We are finally back from Singapore where we had a great Christmas with our daughter and her family. Singapore is mostly city with a huge population. It is clean and well ordered. Very seldom did we see police. Christmas there was very strange.
The Christian churches had services like in the US except being in seven or eight languages.
Even the other religions celebrated Christmas (commercialism). It was said by one Chinese lady said that Santa is like the jolly Buddha, except he has a beard.
Every night for weeks before Christmas the downtown streets were full of thousands of people. They did not seem to be buying much but having a great party. At one place they had a snow machine so the children could see, and feel, snow. There were choirs singing and drummers drumming.
You could buy satay, or fried meat, on a stick. Enrique liked the crab claw on a stick; the children liked the chicken on a stick. I liked the crab claw also.
We went to St. Andrew Cathedral, which was jammed packed, for lessons and carols and the Christmas Mass. The service was straight Anglican, but the sermon was long – very long. I watch the preacher turn over pages, if he writes his sermons, and can sometimes tell when he is finished. After 20 minutes he had gone through his stack. “Praise God” I thought, “he’s finished!” He turned over his stack of typewritten sheets and said, “Now for my next point.”
Do not misunderstand me. His sermon was theologically correct, but would have been better if he had published as a theological treatise. I was very thankful they gave us a hand full of printed material, including a small book on Jesus. This made good reading as he passed through the stack of sermon pages a second time. Then, having used all the written papers, he said “Now I will conclude with my third point.”
I do not know what his third point was as I fell asleep.
The children’s choir was extremely good and overall, Judy and I enjoyed the service.
I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and are looking forward to a really good new year 2010.
Ames and Judy Swartsfager
Even the other religions celebrated Christmas (commercialism). It was said by one Chinese lady said that Santa is like the jolly Buddha, except he has a beard.
Every night for weeks before Christmas the downtown streets were full of thousands of people. They did not seem to be buying much but having a great party. At one place they had a snow machine so the children could see, and feel, snow. There were choirs singing and drummers drumming.
You could buy satay, or fried meat, on a stick. Enrique liked the crab claw on a stick; the children liked the chicken on a stick. I liked the crab claw also.
We went to St. Andrew Cathedral, which was jammed packed, for lessons and carols and the Christmas Mass. The service was straight Anglican, but the sermon was long – very long. I watch the preacher turn over pages, if he writes his sermons, and can sometimes tell when he is finished. After 20 minutes he had gone through his stack. “Praise God” I thought, “he’s finished!” He turned over his stack of typewritten sheets and said, “Now for my next point.”
Do not misunderstand me. His sermon was theologically correct, but would have been better if he had published as a theological treatise. I was very thankful they gave us a hand full of printed material, including a small book on Jesus. This made good reading as he passed through the stack of sermon pages a second time. Then, having used all the written papers, he said “Now I will conclude with my third point.”
I do not know what his third point was as I fell asleep.
The children’s choir was extremely good and overall, Judy and I enjoyed the service.
I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and are looking forward to a really good new year 2010.
Ames and Judy Swartsfager
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