closed interstate in a white-out lost... he was cussing, i was praying, and we finally got to the church, half frozen and ready to just go home. (hello - from the south here - my clothes are made of cotton - cotton is not intended to be worn in blizzards...) i remember it was really dark outside, and the church looked like something out of a thomas kinkade painting. the warmth of the light and the sound of the music spilled out of the door, welcoming us in. we were handed candles just as the congregation stood to sing "o, holy night." it was a divine moment - i don't think i managed to sing around the knot in my throat. the service was fantastic, complete with a real little drummer boy, with the story acted out. i've never seen anything like it before or since.

in 2003, my first Christmas at pbc, i hardly knew a soul, even though i had been going there for several months. i sat in the back, alone. josh was there, but we barely knew each other back then... i believe he sat in the row just behind me. they had a full choir, and i had forgotten how powerful those combined voices can be. i sat there and cried the entire time, just overwhelmed by the music. it was beautiful.

this year... well, now i have a new story to tell. this was our very first Christmas eve service as the ring community church, and it just thrills me that it just so happens that it's on a sunday. we've been lighting advent candles all month, with the children going up front to learn the significance of each candle every week. that's been hysterical, watching the children come up with answers (the purple candle is for lsu, in case you didn't know...) and cover their ears when josh lights the lighter (a certain dad in our community has acclimated his kids to equate a lighter with fire crackers...) i LOVE that i know these asides! i LOVE being part of a church where i know and love so many people there! after the Jesus candle was lit, josh read the Christmas story from luke 2, and then put up some of the lyrics from "o, holy night":

long lay the world in sin and error pining,

till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

he talked about how this time of year - craziness aside - has a way of reconnecting us to Christ. this night somehow reconnects our hearts, similar to the connection that was made between our hearts and minds when we came to know Christ. the Lord settled me even more, continuing the work in my heart over the past few days as i've fought and bucked the pressure and commercialism of the season. personally, it was a really cool way for the Lord to really speak to me about my attitude and cynicism this year.

afterwards, i love that i got to hug so many necks, to kiss the kids and see old friends... and to make new ones, as well. it was just... good. so good.

and then there is the story about a dark, rainy trip to the cemetery to place the leftover poinsettias on lonely graves... and the story about going to my old church (as in haven't been there in 25 years old church) to attend a candlelight service. it is a beautiful building with high, soaring wooden beams and a massive pipe organ. i definitely figured out where i got my reverential side from. we decided to celebrate communion with them. nate was in line in front of me, and the reverend offered him the bread saying, "this is the Body of Christ, broken for you." she told me the same thing. and then there's scott... she told him not to forget that Jesus really loves him... apparently, he looked like he needed a little something extra. we could hardly hold it together, we were laughing so hard. we seemed to be the only ones there full of love and life... and i don't say that to be judgemental. i love to watch people, and there was a somberness that permeated the very air. there is a difference between being reverent and somber, between holiness and barely beating hearts. the beauty of the building, the reverence, the deadness... contrasted with the beauty of a candlelight service with several hundred people singing "silent night." it was surreal. o, did i mention the banners hanging everywhere, proclaiming REJOICE!

another cool part of the evening... here i am with 4 guys, driving to a church no one has been to but me. i asked them to sing, because their voices are beautiful. imagine us driving down a wet, rainy, dark road, singing to Jesus at the top of our lungs. that's just good stuff.

i love this night and all that it symbolizes. i love the holiness, the joy, the reverence, the laughter, the memories. many of my friends love this season - i love this night. i love that He has seen fit to allow me to experience it in a myriad of different ways, each speaking to my heart in a new way. this year, i celebrated the invasion. not everyone understands or even agrees with that... and that's ok. we are all wired differently, and that's as it should be - that's what makes the Body of Christ so beautiful.

long lay the world in sin and error pining,
till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!