I prepared the kids that this would be different than any church they had been to. I told them it would be "modern." We walked in to the church and we were greeted so enthusiastically. The church seats at least 500, maybe 1000. It was packed to the gills and they were doing 4 other services that day! There were movie screens everywhere, spotlights, video cameras and more. The kids eyes were big as they looked around.
The church played traditional Christmas carols that we were used to and had a wonderful rendition of O holy night.
The part that spoke to me so powerfully was when the pastor came out. I had no previous knowledge of this church or this pastor. But when he walked out on stage, the entire congregation stood and cheered and cried as if it was Elvis himself walking back from the dead. We were a little confused and clearly had no idea why everyone was cheering.
As he began to speak he shared that this was the first time he had walked in almost a year. In 2015 he was in a terrible motorcycle accident that killed his wife and left him without a leg. After almost a full year of therapy and hard work they finally finished the work of a prosthetic and his Christmas wish was to walk for Christmas. He had previously been preaching from a wheel chair and that day he was on crutches. He stood through the whole sermon, leaning against a pulpit and I'm sure he was completely spent by the end of the day.
At this point, I was still skeptical of the whole experience.
When he started to preach, he shared a little more of his year and how hard it was for his sons and he on Thanksgiving Day to sit there without their mother. He shared about how much he loved his wife and that she was his best friend and his perfect partner. He shared that he used to be a major league baseball player and years ago had a serious eye injury (I think he lost an eye), so he was no stranger to trauma.
As he continued on, he shared more experiences in rehab with what he called his "stump." Apparently it isn't a correct term to use anymore, but in rehab he was surrounded by veterans who all called it a stump and so he went along with them. He saw his time in rehab to be a time of evangelism and a time to share his faith in God's goodness. Of course, it is hard to imagine so much joy in the midst of so much sorrow, but he was full of joy.
He began to read scripture and he read an Isaiah passage. Isaiah is almost always quoted on Christmas Eve and is understood by many to be a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ.
His text was Isaiah 11:1
A shoot will come up out of the stump of Jesse, from his roots a branch will bear fruit.
It took my breath away.
He joked about the common claims that the Christmas tree has no place in a religious Christmas and then he showed a tree farm where a tree had been cut down and only a stump remained. He said in jest, "Who says the Christmas tree has no connection to the Bible?"
His message continued on to share that it isn't what has been cut off that matters as much as the new life that grows out of what has been cut off.
In Matthew 1, the genealogy of Jesus is laid out and Jesse, thought to be the father of King David, is named as part of the lineage leading to Jesus. It's considered Jesus' family tree.
The pastor continued on that out of a stump, a new branch will grow and out of the stump of Jesse, a lineage leading to Jesus had grown.
He talked a lot about things that had been cut off in his life and things that are cut off in our lives. Relationships, health issues, jobs, marriages and more. And how it is what comes out of what is cut off that propels us forward.
It was a tough message for sure, but very meaningful for me.
Though I didn't lose people or limbs this year, I lost a part of my brain. I lost some of my vision. I lost half of a head of hair. I lost some of my driving abilities. I lost a year of energetic activities with my children. I am still dealing every day with loss. Of course, most of all, on the forefront of my mind, is the immanent loss of years off of my life. Without a doubt I am aware that there are no guarantees for anyone and I am ever so grateful for my incredible outcome, but the current and especially future losses are what plague me most.
I said when this first happened, a few days out of surgery, that I am absolutely sure that God will and has used this for his glory. If what I have been through gives one person hope or a glimpse of faith, than it is worth it.
All of those things still hold true.
I am confidant that out of these losses, beautiful new branches have and will continue to grow.
And so, on a side note, when you have the opportunity to give to cancer research, to support it in the check out line or sponsor someone for Relay for Life or a cancer run, please do. The only way for the branch of a cure to happen is for research funds to fuel the scientists.
That would be a branch of God's goodness that would allow millions of family trees to keep growing.
And so as the service continued, an invitation to accept salvation was given and plenty of people raised their hands to know more. I smiled, knowing this wasn't my tradition and never would be, but I was sure that that place was filled with the Holy Spirit and doing great things.
We sang Silent Night and raised our candles and proclaimed that though there is darkness that the darkness will never win because the darkness can not overcome the light. This is the Christmas message of John 1 and the message of Christ breaking forth into the world.
I hope your Christmas was full of joy and new beginnings!
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