Leaders, Ministry Leadership, Worship Leading

“Christmas Is Worship” / Branon Dempsey / December 2019

December 18, 2019

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"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"

 – 2 Corinthians 9:15
 
 
Have you ever come to realize that Christmas is not just a yearly remembrance of the Savior’s birth, but it is an invitation to come closer and be drawn more intimately into the Father’s Love and the worship of Christ daily?
 
What sentiment will fill our hearts this Christmas season: hope, newness, fond memories? But what about things and feelings we would rather not identify: despair, hurt and pain?
 
Christmas is not always happy for some, but Christmas for all provides hope and light that speaks in the darkness. So not only do we worship in reverence to the Christ Child at His Birth, but how do we also thank him with our lives for His wonderful gifts of healing, forgiveness, grace and the ability to make us whole?
 
Jesus wants to speak to each of us through His Word. He longs for us to praise Him and give Him worship. Christmas is not the only time, it’s a time we need to make throughout our moments of every day.
 
Unless you are not in ministry, Christmas gives us time to pause. For us as leaders, we are in desperate need to pause and ask for God’s help.
 
We have the opportunity to reflect upon past stories and seasons to bring before God in prayer, and to embrace the new joy to come. At Christmas we recall the greatest story ever told – that of Mary and Joseph and the birth of our Savior.
 
In Luke 2:10-11, the angel of the Lord says, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
 
God can rekindle our excitement for encouraging our hearts and people with GOOD TIDINGS of GREAT JOY, not just little ol’ habitual greetings of happiness.
 
Luke 2:13-14 states, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’” Read that again. Did you see it?
 
This news was so great that some others, in fact a whole multitude, began spreading the word. We must have Jesus renew our minds and spirits to live our lives as sacrificial offerings. Because He first loved us, we are able to love people into the Kingdom (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 3.16).
 
In Luke 2:17, 20, after the shepherds had been in the presence of the Christ Child, “they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child…And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” We must redouble our efforts to share the Savior with those in our families, communities and around our world.
 
As we celebrate His birth, let us also remember that God’s peace is not just given to us, but it is a gift that we should give to everyone we encounter. Let us spend this season doing more than just offering words of joy, peace, and love along with gift cards and presents; let us join God in this season to actively seek peace, ask for forgiveness, begin to heal and to restore our sanity.
 
Jesus wants it all. He desires our worship because He is our Light in the darkness. He is the same hope that came and still is in 2019, just as He will be tomorrow.No matter how shaken we may be or how out of sorts life or the world seems, we can have confidence that God is in charge. We have joy because we are granted access to the Father through the Jesus, Our Gift and Salvation.
 
Psalm 146:1-10 commands the heart to sing songs to God, to declare His glory among the nations, and to ascribe Him glory and strength due only unto Him. What we also find is the true liberty, grace and mercy that enables us to worship Him because of Who He is.
 
“The event of Christ is the only event in human history that promises relocation and centering, meaning and purpose. This promise and its fulfillment evoke passion and heartfelt praise and thanks, especially for this aware of their own brokenness and the healing which Christ brings into their lives.” – Robert Webber
 
Today, we rejoice in the birth of Jesus, our Savior, but we also long for His coming again. Our Savior’s birth has brought hope, love, joy and peace to this broken world.
 
Christ has come in the flesh as and centering, meaning and Emmanuel, God with us. God has purpose. This is why and how we continue to worship, praise and give thanks. We also rejoice and serve Him while longing for His return.
 
Jesus, our King, will return one day to wipe away every tear and every pain (Revelation 21:4). Because of the life of Jesus, we will forever live in the light of Jesus and live in His Eternal Kingdom (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).
 
So let us rejoice. Let us worship Him.
 
Reflection:
Thank You, Jesus for taking on flesh and for being born in a manger. I celebrate Your Incarnation and I long for Your Return. May my celebration and joy continue for the remainder of this year and may it grow stronger and deeper in the next. Thank You, Father, for the healing and comfort your provide in the Christmas remembrances. I am grateful Your Son’s story, and is recorded for me to enter into relationship with you. Rekindle my excitement, renew my praises, and refocus my efforts on singing, sharing and living the Christmas story everyday. Amen.
 
 
Copyright 2016-2019 by Branon Dempsey / Worship Team Training® All Rights Reserved. No part of this writing may be reproduced, copied or digitally transferred and posted on the Internet in any manner without written permission, except by a print or online newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.
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Author Bio

Author Bio

Branon Dempsey is the founder and CEO of Worship Team Training and Worship Team Training University WTTU.co He has over twenty years of leading worship and teaching worship theology, music and songwriting for churches ranging from 500 to 5,000 members. He has had the opportunity to train and study worship at Maranatha! Music as well as some of the most well-known churches in the country, including Coast Hills Church, and Saddleback Church, where Rick Warren is pastor. Branon Dempsey holds an M.Div in Worship Theology and Worship Arts, along with a Bachelors of Music in Composition and Performance, along with an emphasis in worship leader training by Maranatha and Integrity Music. Branon is a devotional writer for Bible.com Youversion and selling author / teacher with Faithlife (Logos Bibles) for worship teaching and training material. WTTU exists to help individuals understand their personality, their learning style and their spiritual maturity, which, in turn, helps the individuals sharpen their quality development and gain the needed confidence to reach the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:10 and Philippians 3:14. Follow Branon: @BranonDempsey @worshiptt

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