Christmas Pt. I: The Holy

Merry Christmas! The past two days have been so astonishing; it is going to be difficult to put into words, but I certainly intend on trying. Also, I am going to break it down into two parts to keep each post short. Part I will deal with the "holy," and Part II will deal with the "holiday." So, Christmas Eve at First Pres was all that it promised to be and more. But before I go into great detail:

My Christmas Eve Tradition 3 years running: Chinese and Wawa coffee!

FPCWC. Take Christmas Eve awesomeness in one hand and worship variety in the other hand... now clap your hands together. That's what First Pres managed to do yesterday, and do wonderfully!

     Pageant. children + costumes + advent/christmas hymns + manger + scripture = cutest thing ever!

     Praise Band. Family service with a contemporary twist on traditional songs. The praise band and the youth choirs were incredible!

     Traditional. From an acoustics perspective, you can't beat a packed 177-year-old sanctuary. It was a candlelit service with a message from Dr. Stovell about light--absolutely wonderful.
     Communion Service. A more intimate service with communion after a long, joyful day!

"Down to Earth." I really, really enjoyed the 10:30pm Communion service for several reasons. It is, in my opinion, the most spiritual service of the year. This year, it lived up to all of my expectations and then some. Rev. Hartwell preached from the gospel of Luke, and her message (entitled "Down to Earth") was outstanding! It hit close to home--like a spiritual blindside. It got to me. Now, I'm in seminary--I listen to A LOT of sermons--and not many "get to me" in such a profound way. I'm affected by every sermon I hear and learn from each one, no doubt, but this was different. I wish I could articulate it better, but it's the kind of message that preoccupies your thoughts and emotions, that hinders you from singing the final hymn, that overwhelms your mind and your soul for a while, and that makes falling asleep just a little bit more difficult. I hear from a good source that it will be available on the website soon: http://www.firstpreswc.com/listen. It's definitely worth twenty minutes of your time!

Christmas morning. My Christmas morning involved a magnificent sermon from Rev. Pickett (I love when he preaches about the Kingdom), packing my car, grabbing a Wawa coffee, and hitting the road for home! 

Next up will be the "holiday" portion of my Christmas: family, friends, games, food, movies, etc. Merry Christmas everyone and God bless you!