Tuesday, December 25

Going to church at 9:30 am on Christmas morning can feel like an interruption in the celebration – for children who just want to enjoy their gifts, teenagers who want to sleep in, young families who are busy with children, middle-aged families who are preparing a family meal, and older people who just don’t feel like going out in the cold – if it is winter in your part of the globe.

We hadn’t planned to go to church on Christmas morning this year, because we offered to take my sister to the Lancaster General Hospital where her husband, Marlin, was waiting on a report following a heart cauterization. It turned out that the doctors scheduled a meeting with them on Christmas morning, so their daughter Karen took her mother to the hospital – to be in the conference with her parents.

Going to church yesterday, afforded us a series of blessings:

The singing of Christmas carols – led by Josh Diffenderfer.

Listening to the story of Jesus’ birth – read from Luke 2:1-20

Dave Wenger – our moderating preacher – opened with devotions and invited us to kneel in prayer and visualize that we were with the shepherds kneeling beside the manger.

Our newest preacher, Dustin Martin, opened his message by asking how many of us were in the Christmas spirit. About 2/3 of the audience raised their hands. He said, “Do you know that if you were a Puritan, it would cost you several shillings if you were caught celebrating Christmas.”

Dustin asked several men to share a short Christmas memory or favorite tradition in their family.

Deitrick Copenhaver (from the youth group) remembered the fun of his family piling into their camper and going to a local mall – then drawing names and having to find a gift for that person in a short period of time. I think he said they had half an hour to shop and get back to the camper.

Trulan Martin said his family reads the Christmas story from the Bible, exchanges useful gifts, and sings Happy Birthday – with a cake his mom makes for Jesus. He admitted that he did not always enjoy Christmas carols – thinking they were sung too early and lasted too long. But now that he and Katrina have young children, he is learning to appreciate Christmas songs – especially as he grows in the Lord and understands more fully the fact that Christmas carols are honoring the birth of God’s son – who came to earth and died for him.

Roland Longenecker remembers the last day of school, before Christmas break, when all children received an orange from the bus driver. (A gift from the bus company whose owners were in the audience.) Rol said his favorite gift as a boy was a Daisy BB gun. Another treasured memory is of his entire family going to a nearby tree farm (I think he said on Thanksgiving afternoon) and choosing a tree for Christmas. Today he and Carolyn are grandparents and searching for new family traditions. He closed by saying, now that I am older I treasure my first gift from God – “physical life” and the best gift – “eternal life.”

Dustin is meticulous in researching details concerning his messages and during the next part of his Christmas challenge, he asked us to sing two of the oldest Christmas carols on record: Good Christian Men Rejoice and O Come All Ye Faithful.

This a summary of Dustin’s challenge to us: What is the meaning of Christmas? Some Christians choose to not celebrate Christmas because we are not asked to do that in the Bible and the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. The “world” celebrates without Christ in their traditions making it revolve around lights and gifts. However, we choose to celebrate and remember His birth because we KNOW He was born. We KNOW the shepherds were notified about his birth.

When we celebrate Christmas with Christ as our focus, we are reminded of the great value of the gifts of hospitality, forgiveness, and encouragement – gifts of the heart that may not cost any money. He closed by saying, “Enjoy your Christmas traditions, but remember to focus on Jesus.”

Following our Christmas offering – a gift to several charities – we were invited to the fellowship hall for a time of fellowship with Moravian Sugar Cake and hot drinks (coffee, tea, and hot chocolate).

Someone asked for the recipe. This is the one my sister-in-law Brenda Hershey used.

As I watched our youngest four preachers greeting people and assisting their wives in serving the cake and drink to the congregation, I thought, “They are great shepherds.”

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This caused my mind to turn to Psalm 23 and I thought about the group inside the church building as sheep being loved on by their shepherds.

I saw myself as an old grandma sheep watching young parent sheep helping their children to tables with their cake and drink, seeing a large group of smiling happy sheep of every age, and listening to several sister sheep – one telling me about her husband who is having health issues and another (a single sister) who quit her job in favor of a part-time job so she can assist her aging mother.

As I delighted in watching our congregation’s “shepherds and sheep”, I walked toward the sanctuary to see if anyone was still there, because the fellowship hall was getting full. (Early arrivals were getting up and giving their seats to other “sheep”.)

There were still quite a few “sheep” in the sanctuary – enjoying each other’s company.

After thinking about and visualizing the morning as enjoying “green pastures”, I hurt for those who couldn’t be there and those who chose to not to be there. About that time I talked to a sister sheep (one of my nieces) who just received the news from the hospital that open heart surgery was too risky for her dad. I could see the pain and concern on her face and in her eyes. Pray for them as doctors consult other specialists as they decide what to do about his heart blockage.

We talked to a “brother” sheep who has pain and difficult situations in his family.

I left our church with a grateful heart for our godly, shepherds and their care for the flock that chooses to be part of the White Oak Church of the Brethren. My heart is aching for those who are struggling with their health or painful family situations, but even more my heart is pained for those who are spiritually careless or have chosen to be bitter and angry – and live in the “wilderness” of briars, confusion and darkness rather than in God’s green pastures.

A Psalm of David

Psalm 23 English Standard Version

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.