Romans 12:1–2
A Living Sacrifice
12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(ESV)
Ordinary Christmas
Right now, Christmas is in full swing. The stores, radio stations, Instagram reels, and our Sunday worship services have all swapped out their regularly scheduled programming for Christmas songs and hymns. Maybe you’re starting to get sick of the Christmas music, or like me, you’ve just played “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” for the fifth time today. There is something extraordinarily beautiful about interrupting our normal routines and worship rhythms to celebrate the birth of Christ.
As we pause our usual schedules to put up lights, wrap gifts, bake and eat our favorite desserts, and gather around friends and family, I think this is a good time to be reminded of what true worship looks like.
When I look at this passage in Romans 12, it doesn’t scream Christmas to me; it reminds me of Easter. It reminds me of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to atone for my sins and the sins of the world through his death and resurrection. As a result of this great mercy, I am called to die to myself so that I may live in Christ. This is what it looks like to be a “living sacrifice.” And that is all true, but then why does Christmas matter? Why do we celebrate? Because Christ’s sacrifice didn’t begin at the cross; it began the moment he took on human flesh. Before his death came life. The God of Heaven and Earth, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, came down to earth, not as a powerful, rich ruler but as a helpless infant. He needed someone to change him, feed him, teach him to walk and to talk. He needed nap time. He grew like any other child, but unlike us, he lived a perfect life. His humble and ordinary was absolutely necessary.
Something Pastor Kyle at the North Side often likes to talk about is why the gospel matters before you die. In a booklet he wrote called “The Good in the Gospel,” he says, “The gospel strengthens our hearts in the love of Jesus, strengthens our minds in the knowledge of our true identity, and strengthens our hands for everyday love and faithfulness.”
We can love Jesus and love our neighbors this Christmas season because of his life, death, and resurrection. We can know we are a child of God and heirs with Christ because of his life, death, and resurrection. And we can celebrate this Christmas season through ordinary, mundane acts of worship because of his life, death, and resurrection.
So as you wrap your gifts, bake what very well may be the fifth batch of cookies, coordinate parties and family visits, or whatever else you need to do this Christmas season, know that these tiny, ordinary moments matters. These moments matter because it is through these simple life tasks that we can love others well. Your work may go unnoticed or unappreciated this Christmas season but know that your God above sees your faithfulness, he sees your sacrifice, and he sees your true worship.
Natalie Wellinghoff