For those in the Church Business (like Sue), Christmas on Sunday poses an odd juxtaposition. Christmas Eve is always filled with big worship services and for many churches, multiple services. After a Saturday night Christmas Eve filled with a Children's service at 5 o'clock, a traditional service at 8 and is often the case, an 11 PM (or Midnight) service that takes one right up to the stroke of 12:00, the 25th of December, Christmas itself. What is one to do on the following Sunday? Most of the pageantry, the telling of the Christmas Story and celebration of the birth of our Lord and seasonal highlights have been spent during three Saturday services; whataya got left for Christmas Sunday? And beside, how many people are going to show up on Sunday morning - truth is almost everyone comes on Christmas Eve, but on Christmas Day almost everyone stays home for the gift unwrapping an family traditions.
WWJD. (What Would Jesus Do?) According to an alternative interpretation of the Book of II Hesitations 12:25; Jesus thus spoke, "Go with the flow, and may peace be with you".
An thus it came to pass upon all of the Suneson household. Sue, as Director of Children's Ministry, is in charge of the Children's service at 5 o'clock. This is the first of the Christmas Eve events at Preston Hollow Presbyterian. Parents arrive with the young kids who are mostly emotionally hyped out of their socks about the whole Christmas commotion; some are figuratively bouncing off the sanctuary ceiling, others are having a melt-down, I suspect many are waiting for the "Baby Jesus thing" to get out of the way so they can then get home and get ready for reindeer, candy and Santa Claus. Sue is on duty for this festive free-for-all flirting fiasco, and as always handles it with great aplomb and with the Grace of God. Families arrive before the service and kids get to choose whether they are going to participate, and if they so choose, they are dressed as angels, sheppards or wisemen (veteran kids of this service know that angels appear first and therefore have the longest time "on stage"). The Christmas Story is read in segments from the pulpit by High School youth, interspersed with the singing of a few verses of Christmas carols. As the Christmas Story unfolds, the characters at Jesus' birth are invited to come to the chancel, first the angels appear, followed by the sheppards and then the wisemen come to the front of the sanctuary. The benediction is given and hearty "Merry Christmases" are exchanged. Sue checks her watch and getting this all done in under 30 minutes is considered a success. The angel, shepperd and wiseman costumes are collected and stored for next year. Sue gets back home a bit before 7 o'clock.
Now it is really Christmas Vacation time for Sue and the entire family.
I prepared a quick chicken kung pao stir-fry dinner at home to serve upon Sue's arrival. And as the evening wends its course toward the small hours, we dress for the 11 o'clock service at the old home church, First Presbyterian in Richardson. Jr and Sr High youth that once composed "The Joyful Noise!" Youth Choir traditionally return from college to reunite and sing at the 11 PM Christmas Eve service. Inga and Grant, now alumi of the TJN, had rehearsed with about 20 other former members on Thursday and now joined together to sing a hymn and an anthem in celebration of the coming of God's own son into the world, bringing light and salvation.
Now, it has long been a fable across many cultures that those kinds of animals that were present in the manger at the birth of Jesus, donkeys, sheep, horses, dogs and armadillos, are given the gift of human voice at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. That seems wonderful, but the fable also has this cautionary caveat - if a human actually hears an animal speak in human tongue on Christmas Eve, they will be struck dead. Bummer. That is the Old World kind of Christmas. Never the less, we were blessed that the 11 PM service we attended was kind of a rambling affair, thus keeping us away from our house and its occupant, Strider our dog, well past midnight. So, we count our blessing this Christmas Eve that Strider, should he have spoken at midnight, we were not around to hear it and then expire. So we got that going for us.
Upon arriving back home, Inga announces that "we all get to open one present tonight". A single wrapped parcel is taken from under the tree and handed to its recipient.
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!
WWJD. (What Would Jesus Do?) According to an alternative interpretation of the Book of II Hesitations 12:25; Jesus thus spoke, "Go with the flow, and may peace be with you".
An thus it came to pass upon all of the Suneson household. Sue, as Director of Children's Ministry, is in charge of the Children's service at 5 o'clock. This is the first of the Christmas Eve events at Preston Hollow Presbyterian. Parents arrive with the young kids who are mostly emotionally hyped out of their socks about the whole Christmas commotion; some are figuratively bouncing off the sanctuary ceiling, others are having a melt-down, I suspect many are waiting for the "Baby Jesus thing" to get out of the way so they can then get home and get ready for reindeer, candy and Santa Claus. Sue is on duty for this festive free-for-all flirting fiasco, and as always handles it with great aplomb and with the Grace of God. Families arrive before the service and kids get to choose whether they are going to participate, and if they so choose, they are dressed as angels, sheppards or wisemen (veteran kids of this service know that angels appear first and therefore have the longest time "on stage"). The Christmas Story is read in segments from the pulpit by High School youth, interspersed with the singing of a few verses of Christmas carols. As the Christmas Story unfolds, the characters at Jesus' birth are invited to come to the chancel, first the angels appear, followed by the sheppards and then the wisemen come to the front of the sanctuary. The benediction is given and hearty "Merry Christmases" are exchanged. Sue checks her watch and getting this all done in under 30 minutes is considered a success. The angel, shepperd and wiseman costumes are collected and stored for next year. Sue gets back home a bit before 7 o'clock.
Now it is really Christmas Vacation time for Sue and the entire family.
I prepared a quick chicken kung pao stir-fry dinner at home to serve upon Sue's arrival. And as the evening wends its course toward the small hours, we dress for the 11 o'clock service at the old home church, First Presbyterian in Richardson. Jr and Sr High youth that once composed "The Joyful Noise!" Youth Choir traditionally return from college to reunite and sing at the 11 PM Christmas Eve service. Inga and Grant, now alumi of the TJN, had rehearsed with about 20 other former members on Thursday and now joined together to sing a hymn and an anthem in celebration of the coming of God's own son into the world, bringing light and salvation.
Now, it has long been a fable across many cultures that those kinds of animals that were present in the manger at the birth of Jesus, donkeys, sheep, horses, dogs and armadillos, are given the gift of human voice at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. That seems wonderful, but the fable also has this cautionary caveat - if a human actually hears an animal speak in human tongue on Christmas Eve, they will be struck dead. Bummer. That is the Old World kind of Christmas. Never the less, we were blessed that the 11 PM service we attended was kind of a rambling affair, thus keeping us away from our house and its occupant, Strider our dog, well past midnight. So, we count our blessing this Christmas Eve that Strider, should he have spoken at midnight, we were not around to hear it and then expire. So we got that going for us.
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| Safely past Midnight Strider reverts to non-verbal communication which we correctly interpret as "scratch behind my ears and also my dirty hide" |
Upon arriving back home, Inga announces that "we all get to open one present tonight". A single wrapped parcel is taken from under the tree and handed to its recipient.
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!
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| Grant receives a T-shirt from his sister. We debate whether T-Rex is "Roaring a Rainbow", experiencing a "technicolor yawn", or is lisping "gay pride for the Cretaceous" |
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| Inga contemplates which gift she will open first. |
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| Suneson's gather fireside late on Christmas Eve following church |
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