12/20/23

I’m of two minds about Christmas music . . . on one hand, I love reserving Christmas music for only Advent/Christmas, but the messages of some of the Christmas hymns, like “Joy to the World”  in particular, seem appropriate all year long! 

One of my most joyous times listening to Christmas music wasn’t in December at all. In fact, it wasn’t even in a Christian country. 

Last week, I wrote about my experience doing mission-work in Turkey, and I thought about something else that happened that I may have written about before . . . but you know how old people repeat themselves! 

It was toward the end of my second mission trip to Turkey and I was “turkeyed” out. In case you don’t know, I’m an introvert, and while I love people, I have to have time alone to recharge my batteries. . . and this was one of those times. The night before, Matt, Alan and I had attended a 3 hour service and except for a brief few moments of Matt singing and my sharing a testimony, the rest of the time was all in Turkish, with no translator! In hindsight, I suppose I could have prayed for a gift of tongues or a gift of hearing/interpretation, maybe, but at the time, I didn’t think of it.

So, when the next morning (a Sunday) rolled around, I woke up with a headache and decided to stay at the hotel and recharge. 

I breakfasted in the hotel restaurant, where I was mercifully alone. While I was sitting quietly . . . reading . . . I recognized the instrumental music playing in the background: “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” 

Now, remember, Turkey is a Muslim society. While not illegal (Turkey is constitutionally secular),  Christianity isn’t exactly embraced either. And you would NOT expect to hear Christian hymns of any sort played in public!

But here I was, in a Turkish hotel, listening to “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” followed by “O Holy Night” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” In Istanbul. In April. 

I’m glad I was alone  . . . it may or may not have been one of those “dance like nobody’s looking” moments. 

I basked in the April Christmas joy of Istanbul until lunchtime when I met Alan in the lobby. I stopped him and asked him to “name that tune.” He listened for a moment and then, wide-eyed, said, “Is that ‘O Holy Night’?” It was! And we stood there and sang along. To a Christmas carol. In a Turkish hotel. In Istanbul. In April..

I’m certain the music was chosen as just some “generic” western music and those who chose it had no idea what they were playing. I sort of felt like Paul in Athens when he explained to the leaders of Athens about their statue to an unknown god: “what therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” I wanted to find someone who spoke enough English to whom I could say, “what therefore you are listening to as unknown . . .”

Since it was lunchtime, Alan and I decided to walk to a nearby restaurant (Matt had gone out with people from the church). Our server was probably the only server they had who spoke any English and he enjoyed trying out his English on us.   The music was American top 40 hits from the 1970s . . . which was perfect for me. James Taylor. Anne Murray. The Carpenters. 

But the song that played right after we ordered? Feliz Navidad. We were wiping tears out of our eyes, we were laughing so hard!

By the way, this was Sunday, April 8, 2018 . . . Orthodox Easter, which was icing on the cake: a joyous Christmas song, sung in Spanish, played in a Turkish restaurant, in a Muslim country, on Orthodox Easter Sunday. 

I hope your Christmas is as full of joyful surprises as that Easter/Christmas was for me! 

Remember that Sunday morning’s service will be online only. Advent is celebrated on the fourth Sundays before Christmas and this is one of those rare years when the last Sunday of Advent falls on the same Sunday as Christmas Eve.

We hope that you’ll watch our morning service on Facebook in the morning and then join us for a beautiful candle-light Christmas Eve service at 4:00 that same afternoon. The following week, December 31, we’ll meet in person as usual.