The Bungee Cord. 12-28-20

Hello,

 

     100% chance of rain!

 

     That was the forecast for Christmas Eve evening for Ligonier, Pa.  Normally, such a forecast would only cast a shroud of disappointment on those who dream for a white Christmas, but this year this forecast cast a blanket of anxiety on me…..because, St. James Lutheran Church was going to have an outdoor Christmas Eve service around the manger scene on our side lawn.  Snow, we could handle.  Cold, we could bundle up for.  Wind, we could manage.  But rain, especially pouring rain….that was going to cause problems….problems for our sound equipment not getting wet, and problems for people not getting drenched and chilled to the bone.  Rain…100% chance of rain!  Ugh!

 

     But, I had spent the first part of the week calling the whole congregation to tell them we were going to have the outdoor Christmas service No Matter What!  You see, as we have been dealing with our unwanted guest, Covid 19, we have had to cancel in person indoor worship since Thanksgiving, and we don’t know when we will be able to gather again in the months to come.  So, because outdoor gatherings of 50 or less are still allowable in our area, we decided to boldly have an outdoor service in the middle of the winter.  No Matter What!

 

     After all that is kind of what Christmas is all about.  When God sent his Son into our lives, he didn’t wait for the perfect day…when the world was all at peace, when birth mortality rates were low, when HVAC systems could ward off the weather, and when all people would welcome his Son with joy.  No, when Jesus was born things were far from perfect for his birth, as a matter of fact the conditions were all the opposite from what I listed.  Jesus came to the world as it was….NO MATTER WHAT!

 

     So, the day before Christmas Eve, I brought the picnic tent that was stored in our garage to church and set it up, in hopes that it would protect my sound system (amp, soundboard, mic’s, speakers).   I secured it  with a bungee cord to the tree, and  I was prepared to tarp one of the sides to protect everything from the blowing wind.

 

     It turned out that the weather forecast was right.  From the moment the sun rose it rained…and rained…and rained.  The only good news was that it was 47 degrees, warm for Pennsylvania on Christmas.  The service was at 5:00, so at 3:30 I hopped in my pickup and drove my 10 miles to church in the rain, but when I got there, I noticed that my windshield wipers were not working as hard as they were when I left my house.  It was raining, but not pouring!

 

     So, I started setting up my equipment under the tent that had not been blown away.  The rain had turned to sprinkles so I could carry everything from the building to the lawn without wrapping them up in garbage bags which I had brought.  Part of the plan was to have a fire going in front of the manger scene.  One of our members had brought her fire pit, and as I saw her getting ready to light it, I said to her.  “I will be impressed if you can get that fire going.”

 

     “No problem,” she said back confidently, and sure enough, she was right.  In a few moments it was burning away.

 

     As we neared 5:00 people started coming.  Trickling in under their umbrellas, and before we knew it there was a crowd of about 50 people gathered around the manger scene.  We handed out bulletins that included the Bible message and carols which stayed pretty dry under people’s umbrellas, and because we started at 5:00 there was light enough to read them.  But as our service went along, the sunlight went away and darkness began to set in.

 

     Fortunately, we gave everyone something else, too.  A battery lit candle that produced enough light for everyone to fend off the dark.  It was wonderful.  All of us around the manger scene, hearing the Christmas story and singing (socially distant and with our masks on), and watching the candle light shimmer in the dark. The church is on one of the main roads in town, and as cars passed us, they all slowed down to “see this thing that had taken place”.  We ended, as we do every Christmas ever, singing Silent Night, and on the last verse we lifted our candles to the sky as a sign of the Light of the World’s triumph over the darkness of suffering, sin and death.

 

     The service, this year, didn’t end there.  When the people received their candles, they were told that these candles were for them to keep.  To take home.  To take home with them this shrouded year as a reminder that Jesus, the Light, shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  Also, as a reminder that we have a God who comes into our lives, just like he did in Bethlehem….NO MATTER WHAT!

 

     And that is something to be thankful for….even merry about!  Merry Christmas.

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry