Christmas thoughts

Have I mentioned my awesome church recently?

Praise God, it's great. I'm well settled into MPCC, making friends. It's been nearly 6 months I've been there - wow! Lade came to the Christmas Carols service yesterday. That was great, everybody welcomed him so well.

Now I've been to many carol sevices (at least two a year in my young life) and sung the same songs (mostly worried about how I'd hit the high notes in them, dang why do they pitch the songs so high?!) but this year's one service was different.

Christmas has kinda snuck up on me - because life has been so busy - and though I've heard so much Christmas music (I had a week in New York with all the Christmas trimmings!) my Christmas feeling this year is very different to that of previous years.

I'm excited still cos I love presents, and giving gifts - but I think I'm more ponderous this year. The words in the carol service meant so much more this year (possibly cos I stopped straining my voice) because Jesus is closer to me, more treasured by me I should say. He was always really really close.

A song we sang at the end of the service yesterday: not Christmassy at all but so much truth for all Christians. Jesus is coming back dudes, and building His kingdom now! Amazing!

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Christ is in you,
The hope of glory
in our hearts.
He lives! He lives!
His breath is in you,
Arise a mighty army,
we arise.

Now is the time for us
to march upon the land,
Into our hands He will
give the ground we claim.
He rides in majesty to
lead us into victory,
The world shall see
that Christ is Lord!

God is at work in us
His purpose to perform,
Building a kingdom of
power not of words,
Where things impossible by
faith shall be made possible
Let's give the glory to Him now.

Though we are weak,
His grace is everything we need;
We're made of clay but
this treasure is within.
He turns our weaknesses
into His opportunities
So that the glory goes to Him.