I hope you had as much fun as I did at “Merry Christmas Y’all!” Last Sunday was a spectacular night for our church and for our entire community. It was so exciting to see our entire campus come alive as it was flooded with people of all ages. There truly was something for everyone, from the train rides and inflatables for the kids, to the snow slide and food trucks, to the live music and hot chocolate for all, it was encouraging to see the building come alive during the festival. It’s hard to admit it as an Aggie, but it was even exciting to see Bevo live and in person at ABC. But of course, the most exciting part of the night was the amazing Christmas concert presented by our worship ministry. We had a packed house in the worship center with a full choir and orchestra that led us beautifully all evening long with both great talent and great enthusiasm.
Nights like last Sunday are only possible though faithful servants in our church family. So many sacrificially served and gave to make the event possible. I’m grateful for the choir and orchestra members who faithfully rehearsed and gave of their time for months leading up to Sunday. I’m thankful for the dozens of volunteers that helped greet and register our many first-time guests that night. We were honored to see so many new faces, and our volunteer teams made them feel right at home. Many more served by decorating the building, running various stations, driving golf carts in the parking lot, and helping us with the set up and tear down. The staff did an incredible job serving by administrating the event, thinking through all the necessary details these past few weeks. Church members served their neighbors, by bringing them with them to come hear about the hope that can only come through Jesus Christ. And many continue to serve the Lord each week by faithfully giving their tithes and offerings, which makes ministry like this even possible.
It was appropriate for our church to serve well at this event because the Christmas season is all about service. Paul explains, ”Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philipppians 2:5-7). The Christmas story is about the greatest servant to ever walk this earth. Jesus Christ came into this world to serve, not to be served. He stepped off His throne, and came down to our level to serve us by giving His life as a ransom for us. In celebration of that truth, each of us should likewise set aside our own interests this holiday season and take on the interests of others in the coming days.
Sunday morning will be another opportunity for you to do so. This Sunday is our annual White Christmas. I hope you have been able to partner with a BFG class to bring a gift to bless a family in need. This Sunday, we will present those gifts in our worship services, and then we will organize and deliver those gifts immediately following the 11:11 worship service. Make plans to be a part of this special tradition at ABC. It will be a memorable worship service, and I believe it will be an impactful day especially for our ABC Kids. They will be joining us in the services so they can also present their gifts and serve with their parents (Nursery is still open for 3 and under). They will also have a chance for the Christmas story to come alive to them in a unique way at our Bethlehem Village during the BFG hour.
I hope you plan to join us this Sunday for a meaningful day of worship this Christmas season. Continue to invite your friends, as many may be open to trying church during this special time of year. We are blessed to be a blessing, and I pray that many families will indeed be blessed through our continued generosity this weekend. Have a great rest of your week and I look forward to seeing you at 9am or 11:11.
www.jonathanspencer.org 