I am reading the Gospel of Luke as part of my Advent devotions.  The first two chapters are largely dedicated to the months leading up to Jesus’ birth, before we get to observe him in action.  Already there are indications that Jesus is somebody special:

“You shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His Father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (1:32-33).

This is the promised King who will reign in the Spirit of Isaiah 9 (“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore”), to whom all leaders in heaven and on earth bow, and by whom all the promises of global redemptive influence given to Abraham will be fulfilled.  The signals of His conception and birth here in Luke 1 all act as witnesses, confirmations of His divine identity. 

            What strikes me here is that we are immediately served notice that Jesus is more than someone to emulate; He is, in fact, someone to worship and honour as King.  If this is true, then the first order of business in the celebration of Christmas is to honour Jesus as supreme and sovereign in my life.  I need to seek audience regularly with Him in worship and prayer, seek His will in the large and small things of my life, and trust Him to work all things together for my good.

            In other words, will I acknowledge Him as Sovereign in my life? Will I accede to His rightful leadership in my life in the large and small areas of my life because of love and reverent fear for Who He is?  As a worship leader, if I am to lead people to Jesus, an important part of this is helping them to see Him as King – not just as a good moral teacher or impressive historic individual, but, as attested to in the many miraculous events of His birth, life, death and resurrection, as Eternal Sovereign Authority in the universe, worthy of worship and rejoicing.  And should that strike fear or resistance in people (since no one likes to be told what to do), the Holy Spirit has inspired songs from Mary and Zechariah that exult in what that rule is like.  It is a rule characterized by mercy, intervention on behalf of the weak and oppressed, promises that are kept, forgiveness of sins, empowerment for serving Him “without fear, in holiness and righteousness all our days” (1:74).  This is the kind of rule for which the whole earth is groaning, and thus His coming is a source of joy (1:44, 47) – unless, of course, one is proud and arrogant and unwilling to accede rule to the Victorious King.

           The biggest challenge, I think, is remembering Christ’s Lordship over the little details of my life, the ones that only I am aware of.  I am so easily distracted.  But my Sovereign is present and sees everything, and He desires for every moment of my life to be an act of worship.  If I could take all the time I’ve wasted over the years and compiled it together, the hours and hours of prayer, worship, study and relationship with others that could have been experienced are staggering, and would contribute significantly to the authority and power of the Spirit that characterizes Jesus’ life and ministry. 

This is ultimately what the angels meant when they sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward humanity!"  As Paul so eloquently exults, in Romans 8:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This Christmas, may we remember that we reach our greatest potential, we experience the "good will" of God toward us, when we submit to Him as the Good and Victorious King!

Worship Team Orientation is rapidly approaching, and some have been inquiring on what that will entail. 

The purpose of WTO is threefold:

1. Spiritual Refreshment and Teaching

2. Building Relationships with Team Members

3. Musical Rehearsal and Skill Development

Unless you have an Orientation Week commitment (You are a freshman or on Orientation staff) you are expected to participate in the whole Orientation.  Please let me know if there are any issues for you.

Here is the schedule that you can anticipate:

Tuesday, September 8

Wednesday, September 9

The final facet of the treasure of Jesus that we want to be part of our ministry is what I call “Incarnation.” John 1:14 tells us that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This is an amazing theological claim, for it was inconceivable (even sacreligious) to Jews that Yahweh would ever condescend to communicate Himself so directly, and it was remarkable to Greeks that the divine Ideal would associate itself with human flesh, which was so tainted with imperfection. But, says John, when God wanted to communicate Himself, the best way He could think to do it was to show up in the particles and particulars of human experience. He was communicating the incredible value that He places on His creation, on time, space and matter, as realms in which His glory could dwell.

My wife was meditating on John 1 a couple of mornings ago, and seeing the parallel there with Genesis 1, found herself back at that first moment of creation. One of the things that the Holy Spirit impressed on her was how much Jesus Himself is reflected already in the creation. God spoke the Word, “Let there be light”; Jesus showed Himself to be the Light of the world. God spoke the Word, “Let the water be gathered up together”; Jesus is the Living Water that gives life to every man. God spoke the Word, “Let the land produce vegetation and plants bearing seed”; Jesus is the Bread of Life. God spoke the Word, “Let there be sun and moon and stars”; Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness and the Bright and Morning Star. God spoke the Word, “Let the land produce living creatures”; Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. God spoke the Word, “Let us make human beings in our image”; Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” In every facet of creation, God placed a signpost that would help us understand and treasure Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

As we take on this opportunity to lead our campus in worship, let’s open our eyes to all the ways that creation and human creativity might point to the glory of Jesus. The very fabric of creation – nature, human relationships, space, the realm of ideas – all of it is interwoven with those signposts, and as His stewards of that creation, we can draw those out and use them in helping people see Jesus in a new way. Perhaps it is a fact or event you’ve learned about in a class, a phenomena you’ve discovered in the lab, a story or poem you’ve read or written, a song birthed in your heart or a picture that you’ve drawn. All of these could be new ways for God to show up “in the flesh.”

Now I’m not advocating the making of idols, substituting created things for the Creator. We can’t mistake the gift for the Giver! But the gifts are ultimately there to point us to the Giver, to put us in touch with Him, to bring us into intimacy with Him. So let’s harness all the power and beauty and mystery of creation and of human creativity to point us that direction!

For that reason, I really want to encourage us to think fresh this year, to expect that God will lead us outside the box in how we communicate the glories of Christ and the good news of His redemption in our worship. Let’s get those ideas out there! Let’s talk about how to enrich the environment of chapel and Sunday Night Alive, to make it an all-sensory experience from beginning to end! Let’s work together with the Holy Spirit to create some unforgettable moments of encounter with God this year!

What do you think?