Greta McDonald's blog

This Sunday is the Super Bowl, and a lot of people are pretty excited about it.

The National Chicken Council is excited. They project that 1.33 billion chicken wings will be eaten before and during the Big Game.

Pizza restaurants are excited. Super Bowl Sunday is their third biggest day of the year, following only Halloween and New Year's Eve, and over 4,000,000 pizzas are expected to be picked up or delivered from the top three chains alone.

Those of you who were in worship last Sunday know the service had some eventful aspects.

It was great to get word this week that Maggie Roth had arrived back safely, and inspired, from her mission trip to Haiti, with Watts of Love.  Those of you who were in worship on December 31 were able to "commission" and bless Maggie as she prepared to go on this journey January 2-9.

 We're eager to hear more details about her time in Haiti, but here is her first "report":

Among my plans for tomorrow is to take down our Christmas tree. Jim and I like to hold on to Christmas decorations in the house as long as possible, but tomorrow is January 6 - Epiphany - and that to us is the day to put things "back to normal."

But, of course, once we've really celebrated Christmas, there is no "normal." If Christmas is a celebration of the presence of Christ in and among our human lives, well, then, every day after is meant to be open to the adventure of following Jesus in new ways, and being guided by the invisible light of his love, extended to us and to all.

As I have walked through this week after Christmas, I've been struck by how deeply some of the quiet gifts I've witnessed in the church have continued to touch my spirit.

There was the music from last Sunday's morning, afternoon, and evening Christmas Eve services that I find has still been "playing" in my thoughts all week - starting with the beautiful harp music I heard in the early morning empty sanctuary as Julie Spring rehearsed for the first worship service, and ending with the bells ringing in Christmas and "Joy to the World" at the last.

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."   Luke 2:7

Later today, I hope to spend some time wrapping gifts. That's one of my favorite pre-Christmas tasks - when I have time to not only to conceal the gift in pretty paper, but also add some creative touch at the top, it makes giving that gift even more joyful.

Have you noticed a new addition to our church parking lot? A few weeks ago, signs were quietly installed at the north and the south exits. They don't give the typical kind of instruction you'd expect to find on such a sign - like "slow" or "stop" or "no left turn." Instead, they give a word of encouragement to "Go in Peace."

Wednesday of this week was the last full day that the team of women from the UPAVIM Cooperative in Guatemala City were going to be with us. They had shared with us in worship and Bible study; visiting a local public school, transition school, and shelter; serving at the People's Resource Center; touring Downers Grove and downtown Chicago; and then, on their last evening with us, they were going to work with the Wednesday evening Fellowship Dinner cooking crew to create an authentic Guatemalan meal for the church to share.

I am still thinking back to the final song of Choir Dedication Sunday,  "A Place at the Table" that all the choirs joined together to sing. The lyrics included "And God will delight when we are creators of justice - justice and joy!" I watched from the side of the sanctuary and was moved by the sincere and confident expressions of the youngest children, whose faces were particularly in my line of vision. Ah - what a beautiful and important message for them to sing, and let take root in their everyday lives; and what a beautiful and important message for us to hear in new ways!

This warm, bright Friday afternoon is reminding me of the afternoon at the start of this week - when, on Sunday, Jim and I walked with others from our church and churches in the area on the CROP Walk.