Worship 2

Matthew 2:9-11

The holidays can become such a busy time. There are times when the schedule simply becomes overloaded – a holiday concert, the company Christmas party, a friend’s party, family gatherings, shopping. Such a hectic schedule can rob us of the joy that Christmas should bring us.

And who is to blame for all this exhausting pace? We can point the finger at this person or that, or claim it is just what happens in our society. But the truth is that we allow ourselves to feel frantic and we succumb to the pressures to be here, there, and everywhere.

In Matthew we have the story of the wise men, also called Magi. What led them? What was their reaction? What did they do when they saw Jesus?

These wise men – whether they are astrologers, sages, scientists, or scholars – had discovered a strange event in the night sky and knew that it was a sign of something powerful. They knew a great king was born and they had no intention of missing out on the event. So they packed up their gifts and traveled to Jerusalem to find him. Their first stop was with the current king, a bold move since this new king would likely surpass him.

But these were bold men. They were bold enough to travel a great distance to see the new king. They were bold enough to have an audience with the ruthless Herod. And they were bold enough to follow the guidance of a star to find the one they sought.

Ultimately they were rewarded by finding the baby, Christ, the new king, the Messiah. They had the opportunity to worship Jesus and offer him the gifts he deserved.

What about us? Can we be bold enough to resist the hectic schedule? Can we be bold enough to say “no” to at least some of the invitations, and instead spend some time as a family and with friends worshiping our king? The Magi sought him, found him, and worshiped. Will you find him and worship this year?

DAILY CHALLENGE: If your holiday schedule is filling up, take some time to add to it. Add “family time” or “time with friends” or “worship” to your calendar and then make sure you fulfill that appointment.

Worship 1

This week we begin a four part series inspired by "The Advent Conspiracy." You can learn more about what we are doing as a church and what's going on here. We've also got the video clip that we showed in church this morning. I hope you'll watch it again and really pray that God will show you how he wants to you to worship Him this Advent season!

Isaiah 9:1-2

It isn’t always easy to get ready for the holidays. In fact there are times when it feels that it isn’t ever easy to prepare for the holidays. Trying to organize all the parts of the worship services, to plan out the activities, to set schedules and events, to gather the materials can be a tremendous task and there are many times when things just don’t seem to come together.

But one thing I have learned over the years is that there is always a solution to the problem. Things work out.

It may be difficult in our current society to put ourselves in the position of the Israelites before Jesus. There was a hope that often fell back into hopelessness as they waited for the Messiah. Or perhaps we can identify with them as we look at our present circumstances and feel totally lost facing financial problems, challenges in relationships and troubles in our lives.

In spite of the darkness around us there is a light. And that light is the light of love from God expressed in Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah offers some words of hope. What assurances does he give? What hope do the people have?

This prophet from so long ago knew that the Lord was coming. He would be from the area of Galilee and he would offer a tremendous hope and promise for a brighter, happier, more contented life. We know the story of Christmas. We know the story of Jesus and the light he brought.

But we can allow our culture and our hectic holiday schedule to overshadow that bright love from God. We can allow our Christmas time to be a time of worry and stress and fear and upset.

We need to cling to these promises from Isaiah. Christmas should be a time of hope and celebration. Most importantly it should be a time where we worship the gift of Jesus Christ, a gift of love from God. There is a solution to the crazy holiday rush and stress. The solution is to focus on the light which has dawned for all of us. The solution is to worship God and turn our holidays back into a time of praise and celebration of God’s love.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Christmas is usually a time of traditions. Which tradition of yours helps you to worship God at this time?

Transformed 5

Romans 12:1-2

Whenever the term “peer pressure” is mentioned one of the most frequent thoughts is that of teen cultures. Young people are usually thought of as the people who must fight against the pressures of being like all the others, of fitting in. Do you have the right clothes and the right shoes? Do you like the right music?

But even Christians can face the struggles of peer pressure. It seems that there are more and more variations on Christian thought, more and more watered down beliefs. There seems to be an increase in attitudes of good behavior being “good enough” to be acceptable, and even earn us a spot in heaven.

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul is addressing people who are attempting to live out a new faith, a new way of believing and worshipping. They were also a people being persecuted by their society. The pressure to conform, to become like everyone else and take part in acceptable societal practices must have been great.

What does Paul urge? What are we NOT to do? What are we to do? What benefit is there in that?

The life of a true, believing Christian is not always easy. It is tempting to fall in with society and go along with what is popular, what is current and acceptable. In a dog-eat-dog world it is tempting to try to be one of the dogs and not a lamb of God. Setting yourself apart and standing up for your convictions can make you a target for much criticism.

But, as Christians, we need to not conform to the world – that is, go along with what is comfortable and acceptable. Instead we are to be transformed – that is, we should allow our faith to change us. The deeper we go in our faith, the stronger we become. And the deeper we go in faith, the easier it will become to understand (“test and approve”) God’s will for us and the world.

The concept of sacrifice often conjures up an image of a single act, but we are called to be living sacrifices. We are to live each day as devoted Christians, faithful believers trying to live out the teaching of Christ. This is our spiritual act of worshipping God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you work to be transformed?