Building the "Tree"...without Pete!

Our church has presented a Singing Christmas Tree to our community for a total of 21 years. Pete was the “architect and chief construction guy” who spearheaded getting the Tree up and down each year. He also sang in every performance on every Tree! Each year, we did between 5 – 9 performances over the span of 3 – 4 days. The Tree has evolved over the years from the original wooden structure to one that now has hundreds of parts! It stretches to the ceiling of our church sanctuary and holds approximately 130 people! I used to laugh and tell Pete that I knew why he enjoyed putting it together…it was like a big tinker toy for grown men to build! Yet, in reality, I witnessed the hours and hours of time he and his best buddy, Jud who was in charge of the lighting, would put into planning for the Tree each year. Then many of us spend hours working on getting it up and ready each year.

 

The Singing Christmas Tree has always been a labor of love, one that involves many in our church - the choir, orchestra, the lighting/sound team, drama team, those who greet and usher, those who provide meals between performances for the musicians, those who come to help us sort and build the Tree and the stage, as well as those who help us take it all down and pack it away after the last performance! Pete and I always loved doing things together, so I was right there beside him at each Tree – helping to organize the pieces and parts as we would unload them from the tractor trailer, sending them in as he or Peter would call for each part as they led in the building of the Tree. Practicing the music, building the Tree, performing the Tree took a lot of our time each year, yet we felt like it was a mission project in which we could participate and use our gifts as part of the Body of Christ. It was something we gladly did together each year.

 Last year, our Minister of Music said to Pete and Jud, “My only fear is what in the world will I do if something happens to either of you!” Little did we know that sure enough, this year, we would be dealing with having to put up the Tree and do the Tree without Pete! This weekend, with heavy hearts that missed Pete tremendously yet hearts that knew we had to be Pete’s hands and feet and do this for the Lord, we began to put up the Tree.

Saturday morning, a great group of church members showed up to help us unload the tractor trailer, including a bunch of 8^th grade boys and their dads and SS teachers! I told them I knew Pete’s smile was on his face because he taught many a young teenage boy during our years in the youth ministry! Seeing those boys being there to help would have made his day! Sunday, another big crowd showed up to help us get the Tree up….Peter assumed an even greater role this year as he knew he needed to try and fill his Pop’s shoes as much as he could, Jud helped even more with the construction side of the Tree on top of his lighting responsibilities, another friend, Jim, offered to try and fill Pete’s shoes as the one who climbed all over the Tree and helped direct the building. Over and over again, we had men and women step up and say, “We are here to help…tell us what we can do! We want to honor Pete’s memory and help this year!” Pete and I used to say that was what we loved about doing the Tree – it is such a great opportunity for all different age groups to join together and share Christ’s story and love with others!

 

                            Jud, Peter, Jim and others "standing in the gap" for Pete!

Me? Yes, it has been a hard few days. I had tears in my eyes several times Saturday and Sunday as I did what I would always do for Pete which was to get the pieces organized and sorted and send them in when they were needed. A sweet friend wrote this on facebook about what she observed early Saturday morning, “Watching Brenda Richards spearhead the unloading of the Singing Christmas Tree trailer without Pete is like watching the sunset on the beach without any water. It just ain’t right but it is beautiful even so. Our sweet newly widowed friend is standing in need of prayer today. Won’t you join me? Father, may Brenda bask in the embrace of Your loving kindness and mercy as she faces every day without her Pete. Amen.”

 

What would I do without the Lord and the power of praying friends? They help me get through so many hard days! Saturday morning, my devotional from Jesus Calling included the reminder to keep my focus on Jesus all day. I thought to myself, “What a good reminder…today and tomorrow when my emotions are going to be so raw as I miss Pete in every aspect of doing this work, I need to keep reminding myself to focus on Jesus, not on Pete!” That reminder, along with my faithful praying friends, helped me be steady with only moments of tears! It is so hard to do these things that we always shared but I know I need to keep doing them. So I am trying hard...

The Tree is up! I am sure Pete is breathing a sigh of relief that we got it up without him! Ha! So many who have been touched by Pete and his influence came and helped, some who have worked beside him in this ministry before, some who came to help for the first time…together, we got it up! I know Pete is proud of everyone…and I am sure he is asking God to let it be a special Tree this year - one that will minister to many in our community!

    “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” Psalm 105:4

Oh, how we all missed him this weekend…and we will miss him even more as we actually share the message and music of the Singing Christmas Tree the second weekend of December. But he will be there with us in spirit…we will feel his presence and he will want us to be praising the Lord with our music. I am sure there will be tears on several faces in the Tree and in the congregation as we miss Pete and remember his smiling face on all those Trees during the years but we will do our best to “look to the Lord” and feel His strength.  

                                  I know that is what Pete would want us to do!