Worship at Christmas

We will often travel long distances and bear great cost to see something that captures our hearts—a landscape, a concert, a work of art. Why? Because we are creatures who are drawn to glory. We are made to see and to be moved. We are creatures built for worship.

That same longing should draw us to the manger, to Bethlehem’s fields, to the wonder of God made flesh. Let’s plan and prepare to go there. Let’s anticipate what we will see, not out of routine, but because something glorious is waiting. As John writes:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Glory — to see His renown and magnificence.

What is the renown? Fullness of grace and truth.

Love and goodwill towards men.

Light in the darkness — the Truth.

Theology—the study of God—is never meant to fill the head alone, but to fill the heart. True theology produces doxology. To know God rightly is to worship Him deeply. And the doctrine of the incarnation—that the eternal Son of God took on flesh—is theology that leads to wonder. Our singing should always be growing.

The scenes surrounding Christ’s birth are foregrounded with worship:

A star of wonder

Angel choirs singing glory

Shepherds flattened in awe and then called to rejoice

Wise men traveling far to pay homage

A mother treasuring these mysteries in her heart

The Christmas story invites us to do the same—to marvel and to adore.

"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem! Come and behold Him, born the King of angels!"

Drawn to Worship: We are made to worship, and every longing of the human heart finds its true rest when it kneels before the incarnate Word.

Reformed and Confessional Connection:

Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q.1): "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."

Worship is our design and our delight—our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him (Augustine).

I. The Word Became Flesh — God Remaking the World

John’s Gospel begins as Genesis does—"In the beginning."

But here, something new is being created. The first creation came through the Word; now, through the same Word, new creation dawns.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were made through Him.” (John 1:1–3)

And then:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)

The invisible God made visible, the infinite God made knowable.

John tells us:

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” (John 1:18)

Christ is God’s self-revelation, His “Word” spoken into our darkness. Just as our words reveal what is in our hearts, so the Son reveals the Father’s heart. Out of the abundance of the heart a man speaks. So the incarnation is the abundance of God overflowing into human history.

Hebrews 1:3 says:

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.”

So what do we see when we look at Jesus? We see grace and truth—the full glory of God in human form.

The world saw only a baby, later only a man, finally only a death.

But by faith, we see what the world cannot.

Just as words on a page carry meaning beyond the shapes and markings — words symbolize and mean something. So, too, the manger carries meaning beyond what the world might consider small and merely sentimental. It is the glory of God revealed to man.

And so in the same way that we look through the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper to see the body and blood they signify, we look through the humble birth to see the glorious Christ it reveals.

"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity, pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel!" — Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Reformed and Confessional Connection:

Westminster Confession of Faith (VIII.2): The Son of God, being very and eternal God, took upon Himself man's nature, with all essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin.

Chalcedonian Creed (AD 451): Christ is truly God and truly man, in two natures without confusion or division.

Belgic Confession (Art. 18): God fulfilled His promise when the eternal Son took upon Himself true human nature.

Transition: Having seen what the incarnation means in eternity—the Word who was with God and was God—we now turn to see how that same glory shines on earth as the word dwelt among us, seeing with the eyes of those who first beheld Him.

II. The Scenes of Wonder

1. Mary — The Humility of God’s Plan

In Mary, the humility of worship and the lowliness of Christ are on display.

Angel comes to her:

“And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:35–38, ESV)

Mary’s great humility

This is the heart of worship — submission and wonder and humbleness. A confession that we are ready to serve, no matter the task. Lord, let your kingdom come. Not in just a generic sense, but use me. Let your kingdom come even when it seem scary to me.

She loved God. And for those who love God, they obey the commands of God. — We are often trying to counsel ourselves and others to do better or to be more faithful — to pay more keen attention to our faith. But what is always true is that obedience comes much more readily for those who love God.“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, ESV)

We often try to pull up our bootstraps and do better or try harder or feel guilty about the state of our obedience. And Lord bless us with discipline. But let us not forget where we must go in our motives — our obedience comes from the command to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love as it swells and matures and stabilizes us puts us in the same position as Mary here—to say yes, here I am. Let it be according to your word.

And we love because He first loved us.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16).

At Christmas, we see the gift. We see the Son given for the world. Love gives all. It gives completely. I holds nothing back. Love goes to the bitter end and never fails.

You have been loved by God. He has given you the Son. And “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, ESV)

And this Son born to Mary was obviously born in humility. Paul, last week, talked about the humility of Christ — the action of taking on the form of a servant in being found in the likeness of man, from Philippians 2.

And here in this humility and in this love we see the power of God displayed. His meekness, His restraint, His magnanimity, His suffering, His obedience, and His death are a glory that this world did not know.

We see it still cut against the grain in our world in a marriage, in service, and in self-sacrifice. But here, in the Incarnation, we see it displayed in full. The grand miracle that God so loved us that He would go to such great depths.

Mary’s worship — The Magnificat (Magnifies)

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”” (Luke 1:46–55, ESV)

Magnificat comes from that first line: “My soul magnifies the Lord”

It means to magnify—to make large.

What a great prayer for our souls — that God would be grand and great and increasingly so in our soul. Our Soul is what we believe and what we are — our character and identity.

If you look at your text here in this prayer, you will notice there a lot of cross references. All of a sudden it gets filled with cross citations from all around scripture. Mary’s prayer is from a woman who knows the scriptures and she is rejoicing in God’s mercy.

She is able to recount the narrative in which she is in, with all of it’s fall and despair and all of its exile and mystery and seeming futility and rejoice that God is making good on what seemed to the flesh like a tangle too tight to fix.

History’s plot points align to reveal the wisdom of God—this is not "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” but the deliberate unfolding of divine purpose.

God is working all things for good. Taking all of what seemed a mess or a dead end and can make it right.

It’s the same in your life. It’s the same in all the angles and twists that your life will take. All the paths that you can’t see where they are headed. All the wrong paths that we get on through sin or disobedience. All the seeming disasters and loss. God is able and God is willing and God is making them all align into His perfect orchestration. We marvel at the manger with Mary, treasuring these things up in our hearts.

2. Simeon — Light and Salvation

Simeon, a holy man, who was at Jerusalem, full of the Holy Ghost, and expecting the redemption of Israel, Luke 2:25, 26, &c. The Holy Ghost had assured him, that he should not die before he had seen the Christ of the Lord; he therefore came into the temple, prompted by inspiration, just at the time when Joseph and Mary presented Jesus Christ there, in obedience to the law.

Simeon holds the infant Christ and declares: “My eyes have seen your salvation… a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30–32)

Christ came for salvation because of the great darkness of sin.

Think about the darkness that Christ comes into…

“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”” (Matthew 2:16–18, ESV)

“Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord.”” (Jeremiah 31:13–14, ESV)

Death and loss and murder and hate and loss of purpose and lies. In this darkness, Christ comes into the world.

But as John 3:19 says, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19, ESV)

And in Simeon’s worship and blessing to Mary, this rejection is also his great foreshadowing of what was to come.

Simeon’s Prophecy

“And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”” (Luke 2:34–35, ESV)

1. The fall and rise of many in Israel — Redemption. There has been a fall — a great fall, but Christ can raise the dead. Christ can raise man.

2. A sign that is opposed—He will be rejected and killed.

3. A soul-piercing grief for Mary — She who is about be behold her newborn child will behold his rejection and death.

4. The thoughts of many revealed — Christ will bring His winnowing fork. He is the dividing line of all creation. All people must take a side on Christ.

Here is the gospel in prophetic anticipation. Here is the hope of mankind.

Simeon’s prophecy is both blessing and warning: this Child will divide humanity—those who fall in unbelief and those raised by faith.

So, the shadow of the cross already looms.

Yet this light will shine “as far as the curse is found.”

"Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings; mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die." — Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Drawn to Worship: We rejoice with Simeon’s trembling joy—for in Christ, every shadow flees and every promise burns bright.

Transition: From the temple’s quiet joy to the wide expanse of the heavens, creation itself joins the worship of the newborn King.

3. The Star — Creation Joins the Song

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”” (Matthew 2:1–2, ESV)

The star led the wise men to Herod, but then more specifically, to the right house.

“Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Beth-lehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” (Matthew 2:7–9, KJV 1900)

Even the heavens respond to the coming of the King.

The star seems like such a unique and strange miracle. So far fetched that it could identify a house. But we should see the miracle of the star. God is constantly doing amazing things in our world if we would only look around with eyes to see. But the strangeness of the star must remind us of something far more obvious — that the incarnation is a greater wonder still—not a light in the sky, but Light Himself entering the world. We might jeer at the thought of a star acting so strangely, but look at the true Bright and Morning Star — look at Christ! Is that not more of the miracle, that God has come in the night to be our star in the flesh?

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:2–7, ESV)

"Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light!" — We Three Kings

Drawn to Worship: We join creation's chorus as every star, mountain, and breath cries out: the Maker has come among us.

Belgic Confession (Art. 2): The universe is before our eyes as a beautiful book, in which all creatures serve to make God known.

Transition: The heavens sing His glory, but the song soon descends to earth—to fields and flocks, to shepherds who become messengers of grace.

4. The Shepherds — Grace to the Lowly

Heaven’s glory shines around common men in a field.

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy… For unto you is born this day a Savior.” (Luke 2:10–11)

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14, KJV 1900)

The angelic announcement ends with a benediction: “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”

Here we see the covenant of grace unfolding—not for the worthy, but for the weary; not for the strong, but for sinners.

This is great grace! Grace to the lowly. Grace to the undeserving. Grace for the whole world. Not just a small and calculated grace, but God’s goodwill toward the whole race of man. Over all the rebellion, over all the complete justification for instant judgement and, we get mercy.

"Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains, and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains: Gloria in excelsis Deo!"

Drawn to Worship: We lift our voices with heaven’s chorus, for grace has come not to the great, but to the undeserving.

Transition: From the poor of Israel to the princes of the nations, the good news goes forth—kings themselves bow before the Child of promise.

5. The Shepherds — Worship as Amazed Receiving

Theme: Worship marvels at grace given to the lowly.

Scripture

Luke 2:8–20 — “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened…”

The shepherds are the first evangelists, but only after they are first worshipers—astonished recipients of grace.

Worship Drawn Out

True worship begins when we realize that we have been sought out. The glory of God shines on the undeserving—and they run to Christ.

Reformed Doctrine

Canons of Dort I.7 — God’s grace comes to the unworthy and unexpected.

Westminster Confession 7.3 — The covenant of grace reveals God’s goodwill toward sinners.

Hymn

“Gloria in excelsis Deo!” —Angels We Have Heard on High

Heaven sings; the shepherds echo. Worship is contagious.

5. The Magi — Kings Bow Down

Wise men from the East journey far to worship. They represent the nations, coming to bring tribute.

“All kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.” (Psalm 72:11)

Their gifts are not repayment or to try to buy Jesus’ allegiance. It seems to be a genuine tribute of homage.

Their journey is a foretaste of what Christ’s kingship secures—not that all will believe, but that every knee will bow, some in worship and some in judgment.

At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. The nations

Joy to the world; the Lord is come; Let Earth receive her King; Let ev'ry heart prepare him room, And heav'n and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness, And wonders of his love.

7. The Magi — Worship as Costly Offering

Theme: Worship offers our treasures to Christ.

Scripture

Matthew 2:9–11 “They fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasures…”

The Magi represent the nations; they bow before the Child with costly gifts. True worship is not cheap—it costs time, journey, treasure, and honor. Worship should not cost us nothing.

Worship Drawn Out

The essence of their worship is falling down. The gifts only make sense after the posture.

Reformed Doctrine

Westminster Larger Catechism Q.109 — Worship forbids withholding from God what is due to Him.

Heidelberg Catechism Q.2 — Gratitude expresses itself in offering ourselves to God.

Hymn

“Gold I bring to crown Him again, King forever, ceasing never…” —We Three Kings

Worship crowns Christ as King.

III. The Christ Who Leads the Way

The incarnation is not only the means of our salvation—it is also the model of our life. In Christ, God not only rescues us, He shows us what life with Him truly looks like.

He calls us to lay down our lives, and He laid down His.

He calls us to become like children, and He became one.

He tells us to take up our cross, and He bore His.

He commands obedience, and He obeyed.

He commands love and forgiveness, and He has gone before us in both.

2 Corinthians 8:9 says,

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.”

“Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,

all for love’s sake becamest poor;

thrones for a manger didst surrender,

sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.”

— [Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor]

Here is the heart of Christmas: the Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God.

Romans 8:3–4 declares,

“By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.”

Drawn to Worship: We adore the One who leads by stooping, reigns by serving, and loves by giving Himself away.

We come again to the manger, we come not as mere spectators but as worshipers—united to Christ by faith, drawn by grace, and filled with joy.

O come, let us adore Him—Christ the Lord!