December 19 - “Carols and Cocoa”

We saw some runners braving the cold on our way to church yesterday. It was Santa Hustle day. They had a kids’ one miler, a 5k, and a half marathon course all laid out on the Seawall. The runners we saw were part of the half marathon. All different running styles, speeds, and even costumes were represented. Looked like loads of fun, except for maybe the actual running part …

 

Church was packed. Lots of our Winter Texans are back “home” and excited about being here. After church we had our December dinner on the grounds. Quite a few stayed for that as well. And as usual, the food was amazing. We even had enough deviled eggs for Jim to get a few, in spite of the fact that a whole batch of them had a bacon garnish, and it’s hard to pass up a bacon garnish on anything.

 

Last night was our annual Carols and Cocoa Christmas caroling outside under the building. Lights were strung and candy canes adorned the posts. Jim and the praise team gang led out in singing. Santa Ray even made a surprise entrance. He was dressed all in his traditional red outfit, long white beard and all. And he had a white sack thrown over his shoulder. Well, upon closer inspection it appeared to look suspiciously like a pillowcase, but that is certainly nitpicking. From his magic pillowcase appeared many rather unexpected treats. The first thing he handed out? A whole bag of charcoal to worship pastor Jim. All I can figure is … he must have been on the naughty list. That wasn’t all that was lurking in that wonderful sack, though. He walked among the crowd and handed out such amazing treats as a few bananas, a grapefruit, and a bottle of water. Oh, there was also the usual candy for the kiddos. He came by me twice. I received a small stuffed cow wearing a blanket that said “EAT MOR CHIKIN”. My favorite delectable from Santa’s bag, though was the van of beans he handed me. Totally unexpected. I would say that one and the bananas won best of show for sure. The hot cocoa and cookies were wonderful, of course, especially given how cold it was. As they say, “A great time was had by all.”  Many thanks to Shawn and Ray and Lauren and Cathy (and whoever else was involved with the setup), and to the praise team for providing some great songs in spite of the cold.

 

1 John 4:7 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

 

Father, thank you for all the Winter Texans who have arrived in town for the holidays. Give them a great stay. Amen.