Are you leading this season with the joy of the Lord? Think about it, and make this season a Merry Christmas!
Most people’s thoughts of the holidays center around color, nostalgia, tradition, family time, great memories, and maybe some rest. For others, thoughts of the holidays bring stress and anxiety at the mere mention of the word Christmas. Buying Christmas presents, seeing family you haven’t seen all year, travel, etc. is all associated with this time. But then there is another group, those who serve at a church, and the holidays for them bring up other concerns that can heighten stress and anxiety even more. Concerns filled with expectations, striving for bigger and better designs, desiring to do traditional things a new way, and trying to reinvent Christmas all over again—every year. This stress is also compounded by budget constraints on top of everything else.
If you are a church tech artist, then you’re probably neck-deep in Christmas service plans right now, right down to the wire. Designing sets, recording music, planning services, and so much more—it’s like a big wave coming at you, getting taller and taller. You don’t know if you’re going to be able to surf it, duck dive under it, or get caught and thrown all around. Some of us are starting to feel the anxiety and the stress of making it all happen, and we can easily forget why we serve at a church, especially this time of the year.
In 2 Kings 22, Josiah is King of Israel and is tasked with rebuilding the temple of the Lord (yes, that temple). As he is talking to his leaders and directing them on paying the carpenters, masons, and builders, they make an incredible discovery.
2 Kings 22:8-11—8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law(L) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.(M)11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,(N) he tore his robes.
What a crazy discovery! Amid rebuilding God’s temple, they find the Bible. The Israelites (yes, God’s chosen people) were living as a nation and had forgotten about the one thing they were all about. The word of God was lost in this building, and it took finding it for them to remember what they believed.
For me today, this is great reminder that even working at a church we can get so lost in the work of the season that we can forget to live Christmas. Something to think about. Are you leading this season with the joy of the Lord? Or is your church’s Christmas service taking a back seat to the work of the Lord? Think about it, and make this season a Merry Christmas!
