Tonight we celebrated Christmas Eve with our friends at the English service. It is one of the highlights of my year. I think it's because one of my favorite parts of the story of Jesus' birth is the shepherds. There they were, in the middle of the night, a regular night just like all the others, warming themselves by the fire, propped up against their favorite rock, and then the stillness was broken and the darkness was pierced with a burst of glory. The angels arrived and announced the birth of Jesus and then they are gone, leaving the shepherds stunned with the weight of the experience. They were eager to prove what they had learned, and immediately left to find the baby. I love to imagine every aspect of that event . . . the fear, the wonder, the awe, the joy - and the Christmas Eve service is the perfect place to help do that.
It's also a great time for the kids to get involved. For the third year in a row, they played hand bells, this year singing "Do you see what I see?"
Brienzi and her friends led us in worship with the song "This is Our God!"We hope wherever you are today that you are able to take the time to revel in the good news that came at night:
"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
