This Christmas season has been different for me. Due to busy weekends (a wedding! Disneyland!), I've been to church once in the last three weeks. I'm not sure I will get there Sunday and then it's Christmas Eve.
As a life long Church Chick, I have to say, this Christmas season has seemed very, well, dull, lifeless. I've felt like I'm going through the motions and it's not really Christmas. There are other circumstances surrounding that but by in large, the reason has become apparent. I've only gone to church once during Advent. There hasn't been any prelude, not gradual warm up to the season. I haven't sung "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" or "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus". We haven't argued about singing the Christmas hymns too early or any of that. There is a Christmas sized hole in Christmas for me this year.
That's quite a revelation for this Church Chick. A Christmas sized hole is hard to fill. I bought gifts, I've decorated the house but it wasn't until I pulled out the guitar the other day in anticipation of the one Sunday morning Christmas service that I would be going to church (and leading the music) that it started to feel like Christmas. Hopefully by Christmas Eve when I stand in front of a congregation, again with guitar in hand, and lead in "Silent Night" that Christmas sized hole will be long gone...
