TRADITION!!!!

I am a traditionalist. Not that I do something and then carve it in stone and belittle everyone who doesn't follow the "tradition". No..that's not me. But I am very much about creating traditions in our church and in our family.
When I was pastor at the Vineyard, we started "come and go" communion on Christmas Eve. We first participated in this when we attended Central United Methodist back in the late 70's. Brother George Creel, pastor of Central Methodist, would set up communion on Christmas Eve and you could stop by and take from it. Usually started late afternoon and went until 6 or 6:30 p.m. It was such a special time, as if the whole world stopped what it was doing to reflect on the importance of Christmas.

At the Vineyard, Christmas Eve communion became our very first tradition and was extra special t me. I would get to the church around 3:30 p.m and set everything up. Then for the next 2 hours, families would drop by to take communion together. It was such a peaceful time and the presence of the Lord in the room was unbelievable. The very last Come and Go communion I served at Vineyard has an extra special place in my life. Everyone had come and left and I was alone in the room. I was sitting in a chair near the tabel when i felt an urgency to take communion one last time. I walked up to the table and broke off a piece of bread in my hand. Doing so, I began to cry. The crying increased and I heard "You are going to take Communion for all of those who haven't or won't." It was the most incredible sense of brokeness I had felt in a long time. All these thoughts were going through my head as I stood there. "You're not worthy!" "Why me?" "What does all this mean?"  I managed to take communion but in doing so, I had to sit down and simply allow God to show me what he was doing. My last commuion at the Vineyard was in preparation for moving to Rapha and begin to minister to the those in addiction. I believe that God let me "feel" the pain and darkness that the world tries to pass off as "Christmas Cheer", and that our job at Rapha would be to point those trapped in darkness to the real-deal joy of Christmas......Christ himself.

At Rapha, our tree trimming in the chapel has become our new tradition.
You'd be surprised how many men come to help us trim the tree in the chapel, and in doing so tell us that it has been years since they had a Christmas tree. The music playing in the background. Men stringing lights and singing the carols. Plenty of hot chocolate and "goodies" that my wife provided. At the end, all the lights off, we light the tree. Standing there bathed in the beauty and glow of our Christmas Tree we share in prayer for the goodness that God has shown to all of us.

Christmas Eve night is the time for my "walk".
I started this some years ago when my own sons were very small.
I don't know if you realize it or not, but Christmas Eve is the most peaceful night on earth.
I usually go out shortly before midnight.
You won't hear any traffic.
You won't hear any noise what so ever.
It is as if God himself has stood up and commanded the world to be silent in honor of the birth of his Son.
Even the demons hush and all hell stops at the voice of God.
I've lost count of the number of times I have walked out to our street and just stood there listening and not hearing anything. Standing there resting in the knowledge of who God truly is and what he has done for me and too me. Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above the heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost............Amen.

Merry Christmas from the Bynum's
God on you....
mb