A Christmas Eve to Remember

Matt and family. Some elder church members commented that he looked sharp dressed up.
Christmas Eve brought many wonderful experiences. I attended my brother's church in the morning. After lunch we all took much-needed naps. Then I helped Anna prepare the house for company. My family had decided to spend the night in Clatskanie and have Christmas at Matt and Anna's, since they couldn't easily travel with baby Aaron.


Me and the Ben.
My parents and the sisters arrived just before 7, and we all attended the Christmas Eve service my brother had put together. He's a worship leader at the church, and he had created a unique worship experience that involved singing, narration, projection, Scripture reading, solos and a dialogue between God and Jesus which I wrote. I wrote the conversation — based on passages in Isaiah, Philippians and the gospels — as if it were taking place before Jesus came to Earth. It explored the price He would pay to become human. The theme of the service was "Jesus is King," and when we sang "O Holy Night" at the close of the service, I had never felt the words more deeply:

The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Later that evening we did something I have never done on Christmas Eve: We went swimming. My parents stayed in a nearby hotel with a pool, so Matt, Sarah, Bekah and I took advantage of the opportunity. The experience was very fun but surreal. It felt like we had been catapulted back to the 90s and family vacations...only we were full-grown adults. Still, it made this Christmas Eve the most memorable ever. And I cherish the special moments I still get to share with my family.