Preparing

DD and I had a lovely morning with dear friends at one of the churches where I often preach.  This morning we were preparing for Advent!  We were decorating the sanctuary with greens, trees, candles, poinsettias, and the nativity.  We laughed, we shared, we reminisced.  It was a wonderful morning preparing not only the meeting place but also our hearts for coming of the Christ.  It felt wonderful and I'm so glad they invited us to be a part of it.  

It got me to thinking about the Hanging of the Green service.  I wonder if many churches these days have the service.  I remember it being a part of our Sunday Morning service once at one of our churches in the past.  We brought in some of the decorations during the service as they were talked about and then later in the day certain people went back to help actually decorate.  I think it might be fun and meaningful to participate in this service, or have it as part of the decorating, whether it's formal done in service fashion, or simply as a way of organizing our decorating; putting out what needs the different parts of the service talks about with pauses in between to actually do the decorating.

Something to think about...  My family would think I was crazy if used it at home, but I wonder...  could I incorporate it somehow in little doses?  Hmmm....  My wheels are turning...