Christmas Comes Early This Time of Year

I’m probably in the minority, but I don’t mind that retailers begin selling Christmas items, even before Halloween is over.  As far as I’m concerned, they can start on Labor Day.  I’d love to hear from you and what you think.  Here are my thoughts:

• Halloween is fun, and Thanksgiving is important, but neither of these is a part of the Gospel story.  Christmas is.  We recognize many “holidays,” secular, federal, etc.  Christmas is a “Holy Day” that we celebrate, not because the office is closed or a president says so, but because of whose birthday it is.
• Christmas is about preparing, not just for the birth of the Savior, but the anticipation of His second coming.  Say what?  It’s true, but because most of us don’t celebrate Advent, we miss that whole aspect of it.  Just as the nation of Israel prepared and awaited the coming of the Messiah, we too, the Church, are to be in preparation while we wait for His return.
• Christmas is the centerpiece of the season, focusing on the nativity of Jesus.  However, Christmastime, which begins with Advent and goes through Epiphany, has a much greater significance than His birth alone.  Epiphany is all about the manifestation of God to man in the person of Jesus – That’s the good stuff right there!
• All things will be ordered by the Gospel, not the other way around.  Christ is true regardless of how early, or late, the store displays go up.  Our identity in Him transcends the schemes of this world.  This is the focal point of all time and creation – Jesus came and He is coming again.  The retailers may not have spiritual things in mind, but meantime the world is groaning and it will all culminate in resolution as He has seen fit.
• Quite simply, if I prepare for days before Halloween, and weeks before Thanksgiving, then I can certainly prepare for months before Christmas.

I’ll even go so far as to say that the abbreviation “X-mas” doesn’t bother me.  If that’s all it takes to remove Christ from Christmas, then it’s a rather fragile thing to begin with.  But that’s probably another article…

Enjoy your Christmastime, be blessed with the presence of family and good memories, and may Christ’s redemptive work be known in your celebrations.

Readings to help prepare during December:

2^nd – Hebrews 2:1-9

3^rd – John 1:1-18

4^th – Hebrews 1:1-14

5^th – Philippians 2:1-11

6^th – Luke 2:41-52

7^th – Matthew 3:1-17

8^th – Matthew 4:12-25

9^th – John 5:17-24

10^th – John 5:25-47

11^th – Matthew 9:32-38

12^th – Mark 8:27-38

13^th – Mark 9:33-37

14^th – Mark 10:13-31

15^th – Luke 19:28-40

16^th – Luke 12:49-53

17^th – 1 John 2:24-29

18^th – Luke 1:8-23

19^th – Matthew 1:18-23

20^th – Luke 1:24-38

21^st – Luke 1:39-56

22^nd – Luke 1:57-80

23^rd – Luke 2:1-20

24^th – Matthew 2:1-11

(previously posted in 2012)

How Does It All Happen? part 1

From time to time I get asked about the preparations of our worship services.  Sometimes I sense genuine curiosities, while other times negative insinuations.  Regardless, I’m always happy to share my process, and in so doing, hopefully help worshipers to better understand what we are doing as God’s people and the purposes of corporate worship.  It’s a sacred trust in which we all take part.  So, over the next few months I’ll try my best to line out some of the different aspects of what/how/why we do what we do.

I’ll start this series of articles in the same place I start preparing for every series of services at Greenwood Christian – with Scripture.

It begins with a key passage(s) from Matt’s message.  Every message is centered on a key passage of Scripture, and usually part of a greater series of teaching over a typical 4-6 week period.  I do a study of that passage, cross-referencing it with other related passages and considering how those passages can be present in our service, asking these basic questions:

1. Can the passage be read by the congregation, and if so, how?  Responsively?  Corporately?
2. Can the passage be read to the congregation?
3. What translation or paraphrase best conveys the meaning of the passage and for our congregation?
4. Can the passage be sung?  Familiar passages of Scripture are found in many of the songs of worship, either as partial or complete, direct or indirect, quotations.
5. What other presentation will lend itself to the particular passage (dramatic reading, visual, etc.)?

I also take into account, beyond the specific sermon, where we are in the Christian Year.  This is the calendar that begins a few weeks prior to Christmas with Advent, and continues all the way through Easter up until Pentecost.  Thus, by following the Christian Year, over a three-year period, we walk through the entire life and ministry of Christ’s arrival to the Holy Spirit’s arrival; a great spiritual guide for us as the Church.

With each week of the Christian Year there are passages from Old and New Testaments, the Psalms, and Gospels.    A great resource, if you’d like to know more about this aspect is the website The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Once some decisions have been made with regard to Scriptures and how they will be presented in the service, I then move on to fleshing out the rest of the service with regard to congregational song.  I’m basically asking the question of theme: What songs will help to reinforce the biblical theme being brought to the congregation in the service?

But, as we’ll see in the articles to come, that’s not the only question to ask in the selection of music – or in the selection of other elements of the service.  It’s just the start.  And keep in mind, while one service is at this point in the process, another service is all but finished and about to take place; yet another service is midway through the process; and still another service’s planning has not even begun…

10,000 Reasons Follow-up

A couple weekends ago we celebrated as a congregation using 11 songs and 60+ minutes of music to facilitate our worship.  The songs were all authored or co-authored by worship leader, Matt Redman on his CD “10,000 Reasons.”  You can find his album here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/10-000-reasons/id441687303

When Matt (Giebler, not Redman) and I decided to conclude the Plan A series in this way, I began looking for musical ideas that could lend themselves to such a service.  So it was on a road trip last fall that I listened and listened to the songs, meditated on the lyrics, and – considering the dialogic nature of congregational worship – grew in appreciation for the structure of his service

Redman followed the very pattern we follow in our worship every weekend: Gathering, Word, Table, Sending.  Below is a summary of that structure, highlighted by some lyric samples…

Gathering – God’s people come together to answer the call to praise

• “We Are the Free”

There's a fire in our hearts and it burns for You

It's never going to fade away

• “Here for You”

Almighty God of love

Be welcome in this place

• Prayer
• “Holy”

The highest name of all

You're all You say You are

Word – God speaks to us, and we make ourselves available to listen

• Psalm 34:1-3
• “10,000 Reasons”

Bless the Lord O my soul

Worship His holy name

• “Fires”

And we're waiting on You God

And our hearts will trust in who You are

• “Never Once”

Every step we are breathing in Your grace

Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise

• Philippians 2:1-11

Table – We respond to God’s grace and good news

• “Where Would We Be”

Jesus You're the only hope

Jesus hope for all the world

• The Lord’s Supper
• We Could Change the World

Jesus in Your name we could change the world

Could we live like this

Sending – God sends us into the darkened world to carry His light

• Prayer
• “Magnificent”

You are higher than we ever could imagine

And closer than our eyes could ever see

• “O This God”

We are going to shine

Now we are going to shine for You

• Prayer
• “Endless Hallelujah”

We will worship You

An endless hallelujah to the King

In addition to following the four-fold pattern of worship to which we adhere, the Redman songs offered the opportunity to add many new songs to our worship repertoire.  We began introducing some of the songs in the weeks leading up to April 13/14, and we will be singing them all over the weeks to come.

You can re-experience the service with our video podcast here:  (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rejoice/id409002213?i=150381355&mt=2).

Thanks to all who contributed, led, supported, and worshiped with their whole heart.  It was a larger-than-normal undertaking.  As a worship leader, I’m grateful and in awe to serve the Magnificent God and His Church.

10,000 Reasons Weekend at Greenwood Christian

This will be an expression of our joy in the Lord.  For all that God has done for us… For the trial that Christ endured for our salvation… For the hope we have because of Him...

We couldn't escape the sin and the shame

that kept us bound

We couldn't break through.

We couldn't reach You.

So You reached down.

Where would we be without Your love?

We'd still be lost in darkness.

Where would we be without Your cross?

You made a way to save us.

O Your love, O Your love!

-- “Where Would We Be,” by Matt Redman

It’s an opportunity for us – gathered in His name – to rejoice, learning and singing “new songs” of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Having celebrated the resurrected Lord, and our response to the resurrection life offered freely to us all, we will come together to rejoice.

For your preparation, check out the “10,000 Reasons” CD by worship leader Matt Redman.  You can begin listening to and learning the songs we will be singing as a congregation.  Find it at your favorite place to buy music, or by following this link to purchase it on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/10-000-reasons/id441687303

Join us for this great weekend of worship in song, Scripture, and prayer.

Lincoln Christian University Chorale

What a great weekend we had with the students from LCU.  Many thanks to all those who helped to make it happen:

•  Our Production Staff, led by Erik Tittle and Steve Dennis
• All the families who hosted the students in their home on Saturday night
• The Lambert family for coordinating Sunday’s lunch for the students

And a great big thanks and praise for the generosity shown by our worshipers in the offering collected for the university.  A total of $5,365.85 (plus a Canadian $20!) was shared.  Praise God for His rich blessings!

"Giving Up" for Christ

We often hear about folks who “give up” something for lent.  Depending upon your background, that may sound strange.  After all, what does “giving up chocolate” have to do with the Passion of Christ?  The late Dr. Robert Webber explains it well in his book, “Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality Through the Christian Year:”

Lent is the time to identify a power working against us and crucify it with Christ and bury it in the tomb, never to be raised again…  Fasting controls the passion for food in order to deal with a passion of another sort that holds us in its grip.  The purpose of the ascetical fast is to liberate us from the power that flesh holds over the spirit…  For example, a person may fast as a means to experience victory over jealousy, envy, anger, lust, lack of integrity…  God works in conjunction with our will.  Consequently, the ascetical fast that deals with an issue of character development requires choice and intention on our part.  We have to exercise the power of our own will over against the powers of evil that continually draw us into habits of life that are contrary to the gospel (p. 114-115).

If you are celebrating Lent this year, here are some Scriptures to assist in your experience from this point forward.  If you didn’t start on Ash Wednesday (February 13^th), it’s not too late to begin the journey…

February 28^th – 1 Peter 1:8-17

March 1^st – 1 Peter 2:21-25

2^nd – 1 Peter 3:8-18

3^rd – 1 Peter 4:12-16

4^th – 1 Peter 5:6-11

5^th – Matthew 6:1-13

6^th – Matthew 18:15-22

7^th – Ephesians 4:25-32

8^th – Mark 11:19-26

9^th – Luke 7:36-50

10^th – Mark 5:21-43

11^th – Acts 2:37-41

12^th – 2 Timothy 2:8-13

13^th – 2 Timothy 4:16-18

14^th – Acts 10:39-46

15^th – 1 John 1:5-10

16^th – Romans 3:21-28

17^th – James 5:13-18

18^th – Romans 5:1-11

19^th – Romans 6:12-18

20^th – Romans 7:7-14

21^st – Romans 8:18-25

22^nd – John 12:1-7

23^rd – John 12:23-36

24^th – Matthew 21:1-16

25^th – Luke 22:39-62

26^th – Luke 22:63-71

27^th – Luke 23:1-10

28^th – Mark 15:1-14

29^th – John 19:1-37

30^th – John 19:38-42

31^st – John 20:1-31

12 Days of What?!

Our first son was born on December 13^th.  When he was young, we would celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas by giving him a gift on each day from the 13^th to the 24^th.  As we began to add to our family, we realized that such an outpouring of gifts on just one of the boys would not be sustainable, so we discontinued the practice.  We had a lot of fun with it while it lasted.  Little did we know that there is much more to the 12 Days of Christmas than we had thought…

Most of us have heard that the celebration of Christmas on December 25^th is an adoption of the Syrian sun-god festival established by Emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D.  Simultaneously, the early Church Fathers Tertullian and Hippolytus calculated a symbolic birthdate of December 25^th for Jesus based upon His conception falling on March 25^th.  In 313 A.D. Constantine legalized Christianity, and by 336 the date is firmly established on the calendar.

Here’s the twist… While today’s secular culture concludes Christmas on December 25^th, the early Church continued in its celebration for 12 more days until January 6^th, a day called Epiphany.  The holiday of Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of God to mankind.  Christmas arose out of a desire to emphasize the incarnation of God into human form – it’s all about the nativity.  Epiphany continues the story to the arrival of the Magi, Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ first miracle – the revealing of God’s glory in the person of Jesus.

Christians often demand that society “keep Christ in Christmas,” yet the same Christians are all too quick to end the celebration prematurely.  We kneel at the manger and only recognize one small part of the story.  Jesus being born is only the beginning.  Let’s keep Christ in Christmas, all of it, and be faithful to the whole story of how God revealed His Son and His purposes to the world – and to us.

What’s this have to do with the 12 Days of Christmas?

Historically, the days building up to Epiphany are the true 12 Days of Christmas, beginning on December 25^th.  Here are some practical suggestions for keeping the Christmas Spirit alive through January 6^th:

•  Leave your decorations up.  Maybe even add to your decorations during the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany.
• Spread the gifts out over the 12 days, rather than opening them all on December 25^th.  Or, hold back a special gift to be opened on January 6^th.
• Continue to sing and listen to Christmas songs throughout the season up until January 6^th.
• Schedule your Christmas parties, caroling, etc., during the 12 days leading up to January 6^th.  It might help to lighten your hectic load prior to the 25^th.
• Read and study the passages of Scripture pertinent to Epiphany (The Wise Men, Matthew 2 – Jesus’ baptism, Matthew 3 – Turning Water Into Wine, John 2:1-12).
• Celebrate the Lord’s Table on Christmas and on Epiphany.  These days don’t always fall on Sundays, so take the initiative to lead Table celebrations in your home.  Christ came, suffered, and died.  We declare this until He returns.

Establishing a healthy respect of the entire Christmas season in which Epiphany is not a postscript or overlooked, but a grand finale, can help you to experience the meaning of the Gospel and to celebrate the incarnation and manifestation of God in Jesus.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas”

The song of frivolity and fun that we enjoy singing, as children and adults, is indeed just a song of frivolity and fun to be sung at Christmastime.  Stories of its role in Christendom abound, without any historical or factual basis.  Nonetheless, the song can provide some reinforcement and memorization of important Christian tenants.  Consider this interpretation of the meaning of each day’s gifts:

The partridge – Jesus Christ

2 Turtle Doves – Old & New Testaments

3 French Hens – Trinity

4 Collie Birds – The Gospels

5 Golden Rings – The Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible)

6 Geese – Days of Creation

7 Swans – The Churches in Revelation

8 Maids – The Beatitudes

9 Ladies – Fruit of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords – The Ten Commandments

11 Pipers – The Faithful Apostles

12 Drummers – The Tribes of Israel