It's that time of the year again--the time when every tech director starts to break out in a cold sweat. While everyone else is stressed with finding that perfect gift for the relative they rarely see, you have the added pressures of managing one of the biggest events on the church calendar. “The most wonderful time of the year” can easily turn into the most stress-filled and demanding time of the year.
Buying gifts and running tech rehearsals, holiday dinners and installing new lights, trimming the tree and motivating your team to show up on Christmas Eve. It can all be a lot to balance. And for many people involved with church-work it can suck the joy right out of “Joy to the World."
Into perspective
One Christmas, not too long ago, I found all of this far too overwhelming. I caught myself saying “I can't stand Christmas. I can't wait until it's all over!” I was jaded, frustrated and felt it was all a bit over-rated. Everything about the holiday started to irritate me.
All I was able to see was mass quantities of commercialization, cheesy fake Santa's, and that glazed-over look of holiday shoppers trampling one another to save few bucks. On top of that I was trying to help create a spectacular production about a baby born in a feeding trough.
During that mounting frustration I noticed that over-used little quote, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Normally I would view quotes like that as trite and cliche', but on this particular moment it hit me. This holiday was not about buying gifts. It was not about impressing unimpressible family members. It was not even about our elaborate Christmas production at church.
It was a birthday. And not just any birthday. But the birthday of the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
I began to wonder why I was so focused on myself during someone else's birthday celebration. As overused as the saying is, I remembered that I am not the reason for the season, Jesus is.
I began to wonder why I was so focused on myself during someone else's birthday celebration. As overused as the saying is, I remembered that I am not the reason for the season, Jesus is. In all of the hustle and bustle of doing things for Jesus I somehow was forgetting to connect with Jesus.
In years since, my workload has not gotten any lighter. I still buy gifts for loved ones but now I realize that I am doing it to show Jesus' love to ones that I care about. I still work hard to produce a great Christmas production, but I do it because I want to share the great news about Jesus not because it's something that we have to do.
A challenge to you
As Christmas gets closer, it is important to take time to connect with Jesus on a personal level. Yeah, it is a busy time of the year, but it is a time that we celebrate the birth of the Messiah.
Since we are celebrating His birthday, it is appropriate for us to give Him a gift. For those of us that have children we realize that time spent with our kids is more valuable than any gift they can buy for us. So, consider giving Jesus the gift of your time.
As you are plugging in those shiny new stage lights, be aware that this is a gift you are giving to Him to shine the light of His love for mankind.
It doesn't even have to be large quantities of time, but just being aware of Him in the moments of your day. As you are plugging in those shiny new stage lights, be aware that this is a gift you are giving to Him to shine the light of His love for mankind. As you are setting up the microphones take time to realize His presence and that you are doing this so His message can be more clearly heard.
This is His birthday. Make sure that you take some time to make it about Him.
