Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. So much so, that a few years ago we decided to turn October 31st into Christmas Cheer Day and usher in everything Christmas with our homemade holiday. My iPod is emptied of all the regular music and replaced with Christmas tunes, decorations are pulled from the garage to transform our home from everyday to holiday and, while others are waiting for nighttime to fall for trick-or-treating, we gather to sing Christmas carols, delight in past Christmas memories, talk of new ones to come, light apple cinnamon candles, participate in whatever Christmas crafts strike our fancy that year, and close the day with laughter as we cozy up to a movie we can all quote by heart … Elf.
As I sat down to write this blog, the thought struck me that it was going to post as November was bidding its last adieu and December was enthusiastically awaiting its opportunity to break through in sunrise the following morning. December 1st … the day that marks the official 25-day countdown to Christmas.
Morning was still new, rays of sunlight were streaming in my front bay windows, and Christmas melodies were washing over me from my laptop as I sipped coffee from one of my unpacked Christmas mugs. Wait! Did I just say, “Christmas melodies washing over me”?
That was the exact thought that pulled me out of my humming lull and into an understanding of what I was listening to. I had just downloaded Adore Him by Kari Jobe – a new song that takes its inspiration from the chorus of the classic O Come All Ye Faithful – and after it had cycled through its fifth consecutive play, I suddenly became conscious of the fact that I had been drawn into worship.
Immediately, God began stirring up in my spirit a fresh appreciation for the songs that I eagerly await to unwrap each Christmas season in just the same manner that a child anticipates the unbridled joy of Christmas morning.
Music has always spoken to the deepest parts of my soul, as I’m sure it does for all of us. Whether the lyrics make us smile as our heart strings for that special someone are played, or stir in us the desire to get up on our feet and groove, or draw us back to a particular moment in our past, or cause our souls to reflect on the majesty of Jesus … music has the power to push and pull our emotions and thoughts, much like a wave draws in the sand of the ocean floor only to exhale it back to the shore again.
As I listened to Kari sing, “Come, let us adore Him”, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Come”. He was beckoning me to enter into the Lord’s presence and worship Him. It didn’t require me to shuffle my vast Praise and Worship playlist I had compiled in iTunes, only to listen with new ears to the songs I had been singing since I was a child: O Come, All Ye Faithful, Oh, Holy Night, Joy To The World and Silent Night … just to name a few. Worship didn’t have to be packaged in the box in which I had put it. Instead, an old favorite became newly discovered treasure.
While November takes its bow and the memories of the Thanksgiving holiday begin to settle in your heart, December waits to turn the page and welcome in another Christmas season. In the same way that the Holy Spirit opened my ears to a new form of worship through Christmas music, I encourage you to spend some of your time with Jesus asking Him to awaken in you a fresh perspective on this much adored time of year … the celebration of His birth.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things hidden in her heart, holding them dear, and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Come, let us ADORE Him!
The shepherds said: “Let’s see this thing that has happened…”
I am struck by that! Isn’t that just what you are saying? To really SEE who Jesus is, in everything, this season. In Christmas songs we already know by heart. In the manger scene we colored on paper as children.
I am so thankful that this was posted on the last day of November so that I could walk into the first day of December –aware– of my God. And His awesome love. That came through the most unexpected plan.
Merry Christmas Hauntie! I love you and your Christmas cheer.
My bride:
I love your fresh perspective and, most of all, your heart for worshiping God! I know this is your favorite time of year love that God found yet another way to speak to you and through you during this season. I love ya, babe.
Your Groom,
Anthony
I love Christmas trees and egg nog lattes, but you are so right. This season is all about Jesus. I pray that my heart is more drawn to Him this year and simply adoring My Jesus. Loved it!