O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.
I sing Christmas carols all year ‘round. I sing them in the shower. I sing them in the car. I mix them up with other songs to make new songs – adding layers and depth by wrapping these beautiful strains of promise and hope around lyrics from every day life. It’s fun. Sometimes it sounds good.
One of my favorites is a mash-up of O Come All Ye Faithful and Amazing Grace… to which I have been known to add a bit of O Holy Night and, occasionally, whatever played last on the radio. It’s hard to recreate the experience, so these tend to be one-off wonders… but that is all they need to be: the right match for the moment.
That is true for a lot of life’s moments. They are one-and-done. Even repeated experiences are rarely experienced the same way. But we still treasure our traditions. Minor variations don’t distract us or detract from that which we love. Full-blown change, however, is harder to handle.
We’ve been steeped in a whole lot of ‘different’ over these past many months. Me. You. Us. The times. The temperament and temperature that defines the environment we’re in. And now we’ve hit the holidays. What will this season be like?
It’s safe to say, it will be different. I will be living your traditions for the very first time. I apologize in advance for the ways that by my very presence I will mess them up. And I will do my best to be gentle and forgiving when my own misshapen expectations are not met. I hope we each – you, me and the gathered “everybody” – find comfort in the familiar and potential in what feels new.
Here are a few of the things that I expect will tread that line between familiar and new:
- The Christmas Pageant – While it has (always / usually / sometimes) been some form of the Nativity Story, the pageant this year will be an inter-generational live nativity. For those who may be concerned, the animals will still be small humans in costumes… that’s the only size costumes we have. Anyone and everyone who wants to take part will have a part. We’re gathering for casting and a rehearsal on Sunday, 12/2, at 9. We will rehearse again on 12/9 in place of (or “as”) that week’s Second Family Bible School, in order to be ready for presentation during worship on 12/16.
- Sunday School – Sunday, December 9th, there will be a Christmas-focused One-Room Schoolhouse for children, K and up, during 10 a.m. worship. Natalie Young and Christina Brown will model the cooperative, volunteer-led approach that so many of you said you’d be willing to support. With enough volunteers, our plan is to launch this as a regular offering at the start of the new year. And, of course, childcare for our younger students will continue to be offered every week.
- Open House at the Parsonage – C’mon… aren’t you curious? Come see your beautiful property and my Christmas decorations after the Pageant on December 16th (3-5 pm).
- A Menagerie of Mangers in Bate’s Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings, 12/6 & 12/7, from 4-7 p.m. After the rush and bustle of the Village Fair, we will open our doors with another way to welcome our neighbors to the church. Do you have a creche we can borrow? And/or cookies to share? Consider being a docent… maybe before or after you take the “Village Stroll” (12/7). It promises to be fun and beautiful, too!
- A Blue Christmas Service for those who may bring a different timbre or tone to the holidays this year. Grief, loss, loneliness, difficult memories and present hardship can make Christmas and all that surrounds it painful. This is a service of solace and peace for those who are feeling blue.
These are the verses I hope to intersperse with the beauty of your time-honored refrains: adventures like the Village Fair, treasures like the Christmas Cantata, the glorious music and decorations that light-up this church and this congregation, and the traditions of Christmas Eve that you will share with me.
This will be our first Christmas together. I am honored, excited and blessed. I am also curious to see what unfolds. I pray that God’s grace and generous spirit, the patience invited by
Advent and the promise of the Christ-child’s birth,
bring new wonder and rich meaning to us each and
to us all in this sacred season.
See you in church!
Pastor Karen