Soon And Very Soon

Soon and Very Soon
(text and music by Andrae Crouch, adapted by Wm. F. Smith)

Since I've now learned to upload videos, I had to do this one again, because soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.

Advent is my favorite season of the church year. I love the daily readings which call us to account for falling short in doing justice and loving kindness, and walking humbly before our God, but at the same, the readings give us hope in the great love and mercy of God.

This year, especially, I have experienced a true sense of expectancy, a sense of waiting. I put up my decorations, which are fewer than in years past, including my Charlie Brown type Christmas tree, which has so many ornaments on it that it doesn't look at all pitiful. I do this mainly for my grandchildren.

Our church has no decorations at all, except for the large Advent wreath, which hangs down from a ceiling medallion on a chain which can be raised and lowered. We have flowers on the altar, but not Christmas flowers.

Last Sunday we sang one verse of several Christmas carols during the children's Christmas pageant, but other than that, we have sung no Christmas carols.

Other churches choose to decorate earlier and to sing carols earlier, and I don't mean to disparage the practice, but I do like that we wait until Christmas Eve. On that holy night, upon entering the church, we're greeted with a burst of color, red and green from poinsettias, holly, and other greenery against the soft cream of the walls, and red candles in brass candle holders with glass chimneys in the tall windows. It's a lovely, exciting, and sudden transformation of our church on the eve of the celebration of the birth of Our Lord.

I'm waiting.

I'm expectant.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Video from YouTube.