CHRISTMAS: A TIME FOR WORSHIP (Pt 3)

WORSHIP CLARIFIES OUR PERSPECTIVE

Then God’s presence appears in the midst of daily life, people’s lives and worldviews are transformed. Worship surrounds God’s appearance. Worship flourished before, during and after the birth of Jesus. Mary, shepherds, angels and wise men were all filled with awe and wonder. A new perspective came into their lives. Mary’s song of worship to God is a rich revelation is who God is and His marvelous works.

“And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree.” (Luke 1:50-52)

In worship, self-sufficiency turns to God-sufficiency. The self-sufficient are scattered and brought down. In contrast, the prophet Daniel lived a lifestyle of worship. He worshiped three times a day and willingly bent his knee before God. His life depended upon God.

When I worship, my perspective is clarified. Fear is erased, peace is my portion and I have renewed faith for the future. When facing apparent setbacks in our lives, worship will alter our perspective.

HOW WILL YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE?

“God fills the hungry and the poor with good things. But he sends the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:53)

Christmas is a hectic time. End-of-the-year work stress adds to the pressure. Yet life is not about chasing wealth but giving oneself to those who have need. It is seeing and acting upon the needs around us.

Jesus saw the needs of those around Him. There are so many ways His followers do the same… teaching children, giving your time to others, walking out your spiritual life with others, hosting others, serving without need of position. The Christ follower’s way of life is sharing the life of Jesus with those who are lost.

Worship will enable you to see with God’s perspective, to give yourself to others out of the deep gratitude for what God and other people have done for you. This will give birth to God’s miracle growing in you as you give yourself to a lifestyle of worship.

Let us worship Immanuel and celebrate God being with us. This truth brings a whole new perspective to life.

CHRISTMAS: A TIME FOR WORSHIP (Pt 2)

DID YOU KNOW GOD SINGS YOUR NAME?

“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

God sings my name. Yet we who follow Christ can block out God’s song over us because we know we don’t deserve it. We know our weaknesses and sin. We get lost in life’s distractions and keep our distance from God because we believe He is not happy with us and we are ashamed. When we feel shame we don’t worship. Yet our heavenly Father has placed us in Christ, His beloved Son.

“…This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Jesus is our representative before God. God looks at you just like He looks at His son, Jesus. You are a delight to God.

WORSHIP IS ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU ARE A PERSON AND WE ARE A PEOPLE OF DESTINY.

“For behold from this time on all generations will count me blessed.”

(Luke 1:48b)

God wants you to know He intends to do something in us that will affect generations. We can’t see it because we live in the past. Our past failures, words spoken to us, or our sense of insignificance tell us who we are. We are driven in our careers because of our insecurities. We have a performance-orientation because of past influences. Yet God wants us to know we are favored by Him. “He came to Mary and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28)

We are called to live out of God’s promise and not out of our past. God is with us, we are highly favored…God is growing a destiny in us. God is birthing greatness in us. It’s not me, but what God is doing in me. Live out of the promise of God in your life. We have a destiny in God. Mary boldly proclaimed her future. We need to know God chose us as surely as He did Mary. He truly has a plan for you. God plans to do something amazing through your life. God will use us to change someone else’s world.

In worship, let’s listen for God’s voice singing over us. Let’s live in who God says we are in Christ. Let’s lay hold of and proclaim God’s promise of the future.

CHRISTMAS: A TIME FOR WORSHIP

The story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is an amazing story of the action of God through ordinary people. Even today God chooses to do miracles through people like us. Each one of us is unique and as a church, we are uniquely positioned for God to work a miracle in and through us.

However, we can miss God’s miracle because of life’s distractions. It seems we daily face distractions and crisis. But the gap between God working and our distractions is not great. Mary, being single with an unplanned pregnancy, is our example. She viewed her circumstances through a God-perspective and her response was worship. After hearing of her imminent pregnancy, she said, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46). Worship in the midst of distractions enables us to see something that others do not see.

WORSHIP BEGINS WHEN WE EXPRESS WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US.

In the midst of distractions Mary sang a love song to God (Luke 1:46-55). She first named what God had done for her. “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has been mindful of me” (v.47).

Today, a lot of our worship is general, not personal or specific. Worship begins with naming what God has done for you. This is not worshiping in a generality but “God has been mindful of me…from now on all generations will call me blessed for the Mighty One has done great things for me.”

Mary’s worship was specific and full. I can be personal with God and express what He has done for me. God has come into my world. God. God has come into my life and rocked my world.

Worship brings a “Wow” factor in your life. You can’t just sit there when you consider what God has done; you have to do something. God doesn’t just love the world; He loves me. I have to sing, shout, dance, prophesy, testify, bow down, laugh or clap. Mary sang, David danced, and Daniel got down on his face before God three times a day, not caring who saw him.

As Christmas approaches, I remember God has come into my world. He has also brought me into His world. He didn’t condemn me, but made me righteous. He invites me to sit with him on His throne. Wow.

What has God done for you?

…Wow!