Christmas Eve: We Have Come To Worship

Jesus: The Central Figure of Transformation

I’ve come to notice a recurring theme in the various scriptures that have been read for us. Each figure had an encounter with the divine. For some, it was through the appearance of angels- many of whom were given important tasks that ranged from giving birth to delivering a message. The response of each person can be best captured in the words that Elizabeth has just read from the Wise Men:

“We have come to worship”

In our church’s advent teachings, we have focused on the transformation stories of the people involved with Jesus’ birth. We gather here to reflect on Christ and we see a bit of a shift. While Mary, Elizabeth, the Shepherds and others experienced a great change in their life trajectory because of His birth, Christ himself becomes the agent of transformation- not only to those at the site of His birth, but the the entire world.

So, if Jesus is an agent of transformation, then how do we become open to the kind of change that will be both challenging and rewarding?

I echo the words of the wise men again: “We have come to worship”

Might I suggest that when we encounter Jesus, the posture that leads us to the greatest transformations that we could ever experience is to worship?

Why is Jesus worthy of Worship?

The entire story of scripture is about God and his relationship to humankind

We read very early on that God is both creator and relational. He crafts the entire world and he breathes life into human beings inviting them to partner with Him in cultivating his masterpiece. Being that He is loving in nature, he gives humankind the choice to enter in to such a loving union- an invitation that is declined at the first opportunity to break free from Him.

As humankind pushes away from God, they push away from their created purpose, delving deeper into the malignant resistance called sin… Acting against God rather than with Him.

So God, in His loving mercy created a way to restore this broken relationship.

Ephesians 2:4–6 CSB

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

Galatians 4:4–5 CSB

When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

God sent Jesus so that you could return to loving union with Him. He has invited you to come back to your created purpose. Following Jesus isn’t primarily about “not being a bad person”, it is about “being connected to the God who has created you”

We worship Jesus because at our very core- we have been created to worship Him. This kind of response goes beyond obedience… it is actually a return to our identity.

So the question exists- how do we worship

How Do we Worship?

I think that we can learn alot from the responses of worship in this story:

Mary offers up a song of praise

The shepherds deliver the message that they were given faithfully

The wise men bring gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh

Worship can be displayed through various expressions, but i’d like to suggest that you can worship through three different actions:

-Praise (to express gratitude)

-Adoration (to express love)

-Reverence (To express deep respect)

To put some meat on those bones, here’s what that can look like:

We can express gratitude by opening our eyes to seeing what God has done. From creation to sending His son for our redemption- gratitude is an essential ingredient to our worship. We can be so swayed by our immediate surroundings that it can be hard to keep a response of worship.

In a world filled with with chaos, we can keep ourselves centered by recalling and expressing thankfulness to a God who is always at work- even if we don’t see it.

We can express love by recognizing that God is not a distant, cold diety, but He is relational, defined as the very essence of love. We can respond to His invitation “Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you” and learn to go through life, step by step with Him.

We can begin to do this by spending time praying, learning about Him in scripture, and walking through various expressions that prioritize your relationship with God who carries the label of Father.

Finally, we can express deep respect (reverence) by trusting His words. Jesus’ primary invitation was to follow- and if we really believe that He is who he says he is, than we can take him at his word, even if it doesn’t always make sense in the moment. When asked what his greatest instruction for living was, he said:

Mark 12:30–31 NLT

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

So basically- love God, love others.

Might I suggest that as we spend time reflecting on the birth of Christ this year, that we prioritize our expressions of worship through offering our praise, adoration and reverence to God?

We have all that we need in Christ- and at His birth we see the dawn of His redeeming grace.

Jesus is Lord- even at the very start of his life.

He is worthy of our worship.