2017 Worship Guide

2017 WORSHIP GUIDE Wednesday, December 6, 2017 LINCOLN DAILY NEWS PUBLICATION Page 17 T hey were just three men dressed in bathrobes and adorned in foil wrapped crowns, but they looked like royalty to me. And when they came down the aisle singing “We Three Kings” it convinced this four-year- old they were indeed three ‘wise men from the east.’ Like most children at that age I was lost in all the wonder and mystery of Christmas. I was not concerned how the gifts appeared under the tree and had no clue that there was any hard work involved in celebrating the Holy Day. For me, Christmas was simply to be experienced and enjoyed. Today is a different story. My innocence is gone and I know all too well what it takes to celebrate Christmas. I realize now that one of those Wise Men was my own father and among all the other things he had to do to help the congregation celebrate Jesus’ birth, he was now filling in for one who had become ill. As we all know, Christmas can be fun and at the same time, exhausting. Then, we add in the other problems of the world, the war overseas, the fragile economy, people marching in the streets here and around the world, demanding a better way of life and the enduring of a presidential election. Suffering and grief are common this Christmas and we have more people looking for work and help just to survive. Yet, for me, in spite of all the problems, I still get lost in the wonder and mystery of Christmas. It is, for me, the amazing story of how God chose to come to earth, in human form, to save us. And, the wonder is not found in all the pretty lights and beautiful decorations, although I enjoy those too. And, it is not found in the St. John’s United Church of Christ Rev. Ken Kramer Still amazed by Christmas CONTINUED ....