We also had a similar Christmas Eve service at the UU church, with a choir singing carols, and everyone in the congregation holding candles in the semi-darkness. Quite pleasant to hear the voices of everyone joined together.
Another Milestone - Christmas Eve Services.
by AK - Jeff 16 Replies latest jw experiences
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truthsearcher
Yay Jeff! I had told my family about you wanting so badly to go to church and showing up for the Bible study and the doors locked...they all said "Awwwwww" (you know, felt so bad for you). I will now tell them about the Christmas Eve service and we will rejoice for you!
It is neat to read of the different approaches to this season: some quiet and reverent, some more of a joyous celebration. The JWs are wrong to think that we Christians make this all about the manger. For us, we focus on the birth of the KING of KINGS, born in the "shadow of a tree", our personal SAVIOUR, and the miraculous wonder that God loved us so much that he would send his perfect son into this rotten world...they have missed the whole point, haven't they?
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AK - Jeff
The JWs are wrong to think that we Christians make this all about the manger. For us, we focus on the birth of the KING of KINGS, born in the "shadow of a tree", our personal SAVIOUR, and the miraculous wonder that God loved us so much that he would send his perfect son into this rotten world...they have missed the whole point, haven't they?
So right, Truthsearcher.
I was thinking about that yesterday - if it is so 'wrong' to celebrate Jesus' birth, why did the angels appear in assembly, praising him in that night? Just doesn't fit that we should be less joyfull.
Jeff
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willyloman
Jeff: We attended the 10:30 p.m. service at a local Episcopalian Church, second year in a row. Our experiences are very similar. We found it uplifting and rewarding.
Both of us came "into the Truth" at about age 30, so we had been "churched' in our former lives and are familiar with a lot of the classic religious holiday says (O Come All Ye Faithful, etc.). There were women on the pulpit doing Bible readings, quite a number of obviously gay couples in attendance, one guy in a robe on the "platform" (pardon my dubspeak) sporting a mohawk haircut, and a fellow who read one of the bible passages from the pulpit dressed in sports jacket but no tie.
It is so unbelievably liberating not to have to be judgmental of others, but to be able to accept them as fellow humans in the same leaky boat.
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Madame Quixote
I'm glad to hear that you have no trepidation about attending church now. Christmas services are wonderful, I think. There is little more joy than the kind of singing and music that Christmas inspires.
I was about 19 or 20 when I first attended a church for a Christmas service (about 4 or 5 years after I was disfellowshipped). I went with someone I was dating and with his family. It was in an Episcopalian church near Biltmore in Asheville, NC, (http://www.allsoulscathedral.org/). It was stunningly beautiful in every way - musically and visually. We wanted to clap every time the choir sang. I think we got stoned before the service, naughty us! I guess I thought it was going to be a joke to go to church for Christmas, but it turned out to be seriously enjoyable; I was so stunned by it all; didn't know when to kneel and sit and stand and such; all that kneeling was a trip, but kinda' funny.
The other services I've attended for Christmas were in the UU church locally (and never got stoned for those; thank goodness!) I attended one out-of-town this year at the Eno River UUFW in Durham (http://www.eruuf.org/campus.htm). It was absolutely lovely. We did the candle-lighting thing at the end, too.
The basic theme of the service was that "every night a child is born, is a holy night", (based upon the words of Sophia Lyon-Fahs), and that we are all children of such a holy night, in typical UU fashion. I think that, "every night a child is born, is a holy night," is a common UU Christmas theme. Sermon transcripts: http://www.eruuf.org/sermons.htm
It was lovely and made me cry, as usual.
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Sad emo
Sounds like it was a great experience for you Jeff and congrats on taking the step!!
It sounds like you were 'meant' to go there - the prior connections and then discovering somebody you know there too - that makes a place feel so much safer.
I'm with you and truthsearcher on celebrating Christmas - no Christmas = no Easter
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bebu
Thanks for the update, Jeff. I was hoping you were blessed. Nice to hear that so many others had a great experience.
Our church had 2 services on Sunday evening this year. The 8:00 one is usually very boisterous, lots of songs, and people lighting candles. We went to the later one, termed a "celebration" service... but ironically the tone of it was so meditative that it ended up feeling about as joyful as Good Friday service. Very strange and kind of disappointing. It wasn't intentional. But I guess it worked from a "meditation-only" standpoint.
bebu
'give me carols' class