I jump the gun on Christmas. Carrie and I met in the summertime, and one of the first (but certainly not the last) ‘Tyler Oddities’ she encountered was the fact that I like to listen to Christmas music in July. I realize we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but I just can’t wait any longer.

So, hike up your yuletide britches, and enjoy a liturgy to mark the start of the Christmas season (by Doug McKelvey):

As we prepare our house for the coming

Christmas season, we would also prepare our

hearts for the returning Christ.

You came once for Your people,

O Lord, and you will come for us again.

Though there was no room at the inn

to receive You upon Your first arrival,

We would prepare You room

here in our hearts

and in our home,

Lord Christ.

As we decorate and celebrate, we do so to mark

the memory of Your redemptive movement into

our broken world, O God.

Our glittering ornaments and Christmas trees,

Our festive carols, our sumptuous feasts –

By these small tokens we affirm

that something amazing has happened

in time and space –

that God, on a particular night, in a particular

place, so many years ago, was born to us, an

infant King, our Prince of Peace.

Our wreaths and ribbons and colored lights,

our giving of gifts, our parties with friends –

these have never been ends in themselves.

They are but small ways in which we repeat

that sounding joy first proclaimed by angels

in the skies near Bethlehem.

In view of such great tidings of love announced

to us, and to all people, how can we not

be moved to praise and celebration in this

Christmas season?

As we decorate our tree, and as we

feast and laugh and sing together,

we are rehearsing our coming joy!

We are making ready to receive the one

who has already, with open arms, received us!

We would prepare You room

here in our hearts

and here in our home,

Lord Christ.

Now we celebrate Your first coming, Immanuel,

even as we long for Your return.

O Prince of Peace, our elder brother, return

soon. We miss You so!

Amen.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:10-12

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14