Thursday, December 18, 2008

25 Days of CHRISTmas - December 18, 2008

Well, the weather was a little more bearable today, it was dry, that was a good start, but the cold is still a bit much, but even that has improved. The only really bad battle I had with the cold today was when I was standing outside after I dropped the kids off at school waiting for the Auto Club to show up because my battery was dead when I tried to leave. As a side note for you AAA members, if you ever need to replace a battery, do it through them. They come right to you and the battery comes with a 6 year warranty, the first 3 years of which is a "total replacement" warranty. And if they ever have to come out for your battery in those 6 years, it doesn't count against your 4 service calls per year. It was a really good way to take care of a problem I would have preferred NOT to have had, but if I had to have it, it couldn't have been smoother, and all for right around $120. Enough said.

As pleasant as that crisis went (in the relativity of pleasantness and crises) I do not choose that for my gift today. (Though it might be considered like a stocking stuffer from God.) And yes, OK, maybe crisis is too strong a word, but I can't think of a better one at the moment.

"On the eighteenth day of CHRISTmas my true Love gave to me... CHRISTmas caroling with my family."

Tonight was the little kids' CHRISTmas program at their school. It's been several years since we had a nighttime CHRISTmas program in our lives. When the kids were at Creekside it was always during the school day. Jake put on a couple great plays actually, but it didn't have quite the same feel. So tonight we experienced the new school's version of celebrating CHRISTmas.

The play itself was kind of.. um... different. All I can say is I would describe it as Dr. Seuss meets the Book of Luke. The nativity never rhymed quite like that before, so it was an interesting experience. But what I really enjoyed was what happened at the end of the program.

Rewind just a touch. When we got to the auditorium (sanctuary) to be seated they handed us candles. That seemed odd to me. After the program was over a small worship ensemble came up and we sang three of my favorite CHRISTmas carols, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night. As we were singing people started lighting their candles and passing the light on to one another, it was a really incredible experience, very worshipful. The children sitting up in their sections in the front had glow sticks and they were singing and waving their arms. I looked over to my left and saw my son and my father singing robustly, it was awesome, three generations of my family singing praises to Jesus.

I hear people talk about having their families all sit together and sing CHRISTmas carols at a piano, or even actually going out and caroling, and I've never had that experience, but tonight I think it felt pretty close.

Merry CHRISTmas!

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