WORSHIP FULLY (Meredith Wagler)
I’ve always loved everything about the Christmas season: the lights, the decorations, the music. Christmas feels magical to me, and I admit that I can get swept up by all the to-do. A street lit up with multi-coloured lights warms my heart. A cheesy made-for-TV Christmas movie can bring tears to my eyes. Smells of gingerbread and cinnamon fill me with gladness.
This year, my husband Devon and I are expecting our first child in early December. As the due date approaches, I’ve been thinking about what I want Christmas to mean to our child.
Looking back on my own childhood perceptions of Christmas, I know that I mainly focused on the presents. But somewhere along the way, that changed. When I was about nine years old, my mom taught me how to knit, and I made a bright pink neck warmer for my sister. I remember how excited I was to give her that neck warmer—I’d spent so much time on it, and I made it specifically for her. I think that was one of my first experiences finding joy in giving meaningful gifts to others.
I want my own child to experience that same joy at Christmas. I want her (or him, if the ultrasound is wrong!) to be involved in finding and making gifts for loved ones. I want her to understand how blessed we are, and to participate in choosing gifts for those in need around the world.
Most of all, though, I want her to understand what motivates us to give at Christmas: Christ gave all of Himself to us.
Read
Romans 12:1-2
Challenge (by Devon Wagler)
This passage is an extremely challenging call to worship God. Being a living sacrifice for God is a high calling. Being a living sacrifice means striving to make every aspect of your life an offering to God. Your family, your work, your finances, your marriage, and your hobbies, skills, and talents can all be given as ‘a living sacrifice.’
This Christmas, let’s take some time to consider what we’re doing. What do you do around Christmas? Do we really treat this as a holiday for Christ, or are we too busy to recognize this. Let’s worship more fully, by sacrificing this season, dedicating it to Jesus.
Quote
“The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”
(Helen Keller)