December 2011 Message
Dear Congregation:
It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is just around the corner. 2011 seems to have just flown by. We have a number of great events and worship services planned for the 2011 Christmas season. I want to especially invite you to our Christmas play on Sunday, December 11, when the children of Our Redeemer will perform for the congregation at a combined 10:00 a.m. service.
Christmas time always takes me back to my time as a youth in Germany. The Lutheran Church in Germany is of course very similar to the American Lutheran Church, but there are some noticeable differences that I remember when it comes to the worship service. Pastors in Germany wear black robes as opposed to the white ones in the U.S. We only had communion once a month in Germany, usually the first Sunday of the month. Another difference that I recall is that we never applauded in church, no matter how appropriate it would have been. These “differences” are of course not really important, as we are all Lutherans, but sometimes these small “differences” can have quite an impact.
As the children of Our Redeemer prepare for their Christmas play, I remember my one and only time playing in a Christmas play. It was in the year of my confirmation back in the mid-80s in Offenbach, Germany, a mid-sized blue collar city located just east of Frankfurt. At the beginning of November my pastor asked me to participate in the Christmas play. He claimed it was going to be “fun” and someone needed to play Joseph. After saying “no” for a couple of weeks or so, I finally reluctantly agreed to play Joseph in our Christmas Eve play, just in time to start all of the practice sessions. I was very shy during that time and the thought of standing in front of a large crowd did not appeal to me at all. Even after agreeing to participate, I mulled over my decision for days and really was not happy with myself for caving in to the pressure to take part in the play.
After several practice sessions, Christmas Eve finally arrived. My church in downtown Offenbach appeared to be filled to maximum capacity. I couldn’t believe how many people showed up. There were hundreds of people! My anxiety level increased again and I didn’t see the “fun” in being there at all. There I was, standing at the front of the congregation. I was already very tall at the time and unfortunately for me I could see over the entire sanctuary all the way to the back row, with all those people sitting in the pews waiting for us to start. No, now I was sure, this was not “fun” at all!
Luckily for me the play required Joseph not say anything or to sing any solos. One thing I had to do was stand next to a girl sitting on a stool who played Mary. In her arms she was holding a doll, which symbolized baby Jesus. The other thing I had to do was sing with the chorus, so it wasn’t too bad. As I looked out in awe over the audience, I remembered some advice my music director told those of us who were not comfortable standing in front of people and to help us with our nervousness. He told us to pick out a few people in the audience and look at them rather than scan the entire sanctuary. This would lower our anxiety. Easy enough, I thought.
One of the people I decided to look at in the audience was a little pale-faced girl with shoulder long blonde hair, about five or six years old, who was sitting in one of the front rows. Her eyes were lit up and she had an inquisitive look on her face. She seemed to be happy to be there and waiting in anticipation for us to start the program.
The play went off without a hitch. The musicians hit all their notes and the kids singing solos and duets were all perfect. I don’t think I did badly either. My voice cracked a few times, but I know it could not have been too noticeable, since I was singing as part of the chorus. I also remember my mind wandering at times during the play, wishing I were at home, opening presents and still thinking to myself “why did you agree to do this?” I saw the little pale-faced girl occasionally stretching her neck to get a better view and take in more of what was going on. Her eyes nearly transfixed on the action taking place at the front of the church.
When we came to the final song of the evening, “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” I couldn’t be more relieved. It was my favorite song of the play, in part probably because it was the last of the evening. That performance of “Gloria” on Christmas Eve was in fact the best we had sung in all of our practices. It was truly beautiful and I know our music director was proud of our performance. The music of “Gloria” filled the sanctuary like none of the others songs that evening, almost making it seem as if the walls of the church were shaking.
My anxiety and nervousness were now nearly completely gone. I was tired, but on the inside so happy that the perceived ordeal of the play was nearly over. All that was left to do was to file out of the sanctuary with the choir and I was done, free to go home with my family and open those presents that were on my mind. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and I’m sure it showed.
The last note of “Gloria” was sung and there was dead silence in the sanctuary, as was expected, because you just don’t applaud in a German church. Suddenly there was a rapid clapping sound. It was the little pale-faced girl that I had been looking at throughout the evening. She had jumped up and was clapping her hands feverishly, looking at the front of the church, looking at the cross. I immediately looked at her and she had a huge smile on her face. She looked as if she just received the biggest present in the world. Her mother quickly reached over and held her hands. There was a collective laugh in the sanctuary at the outburst of joy of the little girl.
The choir started filing out of the sanctuary and as I lined up and started walking I looked over to the little girl one more time. She was looking directly at me, probably because I was the tallest person in line. She still had this incredible smile on her face, her eyes were sparkling and that angelic look of hers edged itself into my mind. As our eyes locked for a few moments, I started to realize that I missed something that evening and indeed all the weeks leading up to the play. I let my fear of performing in front of people consume me. I unnecessarily struggled with my decision to join the play for days and was focused on “my suffering” of having to do the play. My focus was on the presents I would receive that evening and not on the reason for being at church that evening. Today I realize that the little girl in the audience had it all right and I, the young teenager at the time, got it all wrong. She knew why she was there and she showed it with her entire being . . . and every time I think of that evening, I think of the little angel in the front row reminding me of the REAL meaning of Christmas.
May you and your family have Merry Christmas and may you always remember to praise Him, bless Him, worship Him, glorify Him, and give thanks to Him for His great glory.
Yours in Christ,
Gerrit
Gerrit B. Smith
LCOR Council President
gerritbsmith@aol.com
(804)896-4492 (weekdays until 8:00 p.m.) (804)526-2186
(weekdays after 8:00 p.m. and on weekends)
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