In the days before Christmas, we have enjoyed two warm worship services. We gathered on Sunday morning (a little bit earlier than usual), a bit more relaxed, with extra family and visitors among us. Then we joined together for a beautiful Christmas Eve service, filled with music and ending with "Silent Night" sung by candlelight. It has been a wonderful way to anticipate and celebrate, again, the birth of Jesus Christ.
The meditations for the two services are closely related, drawn from the familiar story in Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus. On Sunday, we considered the lessons for us in Joseph and Mary returning to Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral home as part of King David's lineage, in "Returning Home." In particular, I reminded people how odd it is that the parents-to-be don't visit anyone, which is an odd homecoming, to say the least. On Christmas Eve, we considered the birth of Jesus in a stable in "Making a Home," and we imagined how we might learn to "pitch our tents" wherever we are.
If you missed either of these sermons, if you'd like to listen to them again, or if you'd like to share them with someone else, you can find an audio file of "Returning Home" here and of "Making a Home" here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment