Worthy: An Advent Devotional
I’ve spent the past 25 years coaching storytellers. I’ve heard them all – family history stories, cultural stories, retellings of fairytales, stories of personal tragedies and celebrations. But it’s the story of Christmas that is the greatest story of all.
The story of Christmas is a story of Love coming to live with us. Jesus, Emmanuel, is the source of all Love, born into this world. There is no story more worthy of telling than this. It’s my motivation for empowering extraordinary storytellers…. Because the best story deserves the best telling.
In 1885, British writer Christina Georgina Rossetti published a poem called “Christmastide.” It later was adapted into a beautiful Christmas carol.
Love came down at Christmas
Love, a lovely love divine
Love was born at Christmas
Stars and angels gave the sign
Love will be our token
Love be yours, and love be mine
Love from God to all of us
Love for plea and gift a sign
Rossetti’s words bring back to life the extraordinary event of the first Christmas, the true story that reminds us that we are worthy of love.
Think about that for a moment. The divine entered our broken world – wrapped in vulnerable human flesh – so we could know that we are worthy of love. Has this message ever been more important?
The teams I work with have spent time this year training groups of people who only recently heard for the first time that they are worthy of love. We were able to share that they were created with value, with worth, with a worthwhile purpose. And they are invited to share this transformational story with others.
It was absolutely inspiring to watch someone who formerly believed they were worth-less recognize that they are worthy for the first time. To see the hope in their eyes when they realize they have something to contribute to others. When they begin to believe they have worthy ideas to share.
The reminder that I am worthy of love and invited to share the greatest story ever is incredibly humbling. Dwelling on that thought brings an awareness of just how much God values me. How He loves me in such a tangible way that He sent tangible Love to Earth at Christmas. Love be yours, Love be mine, Love from God to all of us.
Take a minute to watch and listen to this collaborative rendition of “Love Came Down at Christmas,” inspired by Rossetti and performed by Jars of Clay. Note the fresh new approach to telling the story for contemporary families. There are so many ways to tell this love story.
My prayer for you this Christmas is that you know you are worthy. That your children know they are worthy. And that we continue telling people who don’t yet know the world’s most extraordinary story. Who will you tell?
Dr. Teresa Moon, founding President and CEO of the Institute for Cultural Communicators, is an internationally-recognized seminar speaker, education consultant, author, and leadership coach. Each year, she travels globally equipping students, teachers, and parents to become “cultural communicators,” transforming ordinary students into extraordinary communicators and authentic leaders.
