Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: To Church or NOT to Church??

I feel sort of a soapbox coming on about this...my mind was just spinning a million miles an hour about midnight thinking about this - who knows why, and I wanted to get up right then and write stuff down, but I didn't.  I had a very wise lady at my last job tell me that she thought I'd be a great pastor's wife, except for my mouth.  She said I was really going to have to watch my mouth or it was going to get me in trouble.  I appreciate her telling me that, and she is right, sometimes I have a hard time controlling my tongue.  I've learned over our past 8 years of marriage how to mix grace and truth better - because we've been through some difficult things - but it's still a process for me, and sometimes I feel so passionately about something, that I just want to railroad over everyone else to MAKE THEM DO WHAT I THINK IS RIGHT.  Because clearly, I am meant to be the Holy Spirit in every one's life.  :)  I'm sure will read over this 100 times and try to make it less offensive - because I'm sure what I really want to write would offend even some in my own family.

I believe it's an honor to attend church on Christmas Day - this year when Christmas is on a Sunday.  I believe churches across America should be PACKED with people...lining up to get into the door to honor Jesus on His birthday.  What a privilege.  What a privilege for me that He came into the world, a baby, just for me, to grow up and then DIE, painfully and horribly, just for me.  What a privilege that I have the opportunity to know Him - that I have the opportunity to pray to Him, communicate with Him, feel His love (when I choose to), have someone to go to at any time and talk about any thing with.  I just am shaking my head because I can't believe there's someone out there that I can count on all the time, without fail, and I, in my crazy weakness, don't choose to access that power daily sometimes and take FULL ADVANTAGE of what His power can offer me.  I love Him.  I don't deserve Him.  I deserve hell.  I love church anyway, but the thought of going on Christmas Day (even though we all know that's not the day he was really born) and singing praises to Him and worshipping Him, seems like the least, the very least I could give Him.  Seems like we want to go on and on talking about how Jesus is the reason for the season....yada yada yada...but then we just keep busting around doing the same ole' thing.  Buying gifts, traveling to see family, stressing out, cooking, blah blah blah.  I've tried to think in my mind if because I think you should attend a Christmas Eve service or a Christmas service if Christmas is on a Sunday, am I being legalistic.  I mean, sure, you can worship Jesus any day of the year, not just Christmas, and you know, you don't really have to join with others to worship Him, do you????  I mean, I believe you can wear jeans to worship or you can wear the fanciest dress you own from your 1990's prom and Jesus will still hear you.  So, obviously then, I believe whether you attend a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service, Jesus will still love you.  He will still long for intimacy with you.  He will still accept you fully and completely and wholly.  But let me tell you what I'll be doing.

I'll be there tonight.  I'm bringing a seat for James, snacks for James, crayons and toys for James, so that he can try to sit in the Christmas Eve service.  I want him to learn that's the way we roll.  We do everything we can that's offered at Christmas to help remind us that Jesus came as a baby, to save our very souls.  I'll be there tonight.  Ready to worship - focusing on Him and Him alone, whether I'm the only one there or not.  And, I'll be there in the morning.  And I pray God will bring people who normally don't go to church - who cares?  I won't judge them - I'll be so thankful - beyond thankful - that someone woke up and just felt like worshipping the one true God who came down from Heaven to save us.  I'll be so excited to see families worshipping together.  I'll be there.  I'll be singing as loud as I can muster it up, playing the piano as hard as I can, praising His name because I once was lost, but now I'm found.  I was blind but now I see.  And if Jesus had not come, as a baby in a manger to this earth, I would be hellbound.  On the way there faster than any of you.  Thank God for freedom of worship.  Thank God for my own church.  Thank God for people who will get up tomorrow or on a whim come tonight to worship our King - all together - as a body of believers, united.  Relationship is the Father's intent for us - to worship together - to experience life together.  Oh praise him - I am so thankful my heart is just bursting with joy.  Thank you, Father, for one Silent Night - thank you that a Baby Changed EVERYTHING.