I thought I’d share my staff devotional with you. Have a GREAT CHRISTmas!

What Happens When We Worship?

Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness (Ps. 29:1-2).

It is no wonder that we are commanded over and over again in scripture to worship the Lord. The benefits and blessings are numerous and indescribable. We proclaim what is true about Him, and us. We witness to the world. We are filled with faith. We are nourished and cleansed. We gain strength and joy. And we “practice” doing what we will do for eternity. It is “the central task of the church” (N.T. Wright).

Something else often happens when we worship. We become more closely aligned with God’s heart, and His interest in other people. He uses every experience of ours for His Divine purposes. There are many times recorded in the bible when the LORD pulled back the curtains a little and showed someone a fuller glimpse of His glory in a true “power encounter”. Often, after that person is “undone” (Is. 6:5)) or “falls like a dead man” (Revelation 1:17), then the Lord gives that person a specific task.

We are indeed blessed to be a blessing. Like Peter at the transfiguration, when we see the LORD for all that He is, we would prefer to stay on the mountaintop with Him, but He will often send us, as Oswald Chambers writes, “down into the valley to live among the demon possessed”. After showing Himself strong, God told Isaiah to “go”, He told John to “write”, He told Peter to “feed”, He told the disciples to take off Lazurus’ grave clothes…

As N.T. Wright wrote, worship is “looking into the face of Love, that we may reflect that love into the world”, and that if we “get [worship] right, we will go to our tasks of mission in the right spirit for the right reason.” The next time God manifests Himself to you, enjoy His presence, but also be expectant that He will show you someone else, whom He wants to use you to touch. He is glad for the “ninety-nine” worshippers, but after strengthening you He might use you to go get the “one more” who alos needs to be in His presence.

Who is one person you are being prompted to initiate with right now? What is acceptable response you can have to the presence of God, one reasonable act of worship you can perform today? Church, let’s not keep Him for ourselves. Let’s worship Him in spirit and truth this Christmas, and the rest of the days of our lives, reflecting His light to the world that also needs Him.

Have you ever reached out to someone with the radically welcoming heart of Jesus and received an interpersonal and spiritual “stiff arm”?! Hopefully you have been sufficiently other-oriented that it has happened at least once. Not that it is a pleasant experience, but you don’t always know what “season” another person is engaged in.

I have been reminded that “hurting people hurt people”, and even if they are cold toward you, it often has little to do with you. No matter what the reason for a less-than-desirable response to you, it still can make you reluctant to reach again.

Let me encourage you this holiday season to give it another shot. World events and economic conditions have shaken the confidence of people (rightly so), and in this season the most self-sufficient person in your life will likely be more open to the things of God. In our culture especially, we have historically been quite “good” at surviving on our own, but even a less-than-discerning person has to admit that when you look around the landscape, there are few if any reasons to have earthly hope in our future.

It is in these times that we more tangibly understand our need for the “blessed hope”, our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Be His hands and feet (Again) this CHRISTmas season, and see what happens.

Immanuel, God WITH us. It seems to me that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit model biblical hospitality for us.

Jesus not only came to dwell among us, he was closely identified with us.  He was the friend of sinners, welcoming and hosting all who would come near (Luke 14:12-13).

The Holy Spirit is the paraclete, literally the One who comes alongside us. (John 14, 16).

The Father recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help (Nahum 1:7).

Should we as believers strive to be anything less in this holiday season?  Let’s be hospitable this Christmas.  At a time when people seem to be putting up more walls than ever, we can take the initiative to move toward them, as God Himself would. Ambassadors of reconcilliation!

1.  Hospitality is the #1 cited reason why people return to a church a second time.

2.  Research shows the average person makes a decision to return to a church a second time in the first eleven minutes of their visit.

3.  Most churches are not as hospitable as they think they are.

4.  Most church leaders are not (able to be) especially hospitable because of other “competing” ministry demands and existing relationships.

5.  Churches are an organism, not an organization, so there is a high positive correlation between church growth and church hospitality.

6.  Hospitality is often an “invisible”, intangible ministry that is difficult to “measure”.

Got any thoughts or reactions?

Wow! Thanks for all your efforts to make room for one more on this past incredible weekend in this cool season of our church!

A record number of you came on Saurday night (175 more than ever before), and scores of you parked your cars at Westerville Central H.S. and took the shuttle on Sunday. These other-oriented steps helped allow the high number of baptizee guests and onlookers to witness the weekend’s God encounter “up close and personal”. 

Even though we had a record number of weekend attenders (over 250 more than any weekend to this point!), everyone was able to find a parking place (thanks parking team warriors), and most of the people were able to make it into the auditorium, or enjoy the services from the overflow cafe.

God is moving in this world, in this country and in our church. Let’s keep responding to the heart of God, who is just as interested in the one lost sheep as those of us who are enjoying His goodness. Keep making room for one more. Don’t minimize any step you take, it could be life-changing for another!