"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'"
Luke 2:13-14
It's that time of year again when we celebrate our Saviour's birth. Maybe we will be part of or go to a few carol services and sing wonderful Christmas Carols as they declare the truth and reason for why we celebrate this season.
One carol that resonates in a special way is, 'O Come, All Ye Faithful', attributed to John Francis Wade. The lyrics from this beautiful song remind us of God's incredible salvation plan. The whole carol could be used to share the entire Gospel, but the words of the last verse, which is traditionally sung on Christmas Day, speak so much truth and bring us so much hope.
"Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee, be all glory giv'n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!"
We see in the Gospel of Luke a great company of heavenly hosts joining the angel who shared the message with the shepherds and appeared praising and worshiping God in that awesome moment. In Latin, this brief hymn is called Gloria in Excelsis Deo, which means, “Glory to God in the Highest.”
As we think about Christmas and the start of God's salvation plan beginning to unfold throughout human history, the thought and idea of adoration jump from the pages of scripture as we read about this supernatural encounter. The word 'adoration' can be described in three ways: (1) worship, (2) deep love, and (3) respect.
This Christmas, Jesus is still worthy of our total adoration. Therefore, let us worship the King of angels, who appeared in the flesh over 2000 years ago and ultimately died for our sins. Let's not only worship Him but fall in love again with our Saviour King!
This Christmas, let's adore Him, express a deep love for Christ, our Lord, and pray that our prodigal family members, communities, and work colleagues may come to know the truth of who Jesus is and why we celebrate this season!
Finally, when you have a deep respect for something, you express this by speaking highly of it and making space to show honor of that which you have respect for. Let us pray that we have an opportunity to share the Gospel with many people over this Christmas time, that the eyes of their hearts would see the real gift of God's salvation through Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world!
