Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
Throughout Scripture, everyone who has come into the presence of the Lord has been in awe of Him and has adored Him.
Think of Moses and the burning bush. Quietly watching over his father-in-law’s sheep, Moses saw a bush on fire but not being consumed. When God spoke to Moses telling him to remove his shoes, Moses realized who was speaking, and “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). But he listened and spent 40 years showing adoration to God by obediently leading God’s people according to God’s direction.
Think of Isaiah and his vision. Isaiah writes about the vision through which God called him to be His prophet: “I saw the Lord…high and lifted up… [and the angel] called to another and said. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” His reaction was to confess his sinfulness and, like Moses, to adore God by answering His question, “Whom shall I send?” with “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:18).
Think of the Wise Men and their gifts. The Wise Men came in search of the newborn King, bringing their gifts and bowing before Him in adoration. Matthew 2:11 records, “And going into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him.” And they offered to the Christ Child the gifts they had brought for Him, “gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
Think of the shepherds and their angelic revelation. The shepherds adored Him, too. They heard about Jesus from the angels as they sat outdoors watching their sheep and ran to Bethlehem to see the Christ Child. They didn’t have gifts to bring as the Magi did, but they, too, responded in adoration. Luke writes, “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning the Child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2: 17-18).
God gives gifts to each of us and uses us to tell the Good News of the birth of His Son Who came to bring us forgiveness of sins, salvation, even life eternal.
So think of our response.
Sometimes, like the Wise Men, we give monetary gifts to support mission and ministry.
Other times, like the shepherds, we “make known… [what has] been told [us] concerning the Child.”
And all the time, by God’s grace, all of us can respond in faithful obedience to God’s Word.
In these ways, we adore our Savior.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Hartwig