On the first weekend of December we participated in the Birthday Party for Jesus which was for 3-4-5 year olds at church. Larry was a wise man and Marlys was an angel who greeted the children and their parents and helped the children do a craft. Everyone was looking for baby Jesus. After the three craft rotations, everyone went into the big room where the manger was set up. Mary, Joseph and their real baby (girl) told the story of Jesus' birth. What a meaningful time for these preschoolers. Then the lights came on and we had a birthday lunch complete with a cake lit with tons of candles. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday to Jesus' before finishing off with cake and ice cream. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of this event.
The next weekend was the Sunday School/AWANA Christmas Program. The children presented the morning worship service. Before the older kids performed, the preschool children sang and said their pieces. It was a touch of nostalgia as the program was scaled back to be more like the 'old days' with less glitz. The message of the show was great - it's about Jesus, not about ME! Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing.
A snowstorm on Saturday canceled dress rehearsal so the first service was more like a dress rehearsal for the second time through it. The kids knew their parts and the songs went well so it was just a little touchy for the support people to get everyone lighted correctly and on the stage at the right time. I was happy that the teachers were just there for 'crowd control' because I fell that Sat. night in the kitchen (tripped on a rug) and sprained my left hand. I missed the first show because there were no snow plows on our road so it was impassable because of wind and drifts. Also, I was in pain and icing my hand by Sunday morning.
The sprained hand affected the next weekend - the choral concert. I was supposed to play bells in the lobby before the concert and play two or three songs in the ensemble during the concert. Our director had to find a sub for me. I wound up doing the slides for the concert instead of bells. Larry video taped the program. That was the weekend for the Living Nativity. Larry was a wise man for this too. The weather was cold, but clear and not too windy. The actors were in shifts so that they could warm up after 25 to 30 minutes.
Now it is the night before the night before Christmas. The packages are beneath the tree and Marlys is cooking. Larry is doing projects in the basement. We have one big project left to make.
We are ready to Christmas!!!!
Hope your heart is filled with the presence of the Savior.
Merry Christmas!
