Christmas = Yay
My christmas turned out to be much better than I was expecting it to be. I was expecting the same thing that usualy happens, which is that my immediate family gathers in the living room on Christmas eve, and we open our presents one person at a time, starting with the oldest, and ending with the youngest. Well, that still happened, and it was just like every other year, but afterwards was another story entirly. First of all you should know that I had been feeling rather sad because I knew there was no way on earth my family was going to involve Jesus in our celebration, we never had. (unless you count the nativity scene my mom used to put up when I was really little)I really wanted to go to a curch service because the Christmas ones are always beautiful, and I don't know, I just felt like I should be in church. Like I said there was no way on earth my family was going to church, so I had resigned myself to just going back to my room later and reading the story of Jesus's birth, and feeling generaly disapointed. I should have known better. I was wrapping my last few presents and My mom was wrapping hers when she asks if I want to walk with her down to St Mary's to hear the Midnight Mass. Excuse me while I fall over. I had totaly forgotten we live a few blocks from the St. Mary's here in Corvallis. Not to mention the shock of hearing my mother tell me she wants to go to church. So, of course I said I would go and we got on with wrapping presents.
Well, suffice it to say that that was the most beautiful Christmas service I have ever been to. We sang carols before the actual Mass started which was fun, and the preist gave a great sermon, But the best part was the nativity. there wasn't really a pagent, but they turned out the lights and led some attendants down the aisle by candlight, and in the center of the attendants was a life-sized porcelain figure of baby Jesus that my mom called the Christ-child.(she used to be Catholic, so she was able to explain things to me)I couldn't see what they did with the Christ-child when they got to the altar, but I think they were blessing it.(Him?) Then they put the Christ-child in the manger, and we all sang Joy to the World. I cried. The rest of the service was pretty neat too, but I don't remember as much of it. I remember that they had a cantor sing sometimes, (I'm not sure why, I think most of it was to praise Jesus) and I remember the reading from the gospels. I remember that they brought the gospels up to the altar with alot of ceremony, and insence. My mom said that it was because the gospels are extremly sacred to Catholics, so they treat them with a great deal of reverance. It was pretty cool. The whole thing was just amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better service. Just goes to show how wonderful God is. I had completely given up hope, and what happens? God grants me something I wanted that I hadn't even prayed for. How awesome is that? He knew my heart, even though I hadn't said anything about it, or prayed about it. So glad He's in my life.
Well, suffice it to say that that was the most beautiful Christmas service I have ever been to. We sang carols before the actual Mass started which was fun, and the preist gave a great sermon, But the best part was the nativity. there wasn't really a pagent, but they turned out the lights and led some attendants down the aisle by candlight, and in the center of the attendants was a life-sized porcelain figure of baby Jesus that my mom called the Christ-child.(she used to be Catholic, so she was able to explain things to me)I couldn't see what they did with the Christ-child when they got to the altar, but I think they were blessing it.(Him?) Then they put the Christ-child in the manger, and we all sang Joy to the World. I cried. The rest of the service was pretty neat too, but I don't remember as much of it. I remember that they had a cantor sing sometimes, (I'm not sure why, I think most of it was to praise Jesus) and I remember the reading from the gospels. I remember that they brought the gospels up to the altar with alot of ceremony, and insence. My mom said that it was because the gospels are extremly sacred to Catholics, so they treat them with a great deal of reverance. It was pretty cool. The whole thing was just amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better service. Just goes to show how wonderful God is. I had completely given up hope, and what happens? God grants me something I wanted that I hadn't even prayed for. How awesome is that? He knew my heart, even though I hadn't said anything about it, or prayed about it. So glad He's in my life.