my experience at CRC

You know those days when you are shoved completely out of your comfort zone, and you realize how much you have been missing out in other aspects of your life?

So I went to Christian Reformed Church this past Sunday with a bunch of other MAC students, and we went to our mentor's house for a light social afterwards. It was all very different from everything I am used to. First of all, this was a fairly large church, a beautiful church, but also a very conservative church. There was a lot of congregational readings - remember those readings at the back of our brown hymnals at church? Yeah...I remember reading those every week. But we don't anymore at my church at home, nor at Sanctuary West.

Now, there's one thing about congregational reading - I think it is actually a VERY good exercise to go through. I remember as a young child, I would always be amazed at hearing how perfectly united the adult voices were when reading scripture. How did they all know to read at the same speed? To breathe at the same places? To pause for the same amount of time? How come it sounds all the same? But there are so many people!?

The phrase: "practices makes perfect" is sort of applicable here. The more the congregation reads together, the more in unison they speak. Now I remember the odd times here and there were we may read scripture at my home church, or even here... and man... I already know that I am not in completely unison with the others around me. It won't sound together... not because we don't want it to sound together, but because we just haven't practiced reading scripture/passages together! There is something beautiful about voices in harmony, in unison, singing, speaking... How pretty it is when everyone is able to do something together, simultaneously! How pretty it is when we hear people singing acapella. And how pretty it is when we hear the Lord's people declaring what they believe in together!

So congregational reading was one thing - that I realize I miss a lot.

The other thing was advent. Strangely, I never heard of advent until I came to university, and never even really knew what it meant until last year. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to participate in the start of advent, in the lighting of the advent candles, and in singing advent songs. What is it? It is the season right before Christmas that is spent preparing one's heart and mind for the Christmas season. It is also a time spent to recognize that we live within the two comings of Christ. The first as a child, and the second, in all His glory.

I was talking to my mentor yesterday about advent, and it was brought up that it is difficult sometimes, especially in university to remember that it is important to prepare ourselves for the spirit of Christmas. i totally agree. How often during exam period do we stop to think and contemplate the meaning of Christmas... until we finish exams. By the time exams are done, you fly right into the commercialized Christmas - with shopping, meeting up with people, preparing for Christmas festivities...

and then BAM.. Christmas is here... New Year's.. school starts.

So there are actually weekly advent services on campus until Christmas comes. And I guess each week, another candle is lit. It is the ANTICIPATION of Christmas that makes it sweet. It is pondering and expecting the coming of Christ once again that makes being a Christian all the more hopeful, and all the more dear.

An analogy of a child, knowing that they are getting a gift for Christmas... and knowing that it is a BIG gift with the way it is wrapped... man, think about how excited he/she must be!! This HUGE gift wrapped under the tree with his/her name on it!! It's for him! It's for her! WHOA!! But.. it is not be opened until Christmas day. Can you think of the anticipation? The excitement? See how the whole anticipation process makes the gift all the more sweeter once it is opened?

And so serves the purpose of advent as well, or at least the way I see it.

While Christmas is still a month away, starting advent at the Christian Reformed Church was definitely a new thing for me, and I think, a necessary process to go through as I write my exams this year. Hence, my Christmas pic on my msn already! :)

May you also be able to join in the exciting time of anticipating the Christmas season, and what it means for you!