KristyWes

And To All - A Good Night
December Photo Project Day #24


Santa, in a Greenpoint tree lot

 Tonight, after dinner but before church, I got head-butted by my nephew (who is a Dachshund named T.J.). I tipped over backwards, which startled my brother, and caused him to spill coffee all over his church clothes.  Which caused me to laugh.  A lot.

My mother, looking annoyed and confused, asked, "Why are you laughing?"  She didn't see anything funny about showing up to church covered in coffee stains.

But I didn't see how else I could respond.  Sometimes you just have to laugh.

At church, the same Christmas Eve service we've attended for ~20 years now, the pastor preached what was possibly the best Christmas Eve sermon I've heard there.  (I would have shouted out a couple Amen!s, but that isn't generally done among Lutherans.)

He talked about all the generations leading up to Jesus - he mentioned the geneologies that contain the names of some heros, some jerks, and some just-normal people.  Jesus came for all of them.

He talked about the shepherds - those lowly men, the bottom rung of the social strata, who heard the good best news first.  God came near for them, and for the jerks, and for the orphans, and for the just-normal types, and for those who feel forgotten, and for those who feel trapped, and for those who are oppressed.  And for all of us.

Afterwards, we lit candles and sang "Silent Night," and I teared up a little.  I didn't see how else I could respond.

Merry Christmas.  (And Amen!)