Trouble on the Nazareth Express
Last night's Christmas Eve service was ... ahem ... not our best effort. Our Music Director didn't show until about 7:30pm. The problem was the service started at 7:10 and was supposed to start at 7:00. The pianist did show up on time (or just a tiny bit late). But I didn't know we had a pianist there until I was already freaking out about the music. Not a good state of mind to be in when trying to lead a service celebrating the birth of Christ.
In defense of our Director, he wasn't the only one late. People came in as last at 8:00pm which was about the time the service ended. Traffic was bad. Here are photos of what traffic looked like at 5:30pm when I arrived.
It's safe to say noone was going anywhere. Now I don't know why traffic on Christmas Eve is insane in Bangkok. There are not a lot of Christians in Bangkok. Christmas Day is NOT a holiday. And yet - this traffic meant a lot of people who intended to come worship on Christmas Eve didn't make it. Or made it very very late.
It is remarkable to me how often things like this happen to disrupt people from coming to church. Perhaps it's not traffic for you. Perhaps it's the big game. Or a children's birthday party. Or last minute work. Or... [your thing here].
What gets in your way and keeps you out of the house of God?
In defense of our Director, he wasn't the only one late. People came in as last at 8:00pm which was about the time the service ended. Traffic was bad. Here are photos of what traffic looked like at 5:30pm when I arrived.
It's safe to say noone was going anywhere. Now I don't know why traffic on Christmas Eve is insane in Bangkok. There are not a lot of Christians in Bangkok. Christmas Day is NOT a holiday. And yet - this traffic meant a lot of people who intended to come worship on Christmas Eve didn't make it. Or made it very very late.
It is remarkable to me how often things like this happen to disrupt people from coming to church. Perhaps it's not traffic for you. Perhaps it's the big game. Or a children's birthday party. Or last minute work. Or... [your thing here].
What gets in your way and keeps you out of the house of God?
