Tag: christmas

A Pastor’s Christmas: Worn Out or Wonder?

Christmas is a mixed bag for pastors. There is a reason many pastors look forward to the week between Christmas and New Year more than any other part of the Christmas season!

Let me ask you a question. What are you feeling as December marches toward Christmas Eve? Dread, Joy, Anticipation, Anxiety? I certainly have felt all of those things!

This Christmas I want to remind you, encourage you to live the life you are hoping others will find. Pastor out of the overflow of your own deepening walk with Jesus.

Christmas is filled with opportunity and challenge. It is a great time to sow gospel seed and draw in gospel nets. Christmas is a key opportunity to help more people embrace the life changing love of Christ; to help those we shepherd embrace deepening levels of His work in their lives. We feel the excitement and the pressure. The challenge is while we embrace the work we can also hinder His deepening work in us as well. It can keep us from experiencing the same peace we invite so many others to receive. It can keep us from refreshing time with our own families.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Matt. 2:10

This Christmas I want to remind you, encourage you to live the life you are hoping others will find. Pastor out of the overflow of your own deepening walk with Jesus.

Nurture your own wonder that the Word would become flesh to reveal the Father to you. That the Lamb of God would come to take away your sin. That God would so humble Himself in order that we might live in the blessing of His glory! Wow! Doesn’t that make you heart want to stop, reflect and worship?!

When our hearts are filled with wonder that lingers in Jesus’ presence and deepens faith in His powerful work, we are set free from the fleshy burdens that hijack the season. When our soul overflows with Jesus’ presence, His fragrance is more readily spread through ours.

You already know how this happens. Here is the reminder. Whatever else you do this season, create regular space to sit in Jesus’ presence. Lean in to the good news of great joy that caused Shepherds to leave their work and take a closer look. Adjust your plans to follow the star signs that lead you personally closer to Jesus’ presence. Take time to look more closely at Jesus! When we do this as pastors, He transforms us in ways that make it more likely others will be transformed as well.

Merry Christmas to you dear pastor! I am grateful for you. I am praying this is truly a season of peace and joy for you.

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. 2Thes. 3:5

Finding Christmas Rest

Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright… Sleep in heavenly peace, SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE?!

There is a lot to love about the Christmas Season: the music, the lights, the treats! I love the joy my wife takes in decorating our home. I love the reconnection with people at church that we may not have seen for too long. If I were honest though, what I love most are the moments that feel like resting “in heavenly peace.”

Unfortunately for many pastors, the season increases busyness, frustration and stress. We work to help those in darkness find the joy of Christmas peace for the first time. We work to help believers fully experience Christmas joy through deepening, obedient faith. Too often though we do this without finding time for our own souls and families to enjoy that same rest. Jesus’ Christmas rest is something we must choose to receive.

My simple aim in this post is to encourage you to choose Jesus’ peace this season no matter what responsibilities you have left before Christmas day.

Mark 6:31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while.” …33 The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd… 

I wonder if our families feel a bit like the disciples in Mark 6:331-34.. After a busy season, Jesus calls them to come away with him alone to rest. BUT then it notes that the people saw them and ran ahead to get where they were going before they got there. So many came that Jesus ended up teaching all day and asking the disciples to serve a giant meal with almost no physical resources! Doesn’t sound like rest to me. In the same way I fear our family’s hope to rest with us gets hijacked during the Christmas season!

Continue reading Finding Christmas Rest

Keeping Christmas Fresh

John 1:14   And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

How is your Christmas preaching going? Are you excited about what you planned? Are you worried that it’s warmed up leftovers? Do you ever struggle with teaching the same passages to the same people at the same time of year each year?

It doesn’t take long for those who preach to struggle with Christmas preaching. In a world where our church families can find the best sermons from every other preacher we worry about boring them, especially if we have the privilege of staying in a church longer than 4 years.

There are many things that can drag us down this season. Don’t let your preaching be one of them.

I remember the excitement of preaching through Christmas in my first year as a pastor. I hit the ground running the first week of December with all the passion a rookie can muster. The second, and third Christmas seasons were equally exciting. Still, with each passing year a nagging fear grew about how to mix it up and keep it fresh after I ran out of “Christmas passages.” Thankfully the Lord worked my heart over.

Continue reading Keeping Christmas Fresh