As a young child, I have fond memories of visiting relatives during the Christmas holidays in Southern Illinois. One of my aunts started a yearly tradition by taking me into town to see a miniature outdoor Christmas Village, each structure standing about four feet tall. The Village consisted of a couple of homes, a school, General Store, and a diner. But my favorite part of the village was the church. In the snow, the little white church warmly glowed from within; looking inviting and welcoming. Now these village buildings were too small to enter, but I remember so wanting to go into the church and sit and take in all of the Christmas splendor it had been adorned in.
We often hear the phrase “It takes a village.” Village, meaning community and working together to make a positive experience. The Church of yesterday, today, and tomorrow will forever be the most important village of ministry: believers bonding together to help the poor, visit the sick and imprisoned, to uphold and support each other.
Every time I look at old photos of the Christmas village I visited as a young child, I am flooded with fond memories. But nothing takes the place of actually being there and the awe and wonder I felt in person. While 2020 was definitely a year of fear, worry, and isolation, the Church remained the Village of Hope and promise that proclaimed Emmanuel, God with us. That has not changed. It is now safe to physically enter into the House of the Lord and to join the village of community and togetherness where the warmth and joy will give you hope and silence your fears for all the years.
Robert Fasol, Organist and Choirmaster
