This past week, we’ve all had the busy time of Christmas! The lights, the dinners, the gifts, the cards… the church prayers, the singing, the candles, the décor! It has been wonderful!
Even without some last minute changes, the week was a long one, with much planning and printing and coordinating and collaborating. To-do lists become to-do charts at this time of year. Mine were colour-coded.
And what a blessing it is! The absolute elation of gathering together, with joy in our hearts, to celebrate the nativity.
…and when it’s all over, and folks have gone home, there’s a hush that falls in the sacred space.
It’s a beautiful thing to behold: for it is not an emptiness, just a different level of holy presence.
This year, as I sat alone for a few minutes on Christmas Day, I gave thanks for all that had gone into making Christmas be SO very meaningful for so many people: knowing that each component on its own augmented and enhanced every other element. From musical leadership to placement of flowers; new ornaments ‘sprucing up’ the trees (pun intended); the greeters and readers, the altar guild and proof-readers, the pray-ers and videographers… the list is truly immense.
It was truly spectacular.
And in that empty church, with the lights off, the sparkle diminished, the jubilation quietened: the joy continued. For as with so many things in the church (and in our lives), a loving presence pervades even when we aren’t there to witness it.
What we show the world is a culmination of previous efforts and intentions. Be it in the beautiful chaos or the calmer aftermath: the love is undeniable, and the blessings abundant.
However we celebrate Christmas, big or small, with many or with few, we have the chance to remember those holy moments, and to carry that joy with us into the New Year.
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