I love that Christmas was on a Sunday this year. It seemed right. My heart was a little more tender and a little more focused on Christ's birthday. During a typical week, I prepare for church on Saturday night - laying out clothes, packing bags, and preparing my heart. It seemed fitting to prepare for Jesus' birthday in the same way. We were at home, just the four of us the night before. We planned to attend the morning service at my church.
I will admit, that when I found out there was no childcare provided for this morning, my heart skipped a few beats. I love, love, love our preschool program at my church. I love that our kids learn Bible verses and Biblical concepts before they are even 2 years old. And I love that my husband and I can worship in our own service while our kids worship with other preschoolers. I am glad that all the wonderful teachers could take a weekend off, but I was super nervous to see how Nora (2 years old) would handle "big church."
At first, I was even thinking, "Should we attempt it? Should we just have our own little church service at home and avoid the drama?" But that didn't feel right.
I prepped my purse in a different way, stuffing it with coloring sheets, these magical water books, stickers, snacks...I prepped my children by telling them over and over the importance of being quiet. But I forgot to prep my heart.
We arrived in our seats before the service began. The kids were excited to see all the twinkle lights and the big screens. Hudson was trying hard to keep that flip up seat from eating him whole. And I was nervous about how they would respond to the service for "big people."
The Christmas carols began. I held one child and my husband held the other. The kids were in awe. And I felt in awe myself. I was so thankful to have my little family worshiping together this Christmas morning. The kids didn't know all the words to the familiar-to-me carols, but they knew we were celebrating Jesus' birthday. They stuck nativity stickers to the bulletin while our Pastor shared about Jesus' purpose in coming to earth. With each aspect of the service, my heart felt a little fuller.
Music was mixed in between the sermon points. In the middle of the service, we sang one of my favorite Christmas songs. O Come, All Ye Faithful. As we sang the chorus, tears spilled down my face. Nora even wiped a tear off my cheek. This is what Christmas is all about. This is what I want my kids to understand. This is what we have been preparing for.
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
We'll praise His name forever
We'll praise His name forever
We'll praise His name forever
Christ the Lord
All the preparations. All the anticipation. Even our getting ready for church this morning. It was all so that I could remind my children that we were made to worship the Lord. What I privilege I have, as a mother, to bring my children along side me to celebrate Christ's birth.
It's the song I could have sang as we got dressed, brushed hair, wiped oatmeal off faces, buckled car seats, and packed my purse.
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
And for those who are wondering, the kids did amazing in "big church." Nora may have had 3 applesauce squeezies and a lot of pretzels, but we were together as a family. We came and we worshiped Christ the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment