Christmas Eve

Christmases have been much different in these past few years. With one kid living in a tropical beach town in Mexico and another living above 8500' (2600m) in the mountains west of Denver we don't see them very often. We did something tonight that we haven't done in quite a few years -- we went to a pretty traditional Christmas Eve service at a local Springfield church. 

Traditional Christmas hymns, an unusual Christmas reading from the beginning of The Gospel According to John with a matching message, communion, and candle light finish with candles being lit from the Christmas candle at the center of the Advent wreath and then being shared throughout the church while we sang Silent Night. The service closed with all of us singing Joy to the World.

It was cool.

We drove through the lights in the Ozark park on the way home and Chris is planning on going to a late Christmas Eve Mass with a friend.

It's not really much in the way of a celebration; it's more like a solemn observance. 
I liked it. 
I think the thing I miss most about more traditional church is the worship. I haven't really experienced that kind of communal worship in a long time.
I also miss learning lessons from the stories of Jesus and applying them to our lives rather than figuring out how the way we live life is affirmed by what Jesus taught. It's good stuff and worthwhile, but it sometimes feels a little off.

Tonight was good for me. I probably need to get back to some regular Bible reading. I'm okay with personal worship time. I don't raise hands and sing hymns from the deck, but I do recognize the majesty of God's creation and feel a connection to God through that creation. I know it's not everybody's thing, but it works for me. In fact, it works better than actually going to church in most cases.

I hope this season brings you peace.
I don't know if you recognize Jesus as being divine and celebrate Christmas as the birth of Our Savior or not. I don't know if you believe in a Creator or a Divine Being. I don't know if you feel any kind of spiritual connection to God or others or if you feel alone and hopeless or somewhere in between. 
But still, I hope the season brings you peace.

Merry Christmas

John