Gathered in Worship Around the One Lord

“They saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage.”

(Mt. 2:11)

Meditation

When the Magi from their far-away countries arrived at Bethlehem and saw the Child with His mother, they worshiped Him. In the presence of this revelation of God among us, eyes are cast down, and knees are bent. Similarly, at the sight of the burning bush, Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God. When the disciples saw the risen Christ on the mountain in Galilee, they were amazed and troubled. Yet they worshiped Him. In the heavenly liturgy, the twenty-four elders fall before Him who sits on the throne. Encountering God’s presence, we respond thus: gazing, followed by amazement, leading to worship.

Do we see? Are we amazed? Are we truly worshiping? How many times do we see without perceiving, our eyes remaining blind to God’s presence? How can we worship in truth if we do not see first? In our narrow vision, too often, we see only our tangled disagreements, forgetting that the one Lord has given His saving grace to us all and that we share in the one Spirit who draws us into unity. Often in our pride, we follow our own laws and human traditions while often disregarding the love we are called to share as one people justified by Christ’s blood, with a common faith in Jesus as our Saviour.

As communities enlivened by the Holy Spirit, our churches call us to walk together towards the Christ-Child to offer him homage as one people. The Spirit of compassion guides us to each other and together guides us all to our one Lord. Only by following this guide will we be able to “worship in spirit and truth.” Our future in God is a future of unity and love; our way to this destination must reflect that same truth of oneness in Christ.

Prayer

Compassionate God, You who gave the blind the insight to recognize you as their Saviour, enable us to repent. In Your mercy, remove the scales from our eyes and lead us to worship You as our God and Redeemer.

In the midst of our sorrow and despite the depth of our sins, give us the capacity to love You with all our hearts.

May we journey together guided by Your light, with one heart and one mind, as were the very first disciples.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon us so that together we glorify You in the Spirit’s fellowship and witness to all those around us. Amen.