Here we go … kid’s Christmas musical, men’s Bible study wrap-up, women’s ministry Christmas party, volunteer appreciation holiday bash, two set changes, and that’s just the first week of December. Buckle up, head down—see you in January!
It’s no surprise December is a crazy month for church techs. Besides the added Christmas Eve services snuck in as midweek add-ins and the last-minute events someone forgot to add to the church calendar (that you find out about the day before), every ministry hosts its Christmas parties as additional special events. Oh, and don’t forget the second party just for their leaders. And to top it off, there’s the church-wide ministry leader Christmas celebration, which of course everyone got invited to but you, since “we knew you’d be there because we need AV.”
Into Perspective
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. I mean, we are rejoicing in the birth of the Savior of the world are we not? Yet, for many it doesn’t feel like it. For many it’s another season of feeling under-appreciated and overworked.
So how do we keep the joy in the midst of the Christmas chaos? “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). In other words, get to work, don’t look at the trial, but rejoice in the hope who is Jesus Christ, the reason the events exist in the first place. Find power in prayer, and pray to be filled with the added strength to serve others in this time so that they can celebrate our Savior. Paul adds, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, … the church” (Colossians 1:24). Our added load during this month is our way to serve the body so that they can be filled with the love of Christ. Our physical acts become our rejoicing in the eyes of Christ.
Find power in prayer, and pray to be filled with the added strength to serve others in this time so that they can celebrate our Savior.
Selfless Service
Our joy is found in knowing that others are being filled by Christ. That is the exact model of the Apostles. Throughout the book of Acts, they “strengthen the souls of the disciples” (14:22), “rejoicing that they were counted worthy” through their added trials (5:41). They found joy in the chaos because they knew they had a tangible impact in strengthening and building the people of the church. Christmas and Easter are the two times where—as fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)—the fish swim to us. Every added event grants us greater opportunities to have eternal impact. When we see others rejoicing, we too can rejoice, “knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
In heaven, I’m confident that when Christ asks what we did for his Kingdom, and we answer we ran tech in December, he’ll invite us to a VIP seat held just for us at His table. In no other position is there the ability to impact the way others will experience Christ than we have during this one 30-day period. For that, we can find joy in the chaos.
[Editor's note: Originally published in November 2018.]
