Christmas Time Is Here

Michael & Jack were in the Grace Reformed Church (GRC) children's program. Michael has been jockeying for position, advancing to king, after a long run as shepherd. Jack's mouse costume transformed him from Narnia hero to stall rodent.
Theresa, our pastor's wife, was a professional singer and sang duet with Mike, accompanied by Denny, her brother-in-law, an excellent amateur guitarist on the side; school VP as day job.
Theresa, Grace, & Carolyn sang Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour, a lovely carol largely obscure to American churches which remain, for the most part, in Dickensonian mode, when it comes to Christmas music.

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becomes poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenwards by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.

The children launched the Christmas Evening Service, which is a deliberate gift - to God and to each other - in a shared evening of songs, poems, or readings. American culture tends to experience Christmas collectively as a countdown to the 25th; a cliff we head towards..then jump.

GRC has adopted an earlier sense of Advent leading to Christmastide, a season which begins the official church calendar on the 25th, proceeding to the 12 days until Epiphany, January 6th. For example, our family devotional readings continued this week. This year, I have less a sense of things ending on the 25th, but, rather, beginning. Theologically, this signifies a restorative event - the second coming - which caps a history already in progress. The Evening Service helped frame and center this outlook and stance; not the annual collapsing of days into a climactic crescendo, but a steady-as-you-go reaffirmation of the historic promises in a history which has already begun and is now.

Christmas time is here.