Conspire Fully!

Grace, Peace and the warmest of blessings to you on this very cold Wednesday morning! I hope you can find a great cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate to enjoy, wherever you are!

I downloaded an album the other day that, to be honest, I didn’t quite know if I was going to enjoy. Lenny Leblanc is a worship leader who’s wrote some amazing songs over the years. When I saw he had a Christmas album, I thought I’d give it a listen. Now, this is not a review of the album (I’ll let you do that) but as I was listening to the album one song jumped out. The song is entitled “This Year” and in it he is wrestling with the reality that not much has changed in the world in the past year – still people hurting, still people in need, still people looking at this season and hoping for something more. One line is “I wish I could wish all the hurt away and
make it all go away this year.”

As I listened to the song, it didn’t take long to be reminded that this “holiday season” is loaded with expectations, extravagance, busyness, irritation, and deep loss. It hit me last night. I was sitting in front of the fireplace and we were watching a Christmas movie from my childhood and I found myself wanting to be Santa Claus. I mean here’s this guy who is jolly, warm, loving, giving, selfless and someone you really want to just hug and hang out with. I mean who wouldn’t want to be like that?

Then I felt like a whisper hit my soul, our visions of Santa, as “pure” as we may want them to be, are substitutes for the something more that this season really has to offer. Ultimately, it’s not Santa that brings that hope that we all so desperately need. It’s the manger that led to the cross that offers the hope. When I see Santa and wish to be like him, I realize that deep down I’m really looking for Jesus (which by the way is another song from Leblanc’s album).

Jesus is that hope! He is the great story! He is the one that I truly want to be like! He is the one that I need to help me reclaim this season of commercialized busyness. Three years ago, my family decided to conspire to do something different through this season. We were going to celebrate Advent and worship fully, love all, give more and spend less. So far, we’ve done the spend less thing pretty well, but I’m pretty sure the worship fully and love all part has been an epic failure, at least on my part. It’s been harder this year to stop, pause, breathe and worship. I realize that you probably don’t want to hear a confession from a fellow traveler on this road of faith, but I feel compelled to share it. How’s your worship going this Advent season? Have you worshipped fully yet?

I don’t know how you will approach Worshipping Fully the rest of this Advent, but I pray that we all go after the worship of the one born in a manger thousands of years ago with all that we’ve got. I pray that you’ll find some good music (old or new) that will allow you to pause and drink in God’s presence. I pray that you’ll find yourself watching Christmas movies with your family and see not Holiday glitz but the Hope of Jesus behind every Santa and every jingle bell.

– Grace and Peace!

Location:Northfield Dr,Jefferson Northeast,United States