"Packing It All Away"

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We raised the roof singing praise songs to God - Joy to the World, God With Us and You Are Good.
We thought about the long build-up to Christmas. Stores begin setting up displays in August. Radio stations begin playing the music after Halloween. We've been decorating and partying for a month, and now we're ready to pack it all away.
We wondered if there was anything from this Advent, from this Christmas, that we could leave out all year. Maybe a new habit of doing a devotion. Maybe a resolve to make more homemade gifts, spending less so we can give more to others. Maybe it was a sense of God's nearness. Those things don't have to be packed away with the decorations!
We read the dark side of the nativity story in Matt 2:13-23. What could possibly have kept Mary and Joseph going during that frightening time? They must have kept some of the Christmas experience with them - the joy, the wonder, the miracles of the star and the angels - to remind them that the God who was there on Christmas morning would also be with them when they had to flee in the night.
We realized that the next year would bring some challenges for us. We prayed that we would be able to "leave out" something of Christmas - of Emmanuel - to get us through the other days of the year.
We gathered around the communion table to celebrate and serve each other.