Tonight, Pastor's Lovely Bride played a few times the measures from Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring that were giving me trouble, so I can now sing the hymn through...authorized verses and the new ones!  I am still hoping Pizza Man, Vee, and Bettina write theirs.  Today, another woman from church said she would write one if Pastor would ensure it was spiritually sound.  I laughed at the very idea she would need such help.  And yet ten years a Lutheran she still respects the works danger of her Protestant past and was not joking in the least.

His bride also played and sang two verses of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel with me even though her youngest daughter was long over due to bed.  Little Cindy Lu Hoo has always turned away from me whenever I tried to greet her, but spending time with her sister after work to show her features of her new camera seemed to have convinced Cindy Lu I might not be such a bad person.  So, she let me read her three books before I left!

On the way home, I stopped by Pizza Man's house because he picked up two net bags of Babybel cheese for me at Costco.  His Lovely Bride Vee, upon hearing me bemoan the fact that I did not realize the arctic weather coming down upon us and so did not get some milk since I am running quite low, promptly offered one of the two gallons she bought.  Knowing that she was not able to find the organic milk she prefers for her two cherubs, I felt less qualms about accepting her generosity.  What an amazing woman she is!

I also stole a few moments to curl up on the couch with her cherubs long enough to read them each a book.  I miss being with children, having them about my life as I did when I was younger and always the one to call when babysitting was needed.  Most often, I did not charge because I struggled with knowing that Christ certainly never would have done so.  I had the time; why shouldn't I help out the parents of my church?  But it has been years and years since I have truly had a steady diet of reading and singing and playing with children save for Bettina's wee ones.  Getting to do so in two homes this evening was very special for me.

No Walther or Kleinig once I finally made it home, just the Book of Concord and the Psalter.  You see, I came across a post about Baptism that has thrown me for a loop, so I read that section of the Large Catechism in the Book of Concord, four times in a row.  I simply cannot see the point, a basis for the stance.  I read it over and over in search of something to support or disprove how I feel about baptism, my understanding.  However,  I confess the fourth read was primarily the call of Luther and Lutheran academics.

Praying the Psalter, reading aloud 14 psalms--one after another--creates such a wonderful sense of rightness, of mercy, of love.

You know, I've told Pastor 3 times now that Song of Solomon cannot be about Christ, for I have had countless Sunday school lessons on this part of of the bible--all were on putting sex where it belongs (marriage) and staying pure as singles.  I've told him this, but have not really given him an opportunity to answers.  Pastor did make two declarations that have given me pause:  1) the entire bible is about Jesus, not just certain parts and 2) the bible is not an instruction book.  Chew on the latter for a while...

You know what was the best part of my evening...even more so than getting such a brief moment of hymn joy?  Little Cindy Lu had this pocket nativity, made of felt, which she handed to me and asked me to "do it" as the next book.  I was perplexed and told her I needed her to do it for me.  She then told me the story of the birth of Christ using the small figures from the pouch.  At four, she knows that the story begins with the angel telling Mary not to be afraid.  At four, she knows they traveled to Bethlehem and stayed in a stable.  At four, she knows the angels proclaimed His birth to the wise men who searched far and wide for the Messiah.  At four!  It was an utter privilege, laced with pure joy, to listen to her tell me the story of my Savior's birth.