Worship Opportunities

The God of the Bible has always been One of access. It’s wrapped up in the very nature of who He is. During the Christmas season we feel it even more tangibly as we celebrate the incarnation: God became flesh and dwelt among us.

Think about what that meant: He took up humble residence in a human body, drawing near to those in society who were marginalized- people who were blind or lame, the poor, the children, the women, the widows, and the outcast sinners. People like you and me.

Christ not only welcomed them, but He initiated access to Himself, and through Him, access to the Father and Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:2 (CSB)

We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Eph 2:18 (CSB)

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Eph 3:12 (CSB)

In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him.

Rom 3:25 (NET)

God publicly displayed him at his death at the mercy seat accessible through faith…

If access to God is central to the gospel, we reflect Him well when we create access for all to the church. 

This Christmas season (and all year round) there will be many who will experience what ought to be a corporate celebration without a church community. They will do what they do every day 24/7: care for their loved one who has a disability, hindered by visible and invisible barriers to a local church. The church misses out on partnering with families in the joys and struggles of full-time caregiving and receiving the vital contributions of God’s work in the lives of those who often go unseen.

I wonder how we, the church, could value people of all abilities the way Christ did, seeing them as indispensable participants in the church body and creating access to community. People of all abilities have important contributions that can often be overlooked until we actually take time to see and know them. 

Here are a few ideas that could start this Christmas and carry into the year ahead:

• Say Hello! Start small, just by saying hello! Engage with people of varying abilities, remembering they are just like you- an image-bearer of God.
• Serve. Is there someone you know for whom you could provide occasional respite care? Do you know someone who needs transportation to church?
• Celebrate Creatively. Could you join a family in their home (or yours!) to gather for cookies (gf/df if needed!), a few Christmas songs (loudly or quietly, depending on the person’s sensitivity), and a reading or acting-out of the Christmas story? Experiencing it together may bring it to life more than you expect.
• Send an Invitation. Could you welcome someone into your church, asking what you can do to make it a little easier for them to be there? Ask how you can partner with them.
• Step Outside of the Norm. Can your church host a sensory-friendly Christmas candlelight service where movement, self-regulation, and vocal reactions are acceptable? 
• See the Unseen. Can your church have a small home-team group that can weekly or monthly visit with a family whose needs keep them at home? 
• Expect Imperfection. Life and love involves a whole lot of learning. Grace and gratitude are necessary components within the body of Christ.

Is there just one of these steps you and I could take to see others the way Jesus does? It starts with seeing. And is there just one way you and I could draw near to others the way that Jesus does? 

When teaching about Jesus in our preschool Sunday school class, I often have the children chant with me, “Jesus helps us care about the things He cares about!” 

I wonder how we can live that out this year. The gospel comes not only with access, but belonging, moving us from welcome to embracing. 

If Christ draws near and gives access to the Father, what a delight it is for churches to give a little glimmer of that nearness to the communities that surround us and to experience a mutual flow of love. Let’s delight together in this access both vertically and horizontally this Christmas season.