The God of the universe wants your attention, this isn’t about everybody else now, it’s about God and you. He’s looking at you. He’s talking to you. He’s coming to you.
The miracle of Christmas is God becoming human, taking up residence in our world as a real person. He doesn’t appear as a tall, muscle bound, superhero looking star. But a “baby, who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16).
Babies are meant to be held. Closely. Intimately. Caringly. God wants you to hold him. God wants to be closer to you, and wants you to be closer to him. So he came in the person of Jesus.
Don’t miss him.
Are you one of those people who has difficulty asking for help or receiving gifts? If you think God’s grace and mercy are for everyone else, you’re not being personal with God.
He knows you personally. He cares about and loves you personally. He wants to spend time with you personally. He wants your personal worship, your special serving using the resources he’s given you. He wants calls you to witness to your friend in a way that only you can do.
Let me explain a little something here about our new worship center at CrossLife Church, specifically what we’re doing with the lighting. We’re dimming the lights, especially during singing. Why? Because of this. Personal interaction between you and God.
There are plenty of collective or corporate interactions as we gather together in the worship center for what we can rightly call public or corporate worship. That’s good. It’s horizontal in a relationship with one another. Things like the fellowship of just being together all in the same space, singing together and confessing our faith together, everybody clapping or saying “Amen” at the same time.
Without your personal relationship with Jesus, however, that’s all just a pep rally. So by dimming the lights, we create an environment where everyone else around you is less noticeable—and that’s on purpose.
We focus the spotlight on the message of the gospel coming from a screen, a singer or a preacher so that it’s less about the ugly Christmas sweater that person standing three rows ahead of you is wearing and more about you connecting one-on-one with God in your worship. Less about the squirrely kids you can notice over there (that’s not bad, they’re just being kids and we want families worshiping together for the first portion of our worship).
It’s similar to closing your eyes when you pray. That helps you avoid being distracted. In the same way, we dim the lights, especially during singing, so that your faith is inspired by the music and its message, so that you are drawn more closely and intimately to Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, the worship of Christmas inspires me in special ways. Draw me closer to you, expressing my faith more intimately and personally in worship just like the intimate, personal miracle of Christmas. Amen.
EVANGELISM ACTION: Who can you invite to church this week? Prep them by sharing or talking about this message.
