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Marilyn's Musings
December 23, 2025
I am dating my musing on Tuesday, as I usually do, but I am starting to write on Sunday afternoon. I’d like to talk about the service we had this morning and how wonderful it was, but where to begin? At the beginning is always a good idea. Thank you to the choir who started us off for our 4th Sunday of Advent. Today, after the young disciple’s time (I would have loved to be up there seeing the tree through a different lens – it looked like fun), the Sunday school read to us “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. All ages participated including the young man who read so well (he was the little guy that had to stand on a stool to be seen).
As the service continued, we had a scripture reading from the book of John. We got to listen to a beautiful young lady sing “Christmas Hallelujah” which was very moving and she did an amazing job. The sermon was about “Love”. It was interesting to hear Pastor Debbie talk about the similarities with belief in the real Santa Claus and the baby in the manger. Who believed who they really were? If you weren’t able to be with us Sunday morning, in person or virtually, I would suggest you check out the service on our Facebook page. There is so much to say about the sermon, as usual, Pastor Debbie made me think, but I ended up with the feeling of love in the sanctuary (again, as usual).
After the sermon I did a reading with my granddaughter, Skylar. We read the story of the hymn “Silent Night”. She read the main part and did a great job. It is a wonderful, true story of peace among war. I wish it could happen today. Soldiers just stopping their fighting, forgetting their differences and coming together for a couple of hours of peace during the conflict on Christmas Day. Just for those few hours, soldiers became friends, forgetting differences and share singing hymns worshiping the birth of Our Lord. After the reading we all sang “Silent Night” while the music was being played by a guitar which is what it was written for.
It couldn’t get any more special, right? Well, it did. We had the offering done by little lambs – two little children dressed as lambs (with some help) did the offering for the service. And to end the service we had a beautiful solo of “O Holy Night” by a man that grew up in Old North and came to sing for us. I think it is safe to say, we were all lost in his amazing voice and the words to that beautiful hymn. I looked at my granddaughter while he was singing and she was smiling with her eyes shining. Again, there was another moment in the church where we all were together worshiping God and sharing in praising him listening to a solo that was very powerful with love.
As we get ready for Christmas this week, I hope we all can remember the feeling we had when we left the worship service on Sunday. I hope those of you who weren’t there take the time to watch the service and enjoy it. This is the week of “Love”. “Love” came down from heaven to earth and is still here to this day. It will stay with us as God guides us thru our lives.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas however you celebrate it. Whether with loved ones, or quietly, peacefully enjoying the meaning of the season.
There are so many wonderful hymns and songs to choose from for the Christmas season. I chose “O Little Town of Bethlehem” today. Let’s sing it together and remember what happened one night all those years ago and the gift that was given to us all.
Merry Christmas
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kMih36CvZPo&si=0BN5LzzB_SiiocQ7
