Well, by the time you are getting this edition of the Forerunner, Thanksgiving has passed. With that being said, it is now officially appropriate to start listening to Christmas music! While you know that I am advocate for not listening to Christmas music too early, that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it. I love Christmas music (as long as it is played AFTER Thanksgiving!).
Speaking of Christmas music, do you have a favorite Christmas carol? I like a lot of different carols, but my favorite is probably “Silent Night.” Not only does it clearly proclaim and celebrate Jesus’ birth, but it is the carol that always reminds me of Christmas Eve services. All growing up, I loved when we turned down the lights and lit our candles on Christmas Eve as we sang that song together as a church. Whenever I hear that song, I think of those services and their significance.
Silent Night! Holy Night!
Long ago, minding our plight
God the worldfrom misery freed
In the dark age ofour fathers decreed:
All the world is redeemed
All the world is redeemed.
-Joseph Mohr, 1816
Since carols are such a big part of the Christmas season, I have decided to do something a little different for our Christmas series this year. During December, I am going to be preaching the Christmas story using passages that were the inspiration for famous Christmas carols. From Psalm 98 (which inspired “Joy to the World”) to Luke 2 (which inspired “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”), it is going to be a fun and different way to approach the Christmas story.
Along with reflecting on the Christmas story and the great carols it has inspired, it is my prayer that we would respond to Christ’s birth in tangible ways this Christmas season. It could be as simple as checking in on a fellow church member or neighbor and making sure they are doing alright throughout this pandemic. Or, it could be getting an angel off of our tree and providing gifts for a child of a family in need.
Another way to respond to Christ’s birth is by giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. As you heard our guest missionary share about the Great Commission and Lottie Moon, I hope it reminded you about the call that God has placed on each of us. We all need to be a part of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
This year, our church is setting a goal of $25,000 for our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. That might seem like an audacious goal, but we are committed to making sure that the Christmas story is shared in every corner of the globe. Would you pray about helping us reach this goal?
I love Christmas. The fact that God loved us enough to send His only Son to live a perfect life and die in our place is astounding! Let’s sing about that story this Christmas season and let’s make sure we are spreading the truth of the Gospel in our neighborhoods and the nations!
In Him,
Pastor Zach