Chris Tomlin - Adore - The Overflow DevoSample

A Christmas Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia / Christ the Savior of the world / He has come

From the beginning of time, everything in heaven and on earth was created to worship. While we worship with our lives in big and small ways every day, at Christmastime, the hope is that we lean in a little closer and fix our gaze on the true meaning of the season. For believers, the real gift is never under the tree. The true gift is found in the manger. And just like the shepherds, the magi and the angels we can’t help but worship.

As the Christmas story reveals, when we come into the presence of Jesus, our immediate response is worship. And out of that worship, we can’t help but tell others about who He is and what He has done. The shepherds did this: “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished… The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” (Luke 2:17-18, 20, NLT).

Likewise, the wise men followed the star to worship Him: “They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matt. 2:11, NLT)

Although He didn’t look like a king, lying there helpless in the straw, the shepherds and wise men knew there was something extraordinary about this child. They felt it; they knew it in their souls. Their story is also one of obedience.

The shepherds didn’t have to believe the angel that appeared to them in the fields. They could have allowed fear to overtake them. They could have balked at the inconvenience of leaving their sheep. But they didn’t.

The magi could have misread the stars. They could have used the excuse that the journey was too long. They could have told King Herod about the baby. But they didn’t. And look what they would have missed out on if they hadn’t endured, if they hadn’t obeyed.

It’s a lesson to us that obedience always leads us to Jesus. And our response along the journey and in His presence is always one of worship.

The heavens roar / The angels sing / All glory to our God and King / O night divine / Forevermore

What’s one area in your life where you can obey and worship Him?