107232776334279685

Christmas Eve Worship
We pulled off the Christmas Eve service tonight with only a few hitches. Of course, the wireless mic that I had put out for the kids to read into didn’t work, which confirms my belief that wireless microphones never work. But, all seemed to take it in stride and we had a large crowd.

I confess that I’m breathing a sigh of relief. Of course you might expect that given my earlier posts, but I’m ready for some ordinary time. I agree with my former professor at Emory, Steve Kraftchick, that the kingdom of God is not found in the high and mighty places, but rather in the mustard bushes, that is, the normal life that we face each day. Kingdom living for me comes not in the special times — it’s easy to live out the values of the kingdom in those times. However, it’s how I act in rush hour traffic, how I respond to my kids who won’t take no for an answer, how I deal with laundry, and grocery shopping, and another damn meeting, that reflects my belief in the kingdom. I need those ordinary times that remind me that God is to be experienced in the mundane as well as on the mountaintop.

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, I will be experiencing both extremes. In the morning we’ll open presents with the girls, head to my cousins for a family breakfast, and then return home to face Kay’s family (the beef wellington at dinner will be a hight point of the day). Then, after experiencing too much family and consumption, I’ll put on my tie and head to the funeral home to visit the family of the lady that I will bury on the 26th. Ordinary time will break through into the extraordinary (and yes, as much as we don’t like to admit, death is a part of our ordinary existence).

If anyone reads this (and I doubt that they do), I hope you have a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.