Posted by
Robert Canfield on Saturday, December 22, 2007 1:04:09 AM
I just hadn't been feeling the Christmas "feeling". I wasn't feeling
the "Christmas Jones". Traffic was getting worse. Stores were getting
more crowded- even the grocery departments!
Our church's Christmas program last weekend was--if I may be
blunt--messy, too complicated, and lacking in focus. I loved the
singing children at the beginning, but the main presentation and sermon
was.. . let's just say when it all ended, my first thought was "what
the. . .?" My attitude was descending faster than a mountain biker who
just took a header down a rocky slope. Christmas? Bah Humbug.
The
Mrs. must have picked up on my crabby vibe. Because last Sunday night,
she recommended a visit to a Live Nativity staffed by the combined
efforts two local churches. Both Churches get together annually to present live
scenes of the life of Jesus, from birth through crucifixion and
resurrection.
So we went Sunday night. It was raining. Hard. We
were prepared and wore our rain gear. But it was very wet. and cold.
The Live Nativity was low-key but powerful in its imagery. No bad
"churchy" over-acting (you know what I mean). Just silent, still, but
very much alive scenes. The every day humdrum slowly drifted away with
each scene. Congested traffic and crowded stores were forgotten. In the
silence. In the rain.
Afterward, we gladly accepted an invitation to join others inside the church to warm ourselves with
wassail and pleasant conversation.
The
bah-humbug frustration of the busy, rushed, crowded Christmas season
failed to visit me this week, although I have driven through busy
streets and shopped in crowded stores. Streets and stores can have
their version of Christmas. I like mine better.