In the Chaos
Worshiping in the Chaos: Finding Jesus in Life's Messiest Moments
Picture this: a house filled with children, glitter everywhere, cookies being decorated with more frosting ending up in mouths than on the treats themselves. Chaos, pure and simple. Yet in the midst of that beautiful disorder, something remarkable happens—genuine love and connection flourish.
This image mirrors something profound about the Christmas story that we often overlook. We've sanitized it with soft candlelight services and peaceful carols, but the reality? The first Christmas was absolute chaos.
The Beautiful Mess of Christmas
Think about everything happening simultaneously in the Gospel accounts. Zechariah loses his voice after questioning an angel's message. Mary, a young virgin, must somehow explain her pregnancy to her family and community. Joseph wrestles with whether to quietly end their engagement. A census forces everyone back to their hometowns—imagine one massive, mandatory family reunion. Mary gives birth in a stable because there's literally no room anywhere else.
But the chaos doesn't stop there. Shepherds come rushing in from the fields, probably not the most polite visitors for a newborn. Wise men arrive from distant lands, following a star. Then comes the urgent midnight flight to Egypt to escape Herod's murderous rage.
Yet woven throughout this tapestry of upheaval and uncertainty, we find something unexpected: worship.
Worship in the Unknown
Mary's song, recorded in Luke 1:46-55, stands as one of the most beautiful expressions of worship in Scripture. She sings, "My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
Consider when she speaks these words. She's at her cousin Elizabeth's house, away from home. She has no idea what awaits her when she returns. Will she be believed? Will she be rejected? Will Joseph still marry her? The future is completely uncertain, yet she worships.
What if Mary had focused solely on her circumstances instead? Her song might have sounded very different: "What will my parents think? Will I be stoned? Did I imagine that angel? What happens next?"
But Mary chose differently. She chose to focus on God's faithfulness, on His mercy that extends from generation to generation, on the mighty things He was doing through her.
Finding Voice in Silence
Zechariah's story offers another perspective. After months of silence—the consequence of his doubt—his voice returns the moment his son is named John. And what does he do with his newly restored voice? He prophesies and praises: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them" (Luke 1:68).
Zechariah doesn't waste time complaining about the months he couldn't speak. He doesn't question the unusual path his life has taken. Instead, he worships. He focuses on God's covenant faithfulness, on the salvation being brought to his people.
Shepherds Who Couldn't Keep Quiet
The shepherds received terrifying news from angels and made the best decision of their lives—they went to see for themselves. Luke 2:20 tells us they returned "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."
They returned to their fields, to their ordinary, overlooked lives. But they returned as worshipers. They didn't need to stay in the stable beside Jesus to maintain their worship. They took it with them into the mundane, into the everyday, into their dead-end jobs.
These men could have made excuses: "We're not wanted. We're not good enough. No one will believe shepherds anyway." But they didn't let their social status or circumstances prevent them from encountering Jesus and then telling everyone about Him.
Wise Men Who Defied Kings
The wise men traveled far, encountered the dangerous King Herod, and finally found Jesus. Matthew 2:11 says, "They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts."
When warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they took a different route home. This wasn't a small decision. Defying Herod's demands could cost them everything. But their encounter with Jesus transformed them so completely that they were no longer afraid of earthly kings.
They could have given up during their long journey. They could have returned to Herod as instructed. But meeting Jesus changed everything.
The Practice of Abiding
So how do we worship in our own chaos? The answer lies in abiding in Christ.
We often think of abiding as something reserved for peaceful, serene moments—lounging with Jesus during life's calm seasons. But John 15:2 reveals something different: "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
Pruning is necessary for growth, but it's rarely pleasant. It can feel messy, painful, and chaotic. Yet Jesus suggests these trials help us abide more deeply in Him. Like a tree in a storm that digs its roots deeper to withstand the wind, we can sink our roots deeper into Christ during hardship.
The key is this: You are more in Christ than in your suffering. He is closer to you than your pain. Your hardship does not define you—your position in Christ does.
Practical Abiding
When affliction comes, meet it from the safety of Christ's presence. When you're enduring suffering, remember that Christ surrounds you more fully than the suffering does. When hardship passes, remain in Christ still.
This isn't about minimizing real pain or dismissing legitimate concerns. It's about choosing our focus. Mary, Zechariah, the shepherds, and the wise men all had legitimate reasons to be consumed by their circumstances. But they chose to focus on Jesus instead, and that focus transformed their experience entirely.
Your Invitation
Whatever chaos you're facing today—whether it's financial uncertainty, health scares, relational breakdown, or the ache of empty seasons—you have the same choice these first worshipers had. You can focus on the chaos, or you can abide in Christ.
Sit at His feet. Lean into Him. Let Him prune you, knowing that the pruning produces greater fruit. Practice His presence not just when life is calm, but especially when it's chaotic.
The Christmas story teaches us that worship isn't reserved for peaceful moments. Some of the most profound worship happens in the midst of life's beautiful, chaotic mess—when we choose to see Jesus more clearly than we see our circumstances.
That's where adoration meets chaos. That's where we discover that Christ is not just with us in the storm—He is our peace within it.
Picture this: a house filled with children, glitter everywhere, cookies being decorated with more frosting ending up in mouths than on the treats themselves. Chaos, pure and simple. Yet in the midst of that beautiful disorder, something remarkable happens—genuine love and connection flourish.
This image mirrors something profound about the Christmas story that we often overlook. We've sanitized it with soft candlelight services and peaceful carols, but the reality? The first Christmas was absolute chaos.
The Beautiful Mess of Christmas
Think about everything happening simultaneously in the Gospel accounts. Zechariah loses his voice after questioning an angel's message. Mary, a young virgin, must somehow explain her pregnancy to her family and community. Joseph wrestles with whether to quietly end their engagement. A census forces everyone back to their hometowns—imagine one massive, mandatory family reunion. Mary gives birth in a stable because there's literally no room anywhere else.
But the chaos doesn't stop there. Shepherds come rushing in from the fields, probably not the most polite visitors for a newborn. Wise men arrive from distant lands, following a star. Then comes the urgent midnight flight to Egypt to escape Herod's murderous rage.
Yet woven throughout this tapestry of upheaval and uncertainty, we find something unexpected: worship.
Worship in the Unknown
Mary's song, recorded in Luke 1:46-55, stands as one of the most beautiful expressions of worship in Scripture. She sings, "My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
Consider when she speaks these words. She's at her cousin Elizabeth's house, away from home. She has no idea what awaits her when she returns. Will she be believed? Will she be rejected? Will Joseph still marry her? The future is completely uncertain, yet she worships.
What if Mary had focused solely on her circumstances instead? Her song might have sounded very different: "What will my parents think? Will I be stoned? Did I imagine that angel? What happens next?"
But Mary chose differently. She chose to focus on God's faithfulness, on His mercy that extends from generation to generation, on the mighty things He was doing through her.
Finding Voice in Silence
Zechariah's story offers another perspective. After months of silence—the consequence of his doubt—his voice returns the moment his son is named John. And what does he do with his newly restored voice? He prophesies and praises: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them" (Luke 1:68).
Zechariah doesn't waste time complaining about the months he couldn't speak. He doesn't question the unusual path his life has taken. Instead, he worships. He focuses on God's covenant faithfulness, on the salvation being brought to his people.
Shepherds Who Couldn't Keep Quiet
The shepherds received terrifying news from angels and made the best decision of their lives—they went to see for themselves. Luke 2:20 tells us they returned "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."
They returned to their fields, to their ordinary, overlooked lives. But they returned as worshipers. They didn't need to stay in the stable beside Jesus to maintain their worship. They took it with them into the mundane, into the everyday, into their dead-end jobs.
These men could have made excuses: "We're not wanted. We're not good enough. No one will believe shepherds anyway." But they didn't let their social status or circumstances prevent them from encountering Jesus and then telling everyone about Him.
Wise Men Who Defied Kings
The wise men traveled far, encountered the dangerous King Herod, and finally found Jesus. Matthew 2:11 says, "They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts."
When warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they took a different route home. This wasn't a small decision. Defying Herod's demands could cost them everything. But their encounter with Jesus transformed them so completely that they were no longer afraid of earthly kings.
They could have given up during their long journey. They could have returned to Herod as instructed. But meeting Jesus changed everything.
The Practice of Abiding
So how do we worship in our own chaos? The answer lies in abiding in Christ.
We often think of abiding as something reserved for peaceful, serene moments—lounging with Jesus during life's calm seasons. But John 15:2 reveals something different: "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
Pruning is necessary for growth, but it's rarely pleasant. It can feel messy, painful, and chaotic. Yet Jesus suggests these trials help us abide more deeply in Him. Like a tree in a storm that digs its roots deeper to withstand the wind, we can sink our roots deeper into Christ during hardship.
The key is this: You are more in Christ than in your suffering. He is closer to you than your pain. Your hardship does not define you—your position in Christ does.
Practical Abiding
When affliction comes, meet it from the safety of Christ's presence. When you're enduring suffering, remember that Christ surrounds you more fully than the suffering does. When hardship passes, remain in Christ still.
This isn't about minimizing real pain or dismissing legitimate concerns. It's about choosing our focus. Mary, Zechariah, the shepherds, and the wise men all had legitimate reasons to be consumed by their circumstances. But they chose to focus on Jesus instead, and that focus transformed their experience entirely.
Your Invitation
Whatever chaos you're facing today—whether it's financial uncertainty, health scares, relational breakdown, or the ache of empty seasons—you have the same choice these first worshipers had. You can focus on the chaos, or you can abide in Christ.
Sit at His feet. Lean into Him. Let Him prune you, knowing that the pruning produces greater fruit. Practice His presence not just when life is calm, but especially when it's chaotic.
The Christmas story teaches us that worship isn't reserved for peaceful moments. Some of the most profound worship happens in the midst of life's beautiful, chaotic mess—when we choose to see Jesus more clearly than we see our circumstances.
That's where adoration meets chaos. That's where we discover that Christ is not just with us in the storm—He is our peace within it.
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