Christmas Blessing
I did not expect to have such a barren Advent this year; there was absolutely nothing ascetically to indicate that Advent or Christmas was here. The weather was warm, the city looked the same with all its commercial signs competing for attention, and even the church looked the same. I felt empty. But then, I did not expect this emptiness was God's gift for a rich and moving Christmas.
A children’s choir from the Hong Kong Anglican Church came to sing at our Christmas day English service. The entire group, children and adults, consisted of 112 people. I was a little leery of how that would affect the service. And since Christmas day is not a holiday, I also was not sure how many of our regular members would attend the service. I had this dreaded felling that I might be doing a service solely for these visitors.
On Christmas day; the choir group arrived early to give themselves time to get acquainted with the setting. As 9:30 a.m. approached, one by one I saw a number of our members arrived for the service; they had intentionally taken time off or the day off for this important day, and their action was good news to me. By 9:30 a.m., the church was packed.
9:30 a.m. and the service began. Everyone stood up for the processional hymn O Come All Ye Faithful, and everybody sang. I could hear different voices, yet it was also one harmonious voice. There was not one voice that was overpowering; the choir was not overpowering; it was one harmonious voice mixed with the congregation's. As I looked at this diverse group of people in the church, I felt like we were really going to Bethlehem to see the Messiah. We could all be from different parts of the world, but at this time, we were all on the same pilgrimage. I was so moved by that sense of
togetherness and oneness in singing and worship that I felt a shiver all through my body. On this Christmas Day, I experienced what the birth of Jesus was supposed to do for God's people.
I couldn’t help but thank God for the grace of being in the wilderness during Advent, and the grace of such a rich experience on Christmas day. Without the barrenness of Advent, I probably would not have appreciated or noticed the significance of Christmas. I never could have guessed that what appeared to be barren and empty was part of a rich and moving Christmas experience; I did not even pray for this; I can only say that God knows better what I need, and this Christmas morning was absolutely amazing grace.
I did not expect to have such a barren Advent this year; there was absolutely nothing ascetically to indicate that Advent or Christmas was here. The weather was warm, the city looked the same with all its commercial signs competing for attention, and even the church looked the same. I felt empty. But then, I did not expect this emptiness was God's gift for a rich and moving Christmas.
A children’s choir from the Hong Kong Anglican Church came to sing at our Christmas day English service. The entire group, children and adults, consisted of 112 people. I was a little leery of how that would affect the service. And since Christmas day is not a holiday, I also was not sure how many of our regular members would attend the service. I had this dreaded felling that I might be doing a service solely for these visitors.
On Christmas day; the choir group arrived early to give themselves time to get acquainted with the setting. As 9:30 a.m. approached, one by one I saw a number of our members arrived for the service; they had intentionally taken time off or the day off for this important day, and their action was good news to me. By 9:30 a.m., the church was packed.
9:30 a.m. and the service began. Everyone stood up for the processional hymn O Come All Ye Faithful, and everybody sang. I could hear different voices, yet it was also one harmonious voice. There was not one voice that was overpowering; the choir was not overpowering; it was one harmonious voice mixed with the congregation's. As I looked at this diverse group of people in the church, I felt like we were really going to Bethlehem to see the Messiah. We could all be from different parts of the world, but at this time, we were all on the same pilgrimage. I was so moved by that sense of
togetherness and oneness in singing and worship that I felt a shiver all through my body. On this Christmas Day, I experienced what the birth of Jesus was supposed to do for God's people.I couldn’t help but thank God for the grace of being in the wilderness during Advent, and the grace of such a rich experience on Christmas day. Without the barrenness of Advent, I probably would not have appreciated or noticed the significance of Christmas. I never could have guessed that what appeared to be barren and empty was part of a rich and moving Christmas experience; I did not even pray for this; I can only say that God knows better what I need, and this Christmas morning was absolutely amazing grace.
