Bryan Sherwood

My Favorite Part

It's easy for Christmas to be so busy that one can miss having time to reflect on the coming of Christ.  I've had that experience in the past and have thought things like "I'll just be glad when this is over."  Kind of a sad statement.  One simple thing I did this year was to go to Christmas Day Eucharist.  I've never taken time to do that but found it very valuable just to have time to sit before the altar and the nativity of our Lord.  It was a small crowd - 24 people I think.  All of that to say, my favorite part of Christmas hasn't been the food, the gatherings nor the presents.  Instead, it has been the Eucharist. 

As the priest said it so well in the Eucharistic Liturgy:

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every where to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. 

Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, was made perfect man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin, and receive power to become  your children.

Those words seem to sum it up.

Nativity of our Lord: Christmas Day

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ:  Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Heather and I celebrated the birth of the Savior last night with Saint Patrick's and Apostles Anglican.  It was a good night.  I had planned to drive to Gethsemani but started feeling a bit ill yesterday afternoon and opted to stay close to home and go to bed early.  It was good being with people I know as we entered into the liturgy together.

Speaking of liturgy, I continue to be amazed at the very way it continues to shape me and form me.  I've been at this for a while now and instead of it becoming old hat, stale or "dead," it stirs me more.  Somehow, by entering into liturgical worship, God is rightly worshipped and the focus is placed on him and not on myself.  That may be the most forming thing of all.

I've been reading a great little book on Christian Liturgy by Mark Galli called Beyond Smells & Bells.  It's a superb book on liturgy for those already familiar and for those who are wanting to understand it more.  In his book, Galli explains liturgy this way:

The liturgy, from beginning to end is not so much about meeting our needs (though they will be addressed).  The liturgy is about  God.  It's not even about God-as-the-fulfiller-of-our-need-for-spiritual-meaning.  It's about God as he is in himself:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  It is not about our blessedness but his.  The liturgy immediately signals that our needs are not nearly as relevant as we imagine.  There is something infinitely more worth of our attention--something, someone who lies outside the self.  (p. 59)

Perhaps that's what I'm beginning to learn after five years of liturgical worship.  It moves my focus off of me and onto God.  Worship isn't about me, it's about God.  It doesn't matter if worship is "enjoyable", but it does matter if God is worshipped.  The liturgy is a gift of the church that makes sure God is rightly worshipped.  This Christmas, I'm thankful for that gift. 

Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We celebrated Christmas Eve with two different family gatherings and ended it by going to a Christmas Eve Service. It was a good day. Merry Christmas to you and your family on this Feast of the Nativity.