Just twelve days to Christmas 2017. Are you too immersed in preparation? In all honesty, I’m scrambling a bit in order to accomplish the remaining items on the must-do list: finish the Christmas cards, wrap the gifts, clean the house before the first guests arrive on Saturday, etc.
And for me, with the scrambling comes that uncomfortable feeling I’ll never get everything done.
It’s so silly, I tell myself. In the final analysis will our friends and family care if their cards arrive after Christmas? Is it necessary the packages be just so? Will our guests mind if every surface of the house isn’t gleaming?
Of course not. But my OCD tendencies still want to press me toward those expectations.
So what can I do to calm my spirit? I’m thinking the answer is worship. I can express to God my gratitude, praise, and adoration–even while writing cards, wrapping gifts, and cleaning the house.
Scripture assures me that, as I worship in God’s presence, I will experience:
- Peace.
- Joy.
You, [O God], will fill me with joy in your presence.”
Psalm 16:11b
- Rest.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 91:1
What a glorious gift worship is! Isn’t it just like our loving Father to bless us as we seek to bless him?
And so, while writing the Christmas cards, I am praising God for friends and extended family spread all over the country, and praying for them, too.
Heavenly Father, I praise you for (insert name).
Thank you for their influence in our lives,
Their support and affection.
Thank you for treasured memories of time spent together.
We may have lived apart for many years,
Yet the bonds of love hold firm because of you.
Bless them, I pray, with joy in each day,
Provision and protection too.
While wrapping the family’s gifts I can offer praise on behalf of the recipients.
Your goodness, O Lord, has impacted our family again and again.
Every member has his/her stories to tell of
Your wonders, interventions, and miracles.
I praise you for each loved one—
His/her gifts and personality traits,
The delight You give us in each other.
I praise you we are able to gather once more
In celebration of you, our indescribable gift.
.
While cleaning, I can focus on gratitude. What am I thankful for in each room?
I praise you, Father for our cozy home,
for the perfectly sized dining set you provided
And the hutch we found rather miraculously.
I praise you for the large windows
Across the back of the house,
giving us a grand view of the backyard trees.
And I praise you that with gratitude
Even housekeeping can be turned into joyful worship.
Throughout the day, whatever the task, I can meditate on the wonder of what Jesus our Savior has accomplished.
And marvel again that it all began with his humble birth in a stable-cave:
(Gerard von Honthorst, 1622)
“O Sovereign God!
You have humbled yourself in order to exalt us.
You became poor so that we might become rich.
You came to us so that we can come to you.
You took upon yourself our humanity
In order to raise us up into eternal life.
All this comes through your grace,
Free and unmerited;
All this through your beloved Son,
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
–Karl Barth
Come! Let us adore him—even as we work!
(Art & photo credits: http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.wikimedia.commons.org; http://www.flickr.com; publicdomainpictures.net; Nancy Ruegg; http://www.flickr.com; Nancy Ruegg; http://www.wikipedia.org.)
From the Inside Out 