December 23: Luke 1:39-56

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,  and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,  and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me,  and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel,  in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

LUKE 1:39-56

To download the full devotional, click here.

December 22: Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

To download the full devotional, click here.

December 21: Luke 1:1-25

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”  And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”  And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”  And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.  And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.  And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

LUKE 1:1-25

To download the full devotional, click here.

December 20: Blue Christmas

For many Advent and Christmas are seasons of joy and celebration.  And still, for many others, Advent and Christmas bring back painful memories of what has been and reminders of all the ways that life is different than we had hoped.  This is the gift of a Blue Christmas.  Typically held on the longest day of winter, a Blue Christmas service invites people to hold the tension of grief and sorrow in a season of joy and celebration.

Whether your grief is acute and specific, or just the background hum from a difficult year, take time today to place all your longings before God (Psalm 38:9).  Our Savior is a Suffering Servant, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53). Pour out your heart to Him, for He cares for you (Psalm 62:8, 1 Peter 5:7).  He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).  Take heart, nothing is unseen and your every tear is caught by the One who overcame the world (Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 56:8, John 16:33).

In His First Advent, He stepped into our pain.  

In His Second Advent, He will wipe every tear and set all things right.  

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

How can you hold the tensions of gratitude and grief, sorrow and joy?

How can you pray for friends and family for whom this season feels particularly painful?

To download the full devotional, click here.

December 19: Liturgy + Set List

• ADVENT HYMN

  Call to Worship: Psalm 62:5-8

  Welcome to this fourth Sunday of Advent. We live in a country and culture that enables us to have almost anything and everything we desire delivered to our front door within 24 hours. But Advent is a season where we learn to wait. And as we sit between the advent of Christ’s first coming, and the advent of his second coming we wait with longing, expectation, and hope knowing that all of the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus. So as we sing this morning, and as you hear from God’s word, I want to encourage you to sit in the inconvenience of waiting. To lean into the ache of longing and expectation of what is to come, as we hold onto hope.  Let’s sing together:

• COME THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS

• IS HE WORTHY

  Sermon: Matthew 2:13-23

  The life of faith is a life where we learn to hold tensions - that God is completely sovereign and completely good, and that sometimes our experiences make it seem that God is anything but sovereign and any but good. We want certainty, but God invites us to mystery. We can know and believe God for the things He has revealed, and we can trust Him for the things He has not. If you are wrestling with those tensions this morning, my prayer for you, and for me is that our posture would be that of the father who brings his demon-possessed son to Jesus. ‘I believe! Help my unbelief!’ Go to Jesus with the wrestle, and speak openly and honestly to Him. Would you stand, let’s sing about the mystery and the glory of God.

• COME BEHOLD THE WONDROUS MYSTERY

• HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING

  Advent Candle Lighting: Isaiah 46:8-11

  BENEDICTION: Brothers and sisters, let us go as those carrying the Light of Christ into the darkness.  Let us live as those who know there is no one like our God - the One who declares the end from the beginning, the One who has spoken and is speaking through His Son.  The One who has purposed and will bring it to pass.

December 19: John 1:1-18

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)  For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.”

JOHN 1:1-18

He was there in the beginning - the Word creating and sustaining the universe.

The Light of the World stepped into what He created and sustains to bring light to darkened hearts.  But our eyes had long adjusted to living in darkness that we could not recognize the veiled glory of God walking among us.  Not just that but we ‘…loved the darkness rather than the light…’ because our works are evil (John 3:19).

In the dark, hiding is easy.  We find the shadowy corners where secrets and lies live and grow undisturbed from others and even from ourselves.  But have we not read the stories?  God goes looking in the darkness.  He calls to us, inviting us to come out of our hiding, and show ourselves - in all of our shadowed sin - to the One who steps into the darkness with Light.

So much of our world is not as it should be.  And perhaps you feel that sting in this Advent season - that this is not how things are to be.  If the upheaval of COVID-19 and all of its ongoing consequences is shining a spotlight on corners of your heart long-neglected, do not harden your heart, do not love darkness.  Invite the God who pursues you to illuminate those places with the tender presence. 

He dwelt among us, and He indwells the life of every believer.  

There is nothing to fear with Him.

What shadows of sin are being revealed to you this season?

Where is God calling you to Himself?

To download the full devotional, click here.

On Nerves + Anxiety

Anyone who says they don’t get a little nervous, or a bit anxious to lead worship is probably lying. There are so many things that regardless of our level of preparation are out of our control. There are so many things that have to work together at once in a corporate gathering.

So how do you deal with nerves if and when they begin to surface?

First things first, pray. Ask the Spirit who indwells you to lift your eyes to Christ. Many of our nerves as worship leaders come from our sense that it all hangs on me. We need the Spirit to remind us that the work is already finished in Christ, He is the One we lift up, He is the One we celebrate, He is the One who deserves all of the glory.

We need to remember. We need to remember that our life is hidden in Christ. We need to remember that we are serving our brothers and sisters, that our family loves us, and is for us as we serve. We need to remember that Christ’s ability to be honored and glorified is not dependent on our ability to perform or execute a flawless setlist.

We need to practice. The times I feel most anxious when leading are when I know I have not spent enough time with a song, or with something I feel the Spirit leading me to share. It can be easy to swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme by rehearsing to the point where we leave no space for spontaneity, but real preparation should be an act of worship. We should spend time engaging with song and Scripture throughout the week so that we can be freed up to lead and serve well because we have traveled the road, familiarize ourselves with the journey before our Sunday services.

We need to come dependent. Often when we feel insecure, anxious, or fearful we can be tempted to try and control. We rehearse and rehearse and rehearse, we map out every second of the service, we run transitions countless times, rather than release and empower others with responsibility and authority, we hoard in an effort to control and minimize risk. This is both exhausting, and it is also the antithesis of what the Apostle Paul reminds us - in our weakness we are strong (2 Cor 12:9-10). When we come dependent we acknowledge that preparation is important, but true power comes from the Holy Spirit working in and through us to point people to Christ.

If nerves or anxiety are a regular part of your experience of leading worship, I’d also encourage you to read Tim Keller’s short book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. Seeing ourselves accurately off of the platform will help us see ourselves correctly on the platform.

December 14: Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!  You have given me relief when I was in distress.  Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!  O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

PSALM 4

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”

NUMBERS 24:17

How many prayers of help have you uttered in the previous year? The past week? The past hour? Have you wondered if God sees? Or worse yet - maybe God does see, but perhaps He does not care? Advent is the answer. Not only does God see and know, but He cares deeply. Because He has given us a High Priest - the One who stands between God and man - who is able to sympathize with us in all our weakness. One who was tempted in every way, and yet without sin. For the follower of Jesus, we never have to fear the turning away of God toward us. Because Christ bore our sin on the cross - that which God cannot bear to look upon - the light of God’s face is continually upon us. Thanks be to God.

How can you set your face toward Him today? How might you rest with His loving gaze upon you?

December 12: Liturgy + Set List

• THE GLORIOUS IMPOSSIBLE

  Welcome to this third Sunday of Advent, the glorious impossible - that is really what the Church has been proclaiming for 2000 years - the glorious impossible reality that God saves sinners in and through Christ. So whether this is the first time that you have set foot in a church building, or you have been in Church longer than you can remember - this is the one story that we will continue to proclaim - the Glorious Impossible reality that is ours in Christ. We rehearse this story because we are slow to remember and quick to forget. Let’s respond to who God is and what He has done:

  Call To Worship: Psalm 145:10-13

• ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

• ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING

  Sermon: Matthew 2:1-12

  Is Jesus better? Is He enough? It is not lost on me that we have fellow citizens in Kentucky who this weekend are wrestling with some form of that question as a tornado has ripped through communities leaving death and destruction in its wake. And maybe you are not standing in the rubble of a home, but maybe you are standing in the rubble of a life and asking yourself - is Jesus better? Is Jesus enough? Brothers and sisters, let me tell you - Jesus is enough, and He is better than all things. Let’s treasure Him together, would you stand:

• MY JESUS I LOVE THEE

• O HOLY NIGHT (HEAR THE GOSPEL STORY)

  Advent Candle Lighting: Psalm 73;25-26

  BENEDICTION: Brothers and sisters, let us go as those carrying the Light of Christ into the darkness. Let our portion be Christ, and our every desire - in heaven and on earth - be for Him. In weakness, let Christ be the strength of our hearts forever.

December 12: Isaiah 9:1-7

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation;  you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you  as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden,  and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born,  to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

ISAIAH 9:1-7

Believing a lie blinds us to the truth.  Our first parents believed a lie, and their eyes were open to the blinding darkness of sin, separation, and death.  This is the path all people walk, because ‘…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’

 (2 Cor 4:4).

Not only is darkness the path we walk, but it is the land in which we find our home.  It is precisely here, not while we were walking in the light, not while we were searching for God, not while we are dwelling with Him, right here in the land of deep darkness where God meets us - illuminating Himself, illuminating His narrow road, shining a light on every shadow of our sin-sick hearts.

Creation moves in seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.  And it is from the growing darkness of deepening winter that we retreat inside.  Winter can appear desolate, where life - if visible at all - certainly does not break forth green like Spring, flower-like Summer, or harvest like Fall. In this land of deep darkness, we decorate with Christmas lights, light candles, and burn fires.  Each light that burns in the winter is a reminder that life can be found here and now.  Because Life has come to us in and through the person of Christ - the Light of the World, to a people who were walking in darkness, a people who love darkness.  He has come to us, and He is coming again.

What areas of your life are characterized by walking in darkness?

How is God meeting you in the land of deep darkness and inviting you to Himself?

To download the full devotional, click here.

With Expectation

It is easy for regularity to breed repetition.

And repetition to breed familiarity.

And familiarity to breed contempt… apathy… indifference.

But if we believe that God is living and active, He speaks to us through His Word, and He desires to meet with us, to confront us, comfort us, and conform us - there is no such thing as just another Sunday.

In your planning and preparation, in your rehearsals and communication, in your set up and serving, do you expect God to speak?

Do you expect Him to move?

Do you expect Him to do what only He can do?

As those leading and serving week in and week out, we have to fight against the ease with which we can go on autopilot - just plan another setlist, just schedule another team, just set up and sound check another time, just lead another service.

May your leadership, your team, and those you serve be marked with expectation and desperation for God to do what only He can do in, among, and through His people. Because there are no such things as just another Sunday. So come expectant.

December 7: Psalm 50:1-6

The Mighty One, God the Lord,  speaks and summons the earth  from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.  Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire,  around him a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather to me my faithful ones,  who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” The heavens declare his righteousness,   for God himself is judge! Selah

PSALM 50:1-6

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  But out of the most beautiful locations in the planet, out of the most captivating works of art, out of the most impressive creations and civilizations, out of all of the most attractive and alluring people, out of all the natural wonders of the world - God shines forth as more beautiful.  And the most beautiful One did not come as a devouring fire or a mighty tempest but as a baby.  Is there anything more beautiful than true humility?  Is there anything more appealing than the most beautiful One also being the most humble?  Is there anything more stunning than the One worthy of all honor, glory, and worship, choosing humility?

The Word became flesh and beauty shines forth.

We behold many beautiful things at Christmas - the decorations, the music, the food, the celebrations - but let every beautiful thing you behold be an arrow cutting through, pointing toward the most beautiful One.

How are you beholding the wonder and humility of Christ this season?

In what ways might you hold the beautiful tension of the Most Beautiful One also being the Most Humble in your celebration and remembrances this Christmas?

To download the full devotional, click here.