Joy To the World

Joy to the world
The Lord is come
Let earth receive her king


Christmas day in the year 2006. We headed down to church as a family and I got many more gifts than I expected. I returned every gift with a card showing the link to this blog as my present in return; and to my surprise, though I made many more cards than the number of gifts I anticipated I would be getting, I soon completely ran out. It was also my confirmation day and I wore a color that symbolized myself. Big surprise here.


Magenta.


I went to church as myself and wanted to go that way. I did not want to do things in a certain way just to be seen as a GuardiAngel but instead to do things that a GuardiAngel does just because I love God. With that statement made, I took my confirmation vow.


But this entry is really not about my confirmation. That is something big in my life, but the biggest thing that I saw and felt on Christmas Day occurred even before service started. And the real hero of the day... was Mandy.


She had been planning this for a long time- a special return to The Facility. And this time, we were going to bring with us some assistance.


After meeting in church early and practicing a carol or two, we set out with our guitarist and several others whom Mandy had arranged to come along. And God had bigger plans- Several more who were in church early also came along with us to share the joy of Christmas in The Facility.


When you are just one or two, you are easily overcome by the gloom of the place.
But when we are many, we overcome the gloom.


Joy to the Earth
The savior reigns
Let man, their songs employ


We burst upon the nursing home with joy and love, shaking hands and smiling to all we came across. And the elderly responded in the same way. It was good to see for both Mandy and I.


I moved into the home and found the lady who keeps smiling at you. I greeted her and shook her hand, but she seemed to mistake me for someone else and began to get upset that I did not bring her her sneakers. As the group rallied to the front of the home I had to break away from her, hoping that when she sees me singing with the group she would realize who I am not. I signaled the guitarist and lead the group in singing Silent Night.


Have you ever been in a church during service or mass before? When the voices of hundreds combine, you do not just hear something amazing- you feel it. I truly feel that I hear the voices of angels when the congregation sings together; for it is more than just music- It's something spiritual. And I felt that feeling again here. Suddenly, the gloom was dispelled from this home and the peace and love of God shone through. It was not that we sang well or anything... It's something I can't describe- It has to be felt. Go to a church and listen... and feel... and know, that it is not man alone who runs a weekly service.


Mandy read a verse in Chinese which her aunt translated before we continued with Joy to the World.


No more let sin
And sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found


And joy was brought to this little world. I have never ever seen so many of them this happy before.


Rounding up with We Wish You a Merry Christmas, we broke our lines to go around wishing everyone again. I brought some youth into the home to meet our smiling lady and some of us went right to the back to bring the joy of Christmas as we continued to sing and fill up the home with our voices. I wished the lady once again and guess what? She smiled.


One of the elderly gentlemen in his wheelchair was moved to tears and my adult Bible study leader put an arm around him. Would someone feel so moved if he heard a group of people singing a normal song? No. But today, the presence of God was here, and was felt.


By not just him. But by all who were there, both young and old. The hard work Mandy had done to arrange for us coming here paid off. For the elderly living in The Facility and to whom these walls was the extent of their world, this Christmas was special.


We had just saved their world.


He rules the world
With truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love