Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Well, another Christmas has come and gone.  Here in Omaha, it was a beautiful day with a high temperature for the day of just shy of 50 degrees.  Of course, this year it was not a white Christmas.

On Christmas Eve this year, Maddie had to work until 6:00 pm, so we were unable to attend the Christmas Eve Service at Benson Baptist, since their service started at 5:30 pm.  So I Googled a bit and found a 7:30 service at a ELCA Lutheran Church and we decided to give that a try.  Creath was home for the Holiday and so all four of us attended the service at Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, located at 132nd & Blondo.  Years ago, I was actually a member at St. Michael's, but I hadn't been inside the building for many years and they've added on at least twice in these passing years.

Saint Michael's has a beautiful facility, though I will confess the decor is a bit too contemporary for my preferences at this stage in my life.  Their service however, was wonderful.  They have a Minister who is a very talented speaker, and they had a soloist who had an absolutely marvelous voice.  Going to the service just to hear her sing, would have been well worth it all.

Pipe Organ at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Omaha, NE
WmRoy Karlen photo

After the service we went home and had a bite to eat.  We had planned to go down to St. Cecilia's for their Midnight Mass, but Gail and the kids were too tired to go.  Going to St. Cecilia's Midnight Service is for me one of the highlights of my year, so undeterred, I set off and attended the service alone.  This year I walked in the front doors (we've always parked beside the building and gone in the side doors) in order to see the sanctuary in all it's glory.  Saint Cecilia's is a magnificent building, and I love to go down and hear the choir singing in Latin.  There is just something ethereal about this building and it is especially so when there is beautiful music.  The acoustics for the sanctuary are incredible.

Gail and I, once went to a performance there of an a-capella quartet, singing Irish Folk Hymns.  The four women came from the curved hallway that goes behind the Altar, two came out from each side.  You could hear them singing long before they appeared in sight, and they sang the entire performance without any amplification.  It was just their natural voices and the amazing acoustics of the Cathedral.

During the service of Midnight Mass, I sat along the center aisle and the entering and exiting processions went right past me.  Even the next morning, I could still smell the incense on my coat.  On the drive home (about 2 am) there was almost no traffic, and that peaceful drive, along with the smell of the incense was in itself almost a spiritual event... very serene and almost surreal.

Christmas morning we of course opened gifts at home and then went over to Mary Alice's (Gail's mom) home to open still more gifts.  After everything was done at Mary Alice's and the rest of the folks had to run off to Christmas events with other relatives, Gail, the kids and I took Mary Alice over to our house.

Mary can't walk on her own right now and the simplest way to get her up the stairs and into the house, was for me to just pick her up and carry her inside.  She is not heavy at all, the only thing I was concerned about was that she has a terrible habit of reaching out and grabbing the railing or something else and just won't let go, even when you need to keep moving.

Before I picked her up (each and every time, as I carried her into, and out of the house and also carried her into the bedroom so she could take a nap) I told her clearly to NOT reach out and try to grab anything as I was carrying her.  I told her to grab ahold of my shoulders and to not reach out for a railing or doorknob or anything else.  Honestly, if she grabbed and pulled on the railing as I was taking her up or down the steps she could have caused both of us to fall.  She listened well, and we had no troubles at all getting her wherever she needed to be.

Gail told me "you do come in handy sometimes".  To which I replied, quoting the famous trainer Mark Rippetoe "strong people are generally more useful, and are harder to kill".  There are times in all of our lives when we need the assistance of someone either stronger physically, mentally, or spiritually than we are ourselves.  There is no shame in this, it is just part of being a human being.

Mary's trying to grab ahold of something while you're helping her, is a lot like how we are when we're in God's guiding grasp.  All too often when we're faced with difficulty, we pray to God for help, and then we reach out for something else... rather than, putting our faith in his strength and guidance to get us through the situation.  We reach out to crutches such as alcohol or drugs, we have extra-marital affairs, or any of a number of other things that we put our faith in, rather than God's guidance.  Take your troubles before the Lord, trust in Him to get you through these difficult times.  Do not reaching out in fear, but trust in the love, guidance, and healing that God can and will provide.

Well, that's enough for today.  May you each and everyone, know the peace, grace and strength of God in your lives.

In His Love & Joy,

Roy

Prayers please for:
Connie Surat, Kelly & Patti Wills, Don & Laura Fletcher, the Huntzeker family, Sylvia Schafer, Edsel Buchanan, and remember to pray for yourself as well.