Christmas retired

This is the first year in 41 years I don’t have some kind of responsibility around Christmas Eve service and I am missing that fun. It is fun because it is one of the worship services that is filled with details. New details, different from other services, who turns down the lights, then back on when we are finished. Who makes sure everyone has candles? Who knows where the fire extinguisher is and knows how to use it. (Never had to use one) Who got the little candle holder dubbers so they don’t drip on everything and everyone else. We’ve used plastic Champaign cups and just not affixed the base.

I have many memories of how the services went… there was the time the Korean Congregation joined us for the early service and two of their darling girls were dressed in the traditional kimono. They got so excited singing they bounced right off the bottom step into a pile on the floor, popped right back up and kept singing.

There was the time the infant we had in the manger scene was a little girl. One of the angels who was posed beside the manger looked in, her eyes got big, she jumped down from the chancel and ran to her daddy declaring, “Daddy Daddy baby Jesus has a bow! She ran back to her place and got back in wings up angel pose.

There was the time the people who were supposed to bring their child to be posed as the baby Jesus didn’t show up. So when this was discovered, minutes before needed, I found a little girl whose mom said sure. As I took her up her brother, who had been baby Jesus a few years before, said, where are they taking Jenny? The mom said, Don’t worry she is going to be the baby Jesus. The brother, in that child clear loud voice said, “The baby Jesus, The baby Jesus! I want to see the baby Jesus! Couldn’t have planned a better line for the story.

The urgency and the present-ness of the baby Jesus for these children reminds us to get in there. Get into the story and let yourself be surprised. Let your self be reminded, Let yourself be protective of the Spirit of God in Christmas that all may have an opportunity to be a witness to the miracle of God’s abiding Love come to be with us. Always.

Happy Christmas.

God abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey