Noel (featuring Lauren Daigle). The Music of Christmas.

Have you ever gotten used to something amazing?  I remember several years ago showing my dad some photos that were on my iPod Nano.  It was a very small screen by today's standards (2"x3").  But it was amazing at the time.  Do you remember the first time someone took a photo and then immediately shows you it on a screen?  I'll bet you were amazed, at least a little.  Now photos are everywhere.  We can still view prints of course, but more and more people have bigger and bigger screens to view photos.  These screens are so common place that it's not amazing any more.

I was reminded this morning by an email from Carey Nieuwhof, a pastor in Barrie, that this can be true of even the Christmas story.  "Because even unchurched people know the story. And when they know the story they have a hard time connecting with what the story is really saying."  When something is so familiar, sometimes it can lose it's power.  But make no mistake, the Christmas story is still full of power.  It's still amazing.  God came to this broken world in the flesh to purchase our salvation, saying, "they can't get to me, so I'll come to them".  

There's a beautiful new Christmas song simply called "Noel".  You can listen/view it by hitting play above.
The chorus says,
"Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
 Noel, Noel
 The story of amazing love!
 The light of the world, given for us
 Noel"

Philippians 2:4-11 (ESV) says, 
"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

This Christmas, ask God for a fresh understanding of how amazing the familiar story is.  Better yet, ask God to reveal Himself to your friends and family who know the story, but not the power.

​Merry Christmas!