December For Church Artists and Leaders

It is officially December, and for those who are planning special Christmas celebrations in your church, I understand the knot in your stomach and stress of the remaining days until your services take place. For over twenty years I was intimately involved with putting together our celebrations. I vividly recall going to the grocery store early in the month of December, and starting to panic when I read the date on a milk carton and it was closer and closer to December 24! There were never enough hours to put the celebrations together, to rehearse and tweak and prepare the gift we wanted to serve our community. But on top of that, there was always the little detail of personal Christmas stuff! I could never figure out how to manage the shopping, wrapping, cookie baking, parties, and family commitments on top of the load at church. To all of you soldiers who give up such an enormous part of your holiday season crafting experiences for others to gather and worship the Christ child, I want to say thank you on behalf of the people who may never say it but who surely appreciate your sacrifice. You pay a huge price as you fulfill your calling, especially this month. I know how hard it is to breathe, to find any solitude to reflect on the wonder of the Christ child, and to be as fully present as you long to be with family and friends. More importantly, God knows all that and more about you. He sees your struggle, and He is delighted with your faithfulness. So in the next 25 days, don’t expect more of yourself than is realistic. There will be moments after Christmas when you can fully exhale, and be the friend, mom, or dad you want to be. God has called you to manage as best you can the competing demands of churchwork and personal life during this month, and He wants you to take it one challenge, one moment at a time. He is with you and He is for you. And just so you know…when I was responsible for our services, I always thought that church was the reason I was so behind on the personal side of Christmas. Now that my role has changed and I’m freed up…I’m just as behind as ever. So the truth is, I can’t blame the church. I just happen to be a hopeless procrastinator!