T’was the week before Christmas,
and all through the church
the Pastor and Organist tried not to lurch.
Prayers had been said over the copier with care
In hope that the bulletins wouldn’t be bare. . .
Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! That special time when we press “PRINT” on hundreds of bulletins. Now, I know that there are plenty of churches that have gone paperless – projecting prayers and lyrics onto screens or simply announcing the hymns and verses – but we try to make things as simple for our people as possible and have found that hand-held bulletins are still the most effective way for our particular congregation to participate in worship. We have had the interesting and wonderful problem, in recent months, of running out (or nearly running out) of bulletins on certain Sundays. We don’t want to have this problem in the coming days and are making sure that we don’t run out.
Serving in three different churches over the past 23 years, I have encountered this thing where Christmas is wonderful, but it puts special stress on different parts of church life. People are busy trying their best to offer their best when it comes to music and worship, telling the Christmas story in fun and dramatic ways, visiting those people who need visits, and giving gifts.
It can all be a lot. . . and then there’s the copy machine.
I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled a jammed piece of paper out of a church copy machine over the years during the days leading up to Christmas. Some jams are relatively simple, and some are more complicated – pulling out tiny shreds of paper caught in a hard-to-reach spot. I’m not saying that I – or the everso-talented Michelle Jones, Beth Evarts, and Barb Flocco – are qualified to do maintenance on copy machines. But let’s just say that, over the years, the four of us have developed a special relationship with the church’s copy machine. We aren’t superstitious folks by nature, but we have been known to press “PRINT” while holding the wellbeing of the copy machine in our hearts, uttering prayers (and other. . . incantations, to put it mildly) under our breaths.
Thankfully, in recent years, we have a good machine to use, and our copier has faithfully fulfilled its duty, but you never know…
Here’s what I do know: no matter what happens with the copy machine, I am thankful that Christmas is on the way. This coming Sunday at 10 AM, we will celebrate the Fourth Sunday in Advent. And on Tuesday, December 24, we will celebrate Christmas Eve at 4 PM and 7 PM. There will be carols to sing and candles to light, and – Lord willing, the copy machine still works – bulletins to use. No matter what, Christmas will still come!
I am so thankful to everyone who offers their time, talent, energy, prayers, and gifts this time of year. I am so thankful for all of YOU!
See you in church!
Grace and Peace,
John
Prepare for Worship
This Week: “Hope is Worth the Risk” (Words for the Beginning – Week 4)
- Read Luke 1:46-55
- Read Matthew 1:18-25
- Read or sing Hymn # 108 – “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
See you on Christmas Eve at 4 PM and 7 PM! Both services will be live-streamed as well!