The Christmas Spirit

Someone asked me today if I was "getting in the Christmas spirit." For many the Christmas spirit is:

• Baking cookies
• Singing carols
• Sending cards
• Planning parties
• Buying presents
• Sipped from a glass

But no one demonstrates the Biblical "spirit of Christmas" more than Mary, the mother of Jesus. Consider Mary, this teenage girl who's life is turned upside down as the sovereign plan of God unfolds around her. She never asked for a miraculous, Holy Spirit empowered, virgin conception, but God trusted her with it anyway. Instantly, she's confronted with private and public humiliation. She comes dangerously close to losing the love of her lifetime. Can you imagine what she told her parents?

Yet amidst all chaos and confusion that first Christmas, Mary surrenders her will to the will of the Father and simply says, "Let it be." In other words, I choose to worship and obey the Father even when it doesn't make sense or seem to be working out the way I planned.

The true Spirit of Christmas is surrender. In essence, that's worship. The first time worship is used in the Scriptures is to describe Abraham's decision to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on the mountain altar. It says that he went out of obedience to worship the Lord. Worship is obedience.

Mary, in the same spirit of Abraham, worships the Lord and surrenders her plans, expectations and will to the work of the Father. That's the real spirit of Christmas.

The Spirit of Christmas

I've been thinking a lot lately about the spirit of Christmas and asking this question, "What is the spirit of Christmas?"

• To the liquor industry, it comes in a bottle.
• To Scrooge, it was a ghost.
• To Hallmark, it comes in the form of sending a card. (Some 5 billion cards will be sent this year.)
• To some, it's all about friends and family and sharing a meal together.
• To many, it's giving.

Biblically, I've come to discover that the Spirit of Christmas is WORSHIP. All throughout the Christmas story, you read how people extemporaneously explode into worship for God.

• Elizabeth worships God when Mary visits her.
• Zachariah erupts into worship at the sight of his son, John, who would prepare the way for Christ.
• Mary worships God when she resolves to carry out His purpose.
• Angels worship. Shepherds worship. Wise men worship. All creation worships.

So, this Christmas, I've determined to see everything I do as worship unto God.

• My time with my church family this Christmas Eve at our services will be filled with worship to God.
• My time away from work with my physical family is going to be worship unto God. My family is a blessing from God.
• The gifts I give to loved ones will ultimately result in worship ... because I recognize that I can only give because God has given to me.

Everything we do can be worship unto God if we keep Christ at the center.

Unnoticed Worship

I'm privileged to be able to post this week in Pastor Dave's absence. I am excited to join this leadership team and this incredible church family. As Pastor Dave mentioned on Sunday I will be overseeing the Creative Arts & Worship ministries at PCC. I would like to spend the next few days sharing some thoughts with you on worship and hopefully together we can grow our passion for worship.

David lived a life of worship and God considered him "...a man after mine own heart" - Acts 13:22. I want to focus on one of the characteristics David displayed as a worshiper. David was unnoticed as a worshiper. Sometimes we are only interested in others seeing us worship. We've all been there, myself included, in church and making sure we are making a good impression with our worship. David embraced the hidden place where he would 'hang out' with God. It was in that place, a place of isolation / unnoticed, that he sought out the heart of God. David found times to be alone with the creator of the universe and focus on Him in a time of worship.

Matt Redman, a worship leader, defines an unnoticed worshiper as this: "one who is willing, even when things are going well, to step back and check in with God. They realize the key to worship is not what goes on amongst the crowds, but what occurs before the King....God." One of the keys to becoming an unnoticed worshiper is taking ourselves out of the equation and focusing solely on God.

A goal in my life is to make time for those moments when I wholeheartedly worship God in a quiet place, unnoticed and away from the crowds and distractions. I pray that we all find those quiet places and become a people seeking the heart of God.