A friend of mine invited me to go to her church for their Christmas Cantata. She attends Victory Family Assembly of God church in Burleson, Texas.
We went on a Sunday, on December 13, 2010. I had never been to her church before, but the people who greeted us at the door were very kind and welcoming; they were more than glad to have us come. They made me and my family feel very comfortable, especially this tall, distinguished looking elderly gentleman with a headful of thick, white hair.
There were people of all ages: babies, toddlers, school-aged children, teenagers, adults, elderly. Most everybody was smiling or talking excitedly about their Christmas plans. Everybody was looking forward to spending Christmas with their friends/family. I couldn't say I blamed them. I was looking forward to visiting my mother in Rhode Island for Christmas; we were going to leave a week from Monday.
We quickly found our seats. We sat in the front row, off to the right hand side. I sat with Megan and her husband, Robert, and their three children: Allison (15), Yvonne (10), and Parker (6). They were all dressed up nicely; as for me, I wore a comfortable, warm dark blue sweatshirt and matching sweat pants, along with tennis shoes and nice thick, warm socks. It was chilly outside; I wanted to be warm.
The sanctuary was nice. It was very big and roomy, and people were quickly walking to their seats. The choir who was to perform in the Cantata was situated on the left hand side of the sanctuary; they were listening to their choir director, who was giving them last-minute instructions. The choir director looked rather frazzled, but she tried her best not to let it show.
Soon, the choir filed to the front of the platform. I guess they wanted to go over one or two songs, to make sure they had everything down. When they opened their mouths to sing, it sounded like angels had descended from Heaven: it was some of the prettiest singing I had ever heard! I could tell that they'd been working hard to learn their music, so all would go perfectly during the Cantata, which was to start in a few short minutes.
Everybody was soon seated, listening to the pastor, a rather robust looking man with brown hair and a greying beard, talking about the Cantata. He had a very pleasant way of speaking, and you could tell that he was glad that everyone had come. He then said, "Presenting 'One Quiet Night', as put on by our fine arts department".
The choir filed to the front of the platform a second time. You could tell that they were ready. Soon, they burst into song. One small but chubby female was on blue crutches, but she didn't let that bother her; she was enjoying herself as she sang for the audience. She did look rather nervous, though; you could see it on her face.
After the first song, the choir filed onto the platform, where they stood on risers, which had been placed in the back. Fortunately, nobody fell; I was scared that the lady on crutches would lose her balance and fall, but she didn't. One woman did hold her hand as she stepped onto the risers, in the back row, off to the right-hand side. She was the one on the end.
One lady in the audience stood up and started taking numerous pictures: you could see her camera flashing repeatedly. I guess she was a member of a newspaper or something.
There was some dramatic acting. All of the performers did very well. This was what made the presentation a Cantata: it wasn't just all singing. Yet the choir shone like the brightest stars in the sky: their singing was pitch-perfect, and you could see that they were into the music. Some of the songs were light-hearted, but soon, all became serious, as the message of Christ's birth flowed from their mouths.
There was some minor mishaps: a lady got tangled up in the Christmas lights during the song, "Riggin' Up The Lights", and some people looked like they couldn't remember all of the words to certain songs: panic showed on their faces. Other than that, all went smoothly; they carried it off without a hitch.
At the end, an African-American man sang "Joy To The World"; his voice was powerful, strong, sure. The choir backed him up; and all did a very good job. I am sure that Jesus came into the house: you could feel a sense of peace and love throughout the sanctuary. After the last notes were sung, the choir and the cast members of the Cantata got a well-deserved standing ovation. It was fantastic; I really enjoyed it!!
The pastor came back onto the podium, and he began talking about the message of Christmas. He then had an altar call, and several people raised their hands when he asked them if anyone was ready to give their lives to Christ. (The pastor had said for everyone to close their eyes, but I kept mine open. This was how I knew what was going on.)
After the service, I and my friends filed out, but not before we talked to several members of the choir. We told them how much we enjoyed their performance. I was particularly impressed with the African-American man, and I told him he did a fantastic job. He was very nice. I also saw the lady on the crutches and told her she did a good job too; she just smiled and said thank you.
The lady with the camera joined the lady with the crutches. I was surprised to see how much they resembled one another. They either had to be mother and daughter, or at least sisters. They had to be family. Another lady with long, curly hair was with them; I guess she was a friend. They both congratulated the lady on the crutches on how good she did. About that time, the lady on the crutches sneezed.
She looked like she was coming down with a cold. I felt sorry for her, but I was glad that she'd made it through the Cantata. The trio then left, leaving me with my friends.
We left the church and went out to eat at Babe's Chicken in beautiful, downtown Burleson. The food was very good, although a bit pricey. We couldn't stop talking about the Cantata. It was as if Heaven came down to earth. I swear I heard bells ringing in the angelic voices of the choir.
I will never forget it as long as I live. It was beyond beautiful!
