For SCC - 12.24.06 Living Expectantly

The Christmas Eve Service was awesome. No "Scrooges" were present and we had a few people in attendance who actually like fruit cake. Miracles still happen. The attendance and atmosphere were awesome. "Way to go" to GLARE, to Terri Gabriele for the Christmas Tree, to Dawson Nethery for the "anticipation shorts", to Dana for Scripture reading, to those who helped with children and missed being with their fams in the service, and to Marcus and Shaun for the visual and lighting effects.

Living expectantly is a fun and challenging way to live. It definitely takes the "Ba Hum Bug" out of life and flavors it with anticipation, awareness and amazement. In the Christmas Eve service we looked at one verse: "BEHOLD THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD with us." Matthew 1:23

I shared how this verse can help us live in anticipation, awareness and amazement in our everyday lives and had fun giving away $20.00 bills to children who were willing to come up on stage and share what they were hoping to receive for Christmas. The children were anticipating receiving some neat gifts, and were more than ready to come up on stage when they heard $20.00 was at stake. I hope and pray that we as a church will live Matthew 1:23 in 2007. I hope and pray that we will live in anticipation, awareness and amazement, especially knowing that God in near.