All Hail The Birth of Jesus!

All hail the birth of Jesus!

The import of one word in that command electrified me as I worshipped with my home congregation during this Advent season. We were singing the new-to-me song, Arrival, and the lyrics grabbed my attention and my heart.

The word that zapped me was not baby, though the reality of Jesus coming to earth as an infant over 2000 years ago is shocking.
The word was not divine, though the concept of the Son of God living on earth in perfect relationship with His Father is equally shocking.
The word that sent a surge of energy and wonder through me was all.

All. As in everyone.
All included.
All present.
All expected.
All welcome.
All worshipping.

All. As in all hail the birth of Jesus. All–young and old, male and female, rich and poor, walking and wheeling, speaking and silent, hearing and deaf, sighted and blind, ill and well–gathered together to celebrate and proclaim the birth of our king.

Over and over, the lyrics of Arrival repeated the call that all hail the birth of Jesus. The words reminded me of Paul’s vision in Philippians 2:10–11 of how we all will one day respond to the name of Jesus: every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

My heart rejoiced as I pictured the great throngs of believers singing together once every barrier to inclusive worship is broken. But my joy was tempered when I thought of how far churches still have to go before they can share the good news with those who live with disabilities in their own communities, much less around the world. My spark of joy began to fizzle. The enormity of what has been done to reach all with the gospel of Christ compared to what needs to be done nearly extinguished my joy all together.

But the lyrics of Arrival brought me back to the miracle we celebrate at Christmas. Not the completion of God’s work through Jesus, but its beginning. A beginning in which our infinite God came to earth as an infant. A beginning that set in motion the salvation of the world.

Christmas is a season when churches can begin to be more inclusive. They can begin by making their Christmas Eve services more accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities in one of these small ways:

• Cast all children, including those with disabilities, in the Christmas program.
• Rearrange seating so people in wheelchairs can sit throughout the worship space instead of in the back row.
• Hire a sign language interpreter.
• Provide noise-canceling headphones for those who are sensory sensitive.
• Offer fidget toys to kids who have a hard time sitting still.
• Train greeters and ushers to assist those with mobility issues.
• Create a quiet worship area for those who need it.
• Invite neighborhood people living with disabilities to Christmas services.

The essence of Christmas is the celebration of an infinite promise surrounded by and housed in seemingly insignificant things.

A wee babe.
A little stable.
Poor shepherds.
Donkeys and sheep.

The essence of Christmas is God using small people like us and small churches like ours taking one small step at a time to share the gospel. Until what he began at the first Christmas reaches it’s wonderful end, and all hail the birth of Jesus!

Guest Post written by Jolene Philo