December 8, 2021

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Psalm 122:1 NRSV

The Hanging of the Greens was not held last year due to COVID. On Saturday, the children arrived and were excited to see their friends, and the adult leaders. They were energetic and chatty, and someone mentioned that we’d be herding cats when we got down to business.

One 3^rd grade boy who attends a different church hadn’t been in St. Paul’s sanctuary since December 2019. He began to walk down the aisle, stopped dead in his tracks, and face lit up. “It’s so beautiful,” he said. “I haven’t been here in two years!”

It is beautiful, with the stained-glass windows. And it is even more beautiful during Advent when the Christmas tree, the Advent wreath, the greens with red bows, the candles in the windows, and the creche are in place.

 I’ve been watching people come and go in churches from Harrisburg, PA to Honolulu, HI, and I’ve never seen such an innocent, enthusiastic, and joyful reaction. That moment made all the herding to come worth every second. We were helping children who were glad to come to the house of the Lord.

May I be as glad on Sunday! ~ Anne