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June 2002 Table of Contents
Dynamics of Worship in Spirit and Truth
Christmas, 2002
By Steve Phifer
Worship Arts Evangelist, St. Petersburg, FL
www.WorshipArtsResources.org
 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
Luke 2:13-14 NAS
What possible impact can this ancient story have on ourmodern, post-modern world, on our terror-stricken country?
- What is the relevance of angels singing to shepherds? Of wise men following a star?
- What can it mean to us, the people of the year 2002, that a young girl claimed her child was not that of a man, but of God?
- Is there any warning we can draw from a crowded inn? From people too busy to stop and see history unfold before them?
- Is there any comfort to be had from flying, singing, announcing angels “bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold”?
- Does a helpless child in a cattle trough, still appeal to us?
- Does a Savior in swaddling clothes, still, somehow, soothe the contemporary soul? But how?
Perhaps The Mystery Of It All Draws Us In. At the heart of Christmas is the mystery of it all. Theologians talk about the incarnation---how God became man, how the Eternal Son emptied Himself of majesty.
- The everlasting Son of God became, also, the Son of Man, specifically the Son of Mary, a woman untouched by man.
- He willingly laid aside the splendor of heaven for the squalor of earth. He abandoned golden streets for musty hay.
- He traded angels singing for cattle lowing.
- He plunged from strength to weakness, from omnipotence to infantile meagerness.
- He willingly surrendered an omniscient mind to receive one awash with blurring lights and swirling sounds, knowing only what a child knows—little but the warmth of His mother.
- He was transported from a position above time and space---omnipresence---to the limitations of human existence---only here, only now.
The music certainly calls to us. Each year the familiar melodies and words comfort us:
- “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”
- “This, this is Christ the King…”
- “The hopes and fears of all the years…”
- “Come and worship, come and worship…”
Melodies, minor and major, stir our souls, transporting us back to Bethlehem. We see the star. We hear the angels. We wonder at the mysteries of a silent night so holy. Yes, the music calls to us.
Christmas is a time for family and friends.
In the year 2002 that means highways and airports. Are we wise travelers following a family star? Are we shepherds trying to gather back our original flocks, thinking that we are sure to be visited by angels this year? Do we make our journey laden with our versions of gold, frankincense, and myrrh from Target, Sam’s and Sears? But, have we thought tobring anything at all for the King, Himself?
Some of us will find little warmth and few friends this Christmas. Like shepherds shivering in the night wind, many will feel loneliness deep in their bones, with no family fires to warm them, and only the thin blanket of memory to break the chill.
So what is it? What do we need this Christmas, Christmas, 2002?
Yes, the warmth of family, if we can find it. Yes, the music of the season, if we will really listen to it. Yes, certainly the mystery of the incarnation, if we will ponder it. But perhaps on this particular Christmas, what we need is the promise brought by the angels, “Peace on earth and goodwill toward men.” Wars rage around us. Fear has invaded our walled homeland. Strife underlies our national discussion. The Peace of Jerusalem is in constant peril.
This Christmas, may we actually see goodwill among men. May we really know peace on earth. Surely, this is the furnace in the family, the solace in the songs, and the method in the mystery. Surely, this is what draws us once again to Christmas. But what we need most of all is not the message of Christmas.
We Need the Christ of Christmas!
This year...
- May Jesus come to live in us as He did in Mary.
- May Jesus invade our lives as He did that stable.
- May we worship Jesus just as the wise men did, lavishing our best gifts on Him, holding nothing back.
- May Christ fill the silent night of Christmas 2002 with the music of His presence.
We will need Him as we have never needed Him before in this Christmas, Christmas, 2002.
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