Christmas Eve #5- Last One!

We did it! A total 1119 served with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Woo hoo!

God is good.

Loved the mellow cello and piano music at this service with lots of carols and scripture readings. Excellent crowd (and yes, there were repeaters!) Thoroughly enjoyed seeing our college student in worship tonight! What a hoot!

Thanks for dinner- Staff Parish Committee you brought in a yummy supper for the staff. We appreciate not eating PBJ sandwiches on Christmas Eve.

Thanks for all the other goodies that arrived on my desk during the night. Santa has been here! I shall enjoy opening them!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve #4.5

The Incarnation Among Us

For God

husband whose heart fails him kissed his wife's hand while she rocked their son & sang

so loved

glow of light warmed a young girl's face as she waved to her momma from the first row

the world

once strong man now shrunken in gasped for air and beckoned a prayer of blessing

God gave

mother of boys corals them in a pew wiping tears of... frustration, pain, and joy? that only God can know

The Only Son

pixy-sweet girl nose kisses her momma while remembering her Nana's journey into heaven

Christmas Eve #4

Down hill Santa slope now... with only one more service to go. By the time we get finished with this last worship service the new day of Christmas will be here! WAHOO!

Gorgeous, gorgeous music! Wow! Absolutely fabulous! Familiar faces, new faces. Faces shedding tears and other faces with big grins on them! WOW! Loved it! !!!

5pm 379 served at the Lord's table

7pm 388 served at the Lord's table

9pm 226 served at the Lord's table

Now comes the final clean up and touches. Sometimes at the 11pm service we see 'repeaters'. Folks who just want to be in worship as the new day begins. How fun is that?!

Me- I've got some thank you's to write and get ready to mail.

Choir loft is littered with water bottles. Todd's voice is getting scratchier than his beard. Jen cannot stop smiling. Andrew and Megan have not set any luminaries on fire this year. And Mark has been burning calories all night running to and from the organ loft! What a team!

Christmas Eve #3

Half way there! Two done and two to go!

I was minding my own business vacuuming the sanctuary when two different men came and stole the vacuum cleaner from my hands declaring, "That is not work for the pastor!" ha ha! Only time that will ever happen!

Best ever Christmas Cantata! Wow- to the music, the songs, the people, the candles, and the Holy Communion! Gorgeous.

I lost count of all the people!

Love me some Jesus! :)

Christmas Eve #2

WOW- what fun! We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! Shared at His table and were blessed!

And I think I tear'd up throughout the entire thing. Gosh- my mascara may not make it for 3 more services. Where is my Mary Kay lady when I need her?

My tears were helped along by the Baby Jesus' sister who knew her line (as the Angel Gabriel)- "Do not be afraid" which means (in Mackenzie Noland language) don't be scared! ha ha!

Time to switch things around for service #2 with the choir's cantata, more great music, Holy Communion, and the candles!

Christmas Eve #1- the Pre-Worship blog

Hello there! This moment marks the third annual blog-through-four-Christmas-Eve-worship-services for Michelle! 5, 7, 9, and 11pm! Yeah- baby!

Hope you are ready for the inside scoop on the behind-the-scenes fun and action here at Calvary UMC in good ol' snow covered (and yes, it is snowing right now) Brownsburg.

The sidewalks and parking lot were clear moments ago. We are poised and ready for some worship!

The Youth Choir (GLORY) are rehearsing. And I have yet to see Baby Jesus and his Ensemble arrive to get dressed. My children's sermon ala' props hidden in the manger are ready to reveal... this first service is loud, wiggly, noisy, crazy, chaos!

It is all good! :)

Blog again soon!

Broken

What do you do when...?

• furnace's heat exchanger cracks (get a new one)
• garage door spring busts (have it fixed)
• windows rot (get new installed)
• dishwasher leaks (buy a new one)
• light switches fail (get an electrician to fix it)

I do not know what you do when all that happens within a 12 day period. But my husband screams, "I want to move!" And then he tries to convince me it is a good idea to stop being a home owner because we are watching our emergency fund dwindle and dwindle and dwindle.

I shall just put a big red bow on the house on Christmas Eve and tell my kid that she has a warm, easy-to-enter, weather sealed, non-leaking, bright lit house from Santa for a present!