Christmas Guidance from the Bible: Worshiping & Resting

I. Introduction
A. This week we begin a Christmas sermon series on the practical activities of the Christmas season. We’ll talk about giving and receiving presents, time with relatives, the role of food, etc. in hopes of having a fitting mindset as we walk through this December.
B. We’re going to start this morning by talking about the place of worship and rest.
II. The people involved in the original Christmas story did many things: they traveled, they wondered, they visited, they gave birth, they dreamt, they spread the word. But I want to point out to you that there’s one thing they did more than any other: they worshiped. You can see it at almost every twist in the story:
A. It begins with the unborn baby John leaping for joy in the presence of the (unborn) Lord in his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:39-45)
B. We observe it again with Mary, worships the Lord in her Magnificat in Luke1:46-55, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
C. Then comes Zacharias in his Benedictus (Luke 1:67-79), “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people!”
D. Then all heaven breaks loose when the angels appear to the shepherds outside Bethlehem, with three levels of worship taking place.
1. The angels worshiping (Luke 2:14), “Glory to God in the highest!”
2. Then we see the shepherds glorifying & praising God for all they’d heard and seen. (Luke 2:20)
3. And probably among those who heard the shepherds’ report, “And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.” (Luke 2:18)
E. Next is Simeon in Luke 2:27–28: “He came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God...”
F. And then Anna who met the baby Jesus and His parents in Luke 2:38, “She began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
G. And finally the magi: “Going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:10-11)
III. Of coure, there were many things we don’t find them doing.
A. We don’t find them feasting.
B. We don’t find them giving each other gifts (though the magi did give gifts to Jesus).
C. We don’t find them decorating their houses.
D. We don’t find them building shrines at all the significant sites where the story takes place.
E. We don’t find them collecting “holy” objects like the swaddling cloths or some incense from the temple where the angel appeared to Zacharias.
F. We don’t find them trying to turn the occasion into an opportunity to make a profit (like Simon in Acts 8:14-21)
IV. This theme of worship is well-represented in our Christmas carols.
A. “Fall on your knees...”
B. “Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King”
C. “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”
D. “Come adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King”
V. The first thing to say about planning out your Christmas season is: give a place to worship.
A. Christmas in America requires planning.
1. Cleaning
2. Food preparation
3. Gift buying
4. Gift wrapping
5. Gift opening
6. Travel
7. Meal times
8. Family times
B. We must remember that Christmas is ultimately not about gifts or food or even loved ones. It’s about worship.
C. And I’m not just talking about a worshipful attitude.
1. I’ve said before that there is a difference between thankfulness and thanksgiving.
2. The same holds true between a worshipful, joyful attitude and actually worshiping.
3. A worshipful attitude is important, but it cannot be a substitute for the action of worshiping.
D. Build worship into your schedule.
1. I urge us all, as we’re planning out our December, to build in time to worship, time to rest and enjoy the gift of God in Christ.
2. It’s the most important aspect of the season so put it first in the way you structure your time.
a. First in your private time
b. First in your family time
c. First in your church time
E. What a tragedy if we provide well for our families, if we buy thoughtful gifts and write sweet messages of love, if we welcome all the relatives and friends, if we create warm memories for the children, if our house looks like it’s a picture out of the Good Housekeeping Christmas issue, and yet never really stop and worship the One it’s supposedly all about.
VI. Why did I include resting along with worship in the sermon title? Because it’s an important aspect of worship.
A. The Bible links rest and worship. They are both a part of the Sabbath principle:
1. People need to periodically push it away and savor the One from whom it all came.
2. This rest, this pushing it all away is based on the calendar, not on getting the jobs done.
3. People need to force themselves at times to push the work aside and rest, to stop all their activity and their busyness and just relax and enjoy the Lord.
4. At times they must work even when they feel like not working and at other times they must rest even when they don’t feel like resting.
5. You can see how rest and worship are linked. Worship doesn’t just happen. You have to stop your activity and focus on God. You might be able to worship while taking a walk in the woods or driving down the highway, but it’s very hard to worship when you’re trying to help a child with his math homework or trying to balance your checkbook.
B. The Sabbath principle is more important than ever during the Christmas season because there’s just so much to do!
1. For many the idea of pushing it all aside and spending time to worship sounds wonderful but not realistic.
2. In years past when our home was filled with kids we would call for dinner and dig in. After the food was all gone, sometimes we’d realize that one of the children had not gotten the message. They would wander in, much to our embarrassment, and see that there was no dinner left.
a. If the child had been there from the get-go, everyone would have been served a little less in order to give this child his due, but he was left out and we ate his food.
3. I’m afraid the same thing happens often in our lives. We give a little too much to some things and end up starving others which deserve their place at the table.
a. Maybe we need to do a little less decorating, a little less food prep, a little less gift-purchasing, a little less cleaning. (Or maybe a little less TV-watching or Facebooking or web-browsing.)
b. Or maybe we need to decorate our house with smiles of joy which come from taking time to enjoy the Lord.
c. Which kind of memories do you think will be remembered more fondly? A beautifully arranged Christmas celebration with weariness/crankiness or a more modest one with joy?
d. Jay Kesler: “I’d rather have my kids play on a cement floor with their dad than play on plush carpet alone.”
C. Another part of the Bible’s Sabbath principle is giving rest to others.
1. We also need to work to make sure that others can relax and have time to worship.
2. Wouldn’t it be great for us to give each other the gift of an afternoon at the library with Bible or a good Christian book?
3. For some, this is hard to do. Be sure not to resent the one who tries to help you rest.
D. This message of rest isn’t for everyone. Some have the opposite problem.
1. Some people are compulsive and need to make themselves rest. Others are lazy and need to make themselves get up and use all that energy they’ve been conserving!
2. That’s why the Sabbath principle covers both issues. Six days you shall labor and then you rest for one. The call to work is just as important as the call to rest. And not just work as much as you rest, but work six parts for each part of rest.
VII. Conclusion: What if each of the areas of your life during Christmas season was a child?
A. One child is named Purchase, another is named Decorate, another Cook. And there’s Clean and Wrap and a few others. And then there’s Worship and Rest.
B. Line them up against the wall. Which ones are obese? Which ones are starving? Which ones eat up more than their share? Which ones never even get called at mealtime?
C. Don’t let Worship starve. If anything he’s the most important child of all. Give him the best.
D. And don’t let Rest be malnourished. You need him too.