Christmas Eve

A couple of weeks ago I went to our Christmas Eve service at home.
It is always so special.
I love Christmas Eve services.
They're so simple. And joyful.
And I love celebrating the birth of my Savior with other believers.

But this one was a little different.
We walked in and sat down. In a pew.
We were just a couple minutes late (I'm still adjusting to this whole "being on time" thing).

It was the first time I had been in a "church building" per se since the previous August.
And I was exhausted by the end - all that standing and sitting in really quite a workout.
Truthfully, it was incredibly hard to concentrate.
There were so many distractions.
So many people.
SO MANY BELIEVERS all in one room!
My heart was on overload.

Less than a week prior to that Christmas Eve service, I had been living in a country that was not preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. There were just a handful of lights shining in that dark country. Most had not heard of the great hope in a God who saves.

I don't want to take for granted the priviledge that I have again in America of gathering together with other believers.