Christmas Greetings
In my youth, I took piano lessons, which I loved. Although I reached my grade 8 technical levels, I only reached grade 5 theory. I thought practising theory and scales was boring. There were far more interesting pieces to learn.
Rev. Anne shared a story she found about a young many whose mother taught him to play the piano. He wasn’t very good player and found theory lessons especially dull.
One day his mom told him that the best news in the world can be found by playing a simple scale on the piano. So the young man played an 8-note scale in C. Notes going up the scale C D E F G A B C sounds like “do re me fa sol la si do.”
“How is that good news?” the man asked his mother. She told him he played it incorrectly and to play it the other way, which he did: C B A G F E D C.
Again he asked his mother how this was good news. His mother responded: “You played the right way, but you needed to add the pauses. Play again with pauses on the first, second, fourth, sixth, seventh and last note.”
He decided however mom just did not make sense and he chose to ignore her suggestion.
Many years later, his mother died, but her son never forgot what she said. And one day, he sat down and he played the 8 note scale, remembering which notes she told him to pause on.
The young man played the scale downward with the pauses… and that is when he recognized he was playing “Joy to the World, the Lord is come.” (All these years, I missed that revelation because I rushed through theory to get it done!)
Indeed, Joy has come to the World and we hope you will take pause to see and experience anew the good news that God came in the flesh to rest in us, to minister in this world, and to renew creation.
The good news is yours to be experienced. Come and encounter the Christ-child on Christmas eve and find your spirit and sense of wonder touched and comforted by Love made flesh.
• St. James Presbyterian Church (Hanwell) will offer Christmas Eve worship at 4:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church (Woodstock) will offer Christmas Eve worship at 7 p.m.
All services will have communion and Silent Night by candlelight. The 4:30 and 7 p.m. services will be child-friendly.
On Christmas Eve, take pause from the various traditions and reclaim the good news God revealed and given to you by God in the person of Jesus. Hearing the story at church, among friends and strangers, reminds us that the story of Christ’s birth is much bigger than our family traditions. And coming together in community centers us in God’s story, one in which God is doing something remarkable. Christ has come into the world and wants to transform your life and neighbourhood today.
So come. Come as you are. Lift up your hopes, your fears, and even your tears to the One who embraces you. Come, not because you are rich or because you are poor. Come because Christ wants to enrich your life with power and grace. Come, not because of what you can give or what you cannot give, come because Jesus loves you and wants to have a relationship with each of you, children included. Come, even if you are angry at God or another church family member. The One in a manger will help us through our conflicts and struggles. Jesus has shared in all of our experiences and knows how to redeem, and he has ensured sin and death and evil and brokenness will not prevail.
Come because the time you have is a gift of God just as the air you breathe. And we need time with God in community. These moments together on Christmas Eve build memories. They help us build relationships with God and with one another. They bring peace and grace into our heart anew and help us grow in faith.
On behalf of both sessions, I wish you a most blessed Christmas.
And may God fill you with much joy, peace, healing, and hope.
Rev. Wendy MacWilliams on behalf of the Sessions of St. Paul’s and St. James