God will disrupt your life. How will you respond?

On December 9-21 of this year, Rock Church, our home church, hosted its 27th annual Toys for Joy celebration. Witnessing this event unfold was nothing short of incredible.  6,601 toys were given out across 12 unique events in San Diego County, along with 35,834 pounds of groceries, 6,148 meals, 7,360 items of clothing, 407 haircuts, and 291 manicures. These are so much more than just statistics to us. The numbers represent families who were able to encounter the tangible love of Jesus through practical expressions of care and compassion.

As I walked among the bustling, joy-filled events this year, a sense of awe, gratitude, and reverence for God overwhelmed me. I pondered in amazement, “How can it be that a small vision God planted in our hearts has become such a long-lasting and beautiful event? How can it be that God has used our church to do this — that He has allowed me to participate in this? How can it be that year after year, thousands continue to gather for this event?”

Of course, I know the answer. It’s all because of Jesus.

Jesus is more than just the reason for the season. He is the reason for the freedom we get to walk in every day. He is the reason we give, reflecting His generosity. And He is why we pour our hearts into Toys for Joy every year. 

When Jesus was born in that manger over 2,000 years ago, it changed everything. And such an incredible miracle such as this really should cause us all to pause and ask the question, “How can it be?”

Mary herself asked this question when the angel informed her that she would become pregnant. “‘How will this be, Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’” (Luke 1:34).

Joseph also had to wrestle with the question “How can it be?” in his own way. Before the angel appeared to him, he was planning to divorce Mary quietly for infidelity. Ultimately, Joseph chose to trust God’s plan despite how crazy the story probably sounded.

Mary and Joseph weren’t alone in their awe, of course. The shepherds, the wise men, and everyone else in the story had to ask themselves at one point, “Do I really believe that this is true? How can it be that a king would come to us in such a humble and unexpected way?”

Ultimately, we all have to answer this same question. How can it be? We all have to decide if we really believe that Jesus really was born of a virgin. We have to decide if we believe that He is the Son of God who came to save us, ultimately dying on the cross and resurrecting three days later.

And if we truly believe that it should change everything about our lives. Because you don’t just believe something that radical and not live a radical life in response.

So, I’ll ask you, how will you choose to respond to the question? 

I want to remind you: if you do choose to wholeheartedly follow Jesus, it’s going to be disruptive. God is going to disrupt your life. He disrupted Mary’s life when he caused her to become pregnant outside of marriage. He disrupted Joseph’s life when He asked Him to lay down his pride and face a potential scandal. And He will disrupt your life, too.

If you follow God, your life is not going to go the way you want. It’s going to go the way God wants.

But it's going to be way better than the life you want. Are you ready to say yes to that?

As you ponder your response, I want to invite you to come out to watch our live How Can It Be Christmas Experience on Dec 22 and 23. I also want to invite everyone to join us in person or online for our Christmas Eve services as we continue to reflect on the Christmas story. Visit sdrock.com/christmas to learn more.

God bless you all, and Merry Christmas!