Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Four Candles and One String of Lights

The final week of Advent is here. There's no mid-week service to be concerned about this time... Christmas Eve comes soon enough without that for Church Staff, thank you!

(Which is something that I always seem to forget as Advent is beginning each year. I'm thinking; "Four weeks of Advent, three Wednesday services? What gives?" Then I get to where I sit now and think, "Thank you, dear wise and well-appreciated churchmen before me! ")

So now that all of the Advent candles are burned past their Sunday-best, it's approaching the proverbial 'go time.'
...and all the really good gremlins begin to show up.

No, we're not talking about ironically placed show-quality cars from the 70's...
Nope, not those water-fearing Furbees either...

I'm referring to the mythical beings that have been adopted into the semi-common vernacular when referring to electronic and mechanical devices that inexplicably cease their proper functionality, and may or may not return themselves to working order when examined or exorcised. (This option was considered today... Read on.)

Well, its not a long list, really.
At church last night, we had some issues with a computer (these were somewhat self-inflicted).
Then my microphone died in the middle of the Monday night service (just the battery, but it sounded like Darth Vader was doing the words of institution before I caught it).
This morning we lost the battle against the duplicator, the folding machine, and a presentation remote.
...and all but the bottom foot of my Christmas Tree has lost its lights (whole strings are burning out, like they're getting too much juice after having served faithfully for 5 years.)

Gremlins, I tell you!

Yet, even with all of this - our toes feeling like they're edging ever closer to the line drawn in the sand that declares "Chaos!" - it's going to be an excellent Christmas!

The bulletins got printed - Thank you, School Office!
The bulletins got folded - Thank you for your temporary compliance, Folding Machine!
The presentations worked out...
The microphone served faithfully for those today who wouldn't have known that it was 'just the battery'...
I'll manage new lights for the tree next year...

...and people will still hear about Jesus being born to save us from thhe guilt of our sins in a few days.

Not so bad, really.


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The White Pigeon Hope - Seeking to "Normalize" the work of the Holy Spirit since 2008.