Christmas Eve Service

Hi! Merry Christmas everyone!!

We went to the Thonotosassa Methodist Church Christmas Eve Service this evening. The bulletin stated. We are so blessed to fellowship together, with our Native American family this Christmas Eve, to celebrate the Birth of Jesus.

an so we were. a usual Protestant beginning to the service, with a few words from the pastor. and then he turned it over to the Native American group. The leader talked about their faith and that they knew Jesus as a grown man. Not as the Christ Child that we were taught. He talked of their faith in the Creator and learning about Jesus. He told of some of their customs.
How one man said he couldn't see the use of the drums. So----did they have pianos or organs many years ago? He played a tune on his beautiful wooden flute, an old tune, lovely.
then there was a duet, a man and woman sang a song. But what interested me was the drum.
Very large in the center of the room, with chairs around it. It was covered with a blanket until time to play it. And they did and sang. some of the women danced----not fancy, just around the drum, with a rhythmic step. How soft and how loud the drum and singing could get.
I asked their leader after the program about the shawls the women carried.
they are special. the men give their wives these shawls and there is special meaning to them.
He asked me if I had a prayer shawl. Well, they meet at this church the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings at 6:30. if I come he would loan me a prayer shawl.

I do not know the story as to how this group and this church are working together. But I will let you know as I find out more. Interesting. Have a very blessed Christmas. I believe I have had a special evening tonight.

P.S. We were waiting in the car, as we got there Early. When this car came up beside us and I thought Ernie was going to come unglued. it was a 1959 Ambassador, 4 door sedan, with continental kit on the back, looked great. the gentleman got it when he was 14, from his Grandmother. (His Granddad had bought it new.) It was probably worn out then, But it looks great now. He is a mechanic. Another lady and I thought we might not get our husbands to come into the church as they were really looking the car over carefully. He had the original sticker on the window. $3388.70. Good deal!
Good night. jkc