Advent - We Have Found The KingSample

Today is Christmas Day. It is also Sunday. Strangely, going to worship today for many Christians will feel like an inconvenient interruption in the warm, relaxing time with family and the opening of gifts at home. For most of Christian history, however, Christmas Day has been among the greatest of days for worship. Indeed, the very name “Christmas” is a title for a worship service. The word “mass” comes from the Old English masse, which in turn came from the Latin word missio, meaning “to send” or “to dismiss” as in the dismissal of worship and sending out into the world. So when we say “Christmas,” we are saying “Christ-worship.”

In our Scripture text for today from the book of Revelation, we hear a great anthem of worship sounding out in heaven at the appearance of the risen Christ in the form of a slaughtered lamb. Just before his appearance, all the hosts of heaven were waiting in suspense for the revealing of the One who would be worthy to open the seven-sealed scroll of the words containing the final salvation to come. Even John, the writer of the book, says that he was so disturbed by the wait, that he began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll. Then suddenly, upon the arrival of the Lamb, all of heaven broke out in worship, singing Worthy is the Lamb . . .

The hosts of heaven show us that the only authentic response to the coming of Christ is worship – knee-bending, song-singing, hand-raising, heart-stirring WORSHIP!

So, on this blessed day, get up, get dressed, get out and go worship the child of Bethlehem, the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth – JESUS, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Dr. Bill Carrell, Professor of Christian Studies