Last Sunday we were given a fantastic gift by a relatively new friend: a knitted nativity! It is an incredible piece of artwork that must have taken hours for our friends grandmother to knit (two shepherds, two sheep, three kings each holding a gift, Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the manger) and which now has pride-of-place on our bay-window's sill meaning that everyone passing by can see the Christmas scene. Then, yesterday, I was at the school where I am the chaplain watching their nativity and doing a wee talk myself - the chocolate nativity.
And all of this nativity gazing/watching/speaking etc. has got me thinking about how the first people who met or heard about Jesus responded. And the overwhelming response (with the exception of Herod) was this: they worshipped.
Because we have the shepherds, looking up at the Milkyway (see the chocolate link?!), when suddenly an angel appears to them and tells them that the Saviour has been born. And what do they do? They rush to see Him; and having looked on Jesus with their own eyes they leave praising God and telling everyone - they shouted it out, the didn't Wispa.
And then we have the Magi - wise men studying the night sky, gazing at the planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars. And suddenly they see what look like Magic Stars and they decide to follow the star, which leads them to Jesus (via their encounter with Herod), where they "bowed down and worshipped him."
But not only these two groups, because sandwiched somewhere between them (much nearer to the visit of the shepherds) we have Simeon and Anna, waiting faithfully into old age - absolutely believing that the promise of God to send a Saviour was true. And upon seeing Jesus in His parent's arms their response was simply this: they praised God.
And as we enter these last few days before Christmas, and as I reflect on these things, I find myself challenged as to the space that I am planning to create over this time to adore, worship and praise the One without whom we would not even exist. Because things are getting busy: there is food to buy, there are cards still to write; there is rugby this afternoon, church tomorrow, golf the day after that; there is family arriving, there are people to see, and before I know it the big day will be here.
But the big day is only the big day because of Him. And as much as the shepherds and Magi rejoiced - and hopefully their rejoicing included a great, big party at all that God was doing! - they worshipped first. And so as we prepare to party and celebrate and rejoice, I know that I am also going to be seeking to make ways to worship and adore Him.
Because here's the Crunch[ie]. He is Divine. He is the Lord. And He is worthy and deserving of all our worship - in these coming days, and at all times.
"O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord..."
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