Christmas is... coming!!
Plus, 5 things worth sharing this week.
Hey Crashers,
It’s almost that time of year again! And for those who work or volunteer at Churches, we’re sure you’ll be preparing for the Christmas season at Church (if you haven’t done all your preparations already).
We’re in full swing, too, and thought to share with you our approach this year. Plus, a few fun resources and links in the Rapid 5.
If you’re making something great this Christmas season, share it with us all here. We’d love to be inspired and share the joy!!
Grace and Peace,
Cass & Rich
In today’s issue:
A ready-made Christmas: from our friends at The Chosen.
New song arrangments: sick of all the carols being the same.. mix it up this year.
Coming back to wonder: return to the manger again and rethink the story.
and more…
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Advent - the once and future coming of Jesus - Advent is “not for the faint-hearted,” says Flemming Rutledge, author and communicator. Read her book on Advent and enter into the sermons she preached throughout this season. (LINK)
Christmas with The Chosen – “The Shepherd” is a customizable Chosen Christmas experience that combines a special feature about the birth of Christ through the eyes of a young shepherd. (LINK)
Sunday Screens - It can be a little stressful, constantly needing screen content, but the team at Sunday Screens curates high-level media for all occasions… you can thank us later. 😜 (LINK)
Rethinking your Christmas Arrangements - here are some of our best go-tos right now from Tommee Profitt (and Sleeping at Last).
Practicing Advent - The team at the Bible Project has created word studies for the season, and they are really good - thoughtful, insightful, and simple. (LINK)
🎧 On the go? Listen to this quick 8-minute audio version where Cass and Rich talk about the words of Christmas and rethinking the story once again.
Christmas Wonder-ings.
The Christmas Season has long been a grand spectacle for us. The lights, the confetti, the elaborate musical arrangements, and of course pumping pine scent through the airconditioning vents. Flying people from the ceiling, fire breathers, all those videos, vocal rehearsals, comms assets, aerialists, costumes, and glitter—everywhere!
And then, by December 25, around lunchtime or maybe 3 p.m., when we finally get home from church and sit down to Christmas lunch with family, there are no words left. Just sheer exhaustion.
Wondering About the First Christmas.
So here we are, facing another Christmas. And I find myself wondering about the first one. Was it like ours?
A long journey to Bethlehem. An exhausted Mary, heavily pregnant and riding a donkey with her fiancé, Joseph. Did her family ever come to terms with her story of how she conceived? I think about the innkeeper, pointing them to the back of the property. Were the rooms in the Inn genuinely full, or was he managing their disgrace and not wanting to be associated with it?
And what about the shepherds? Up all night in a field when the sky exploded with angels. Did they think they were dreaming? Hallucinating? When the angels disappeared, did they laugh out loud, or were they too awestruck to speak as they stumbled toward the stable to see if it was all true?
Then there are the wise men. How long did their journey really take if they didn’t arrive until Jesus was a toddler?
Doesn’t it make you wonder?
It makes me wonder.
I think it’s meant to.
The Journey Toward the Manger.
This Christmas season, marked by Advent, is a journey. A journey toward the manger, toward Emmanuel, toward the Christ child who came to bring hope, peace, joy, and love.
A kingdom established in a baby’s cry. The future entrusted to teenage parents. A Heavenly Father serenading the world with songs of peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind.
Creatives and the Call to Wonder.
And so, I wonder.
As creatives, how do we do this again?
How do we step into Advent and the Christmas season and offer it all over again—fresh, alive—to congregations longing for a glimpse of Jesus? How do we spark imaginations and invite them to wonder with us? How do we lead people to encounter the holiness and sacredness of this season?
How do we help them imagine their way into Bethlehem when it feels so far from Baulkham Hills, or Boston, or Barcelona, or Bucharest?
Finding Yourself at the Manger.
It starts with you.
You must find yourself at the manger again. On bended knee. You must choose to smell the mire of the stable, feel the grit of the world, and still step into the profound humanity and divinity of this moment. Wrestle with the faith it takes to believe. Lean into the worship it takes to honor Jesus when he looks just like every other baby that has been born.
All art comes from a willingness to engage with the story. To twist it a million different ways. To ask hard questions. To confront complacency. To step into the shoes of the shepherds and wise men and to make the beauty—or the mundanity—come alive again.
The Responsibility of Storytellers.
As creatives, we are stewards of the hearts of those we serve. We are sojourners and storytellers.
So this Christmas, take your calling seriously. Create things that surprise people. Tell the story in ways that evoke a response. Don’t leave them wondering if Jesus is who He says He is.
Tell them how heaven was peeled back, how angels heralded His arrival, how all creation rejoiced. Tell them about the kings who followed a star to worship Him. Tell of the young girl who said yes and paid a high price for her obedience, of her husband who protected her and their child, and of the Son who became a refugee to escape death and bring us all into life.
Tell of the moment that changed everything forever. The greatest redemption plan of all time.
For this story is the best one ever told.
So, what are you going to do differently in your community this Christmas - what will it look like where you are? Share your thoughts and plans in the comment today, and let's inspire each other.
Convicted, Encouraged, in awe and wonder of the king once again. Thank You!!