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Today is a creative service. We are going to apply the message right here, right now. The point today is in the title of the message: worship more fully. A great way to celebrate Christmas is to worship Jesus Christ more fully. So today we are blending speaking and singing to guide us in an extended experience of worshipping Jesus more fully.
We are concluding our series, The Christmas Conspiracy, which is about seeing the deeper significance of Christmas and finding the joy that can be ours. The point of Christmas should be to celebrate Jesus. We’ve talked about celebrating Jesus by blessing others and meeting more needs. You have provided for 415 children in need by giving about 2,500 gifts worth approximately $20,000. Thank you. You have already given thousands of dollars to provide clean water in Uganda. And many of you have reached out to people in need, blessing families in practical ways such as with beds and baby clothes. If you have a significant need this Christmas, let the church family know. We are a family. We want to meet each other’s needs. Last week we shared that we can celebrate Jesus by giving more presence, not the wrapped kind, but being present with another person. Out of incredible love God gave us the gift of his presence at Christmas. Today we move to our third way to celebrate Christmas: worship more fully!
We find inspiration in four compelling models from the first Christmas. Mary, the angels, the shepherds and the Magi inspire us with their worship at Jesus’ birth. As we consider each example we will sing songs fitting each model of worship. Let’s begin with Mary, the unmarried, teenage mother of Jesus. Mary wrote an amazing song of praise.
Mary’s song of praise – Magnificat
Turn in your Bible to Luke chapter one, verse forty-six. Mary’s song has traditionally been called, the Magnificat. It is a collage of biblical allusions that honor God. Mary really knew her Scriptures. Notice how she begins in verse 46. Luke 1:46–56.
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.” Luke 1:46–56
Reflect on the richness and beauty of Mary’s song. Mary takes no pride in her role. She gives all glory and praise to the Lord, God her Savior. She magnifies God. In Hebrew, to magnify literally meant to enlarge or make long, like the fringes of a garment. We are to honor the Lord God, to increase the praise given to him.
Look at her song more closely. How does she describe who God is and what He does? Circle each description of God. The Lord, God my Savior, the Mighty One, holy and merciful. Underline God’s actions. He is mindful of humble Mary, does great things for her, performs mighty deeds, scatters the proud, brings down rulers; lifts up the humble, fills the hungry, sends away the rich empty, helps Israel and extends mercy to those who fear Him. Mary understands the greatness of God so she honors him.
This Christmas how will you honor God? What about in all the conversations you will have with family and friends during your time off from work and school? Ask yourself how you could intentionally move the conversation beyond sports, gifts and other small talk. When relatives and friends ask, “How have you been doing?” In your reply, will you mention God? How will you honor God over Christmas?
Mary wrote this amazing song. If you are gifted in that way, you could write a song to honor Jesus. Use your creativity to create something that expresses your worship. Worship more fully by following Mary’s model. Mary magnified the Lord.
Angel’s praise – Gloria
To Mary’s wonderful model we add the model of the angels. Turn to Luke Chapter two, verse eight. The curtain is drawn back for a moment on the supernatural world that intersects with our natural world. Heaven addresses earth. Angels announce the long-awaited coming of God to earth, the greatest moment in the history of the world. Their song has traditionally been called the Gloria. The stage for this song is set by the most famous Christmas passage in the Bible, in Luke chapter 2. We will start in verse eight.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:8–14
Picture a dark night sky flooded with the brightness of God’s blazing glory. When the glory of God appeared, the Scripture says the shepherds were terrified. The angel’s first words are, ‘‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy.” God offers to replace your great fear with great joy.
The angel announces good news which is the word for “Gospel.” Today, this very day, a Savior is born for you and for all the people. After announcing that he is bringing good news, the angel announced Jesus with three exalted titles: Savior, Christ and Lord. The angels declared, 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
The title Savior points to the fact that Jesus came to save all people, to bring salvation to earth. The title Christ is the Greek word for Messiah in Hebrew. Jesus is the promised deliverer, the Messiah, the anointed One. And thirdly, He is Lord, a name for God which indicates his sovereign authority. This Greek title is often used to translate the Hebrew name, Yahweh.
Then an entire company of angels sings the Gloria that has inspired composers for two thousand years. It consists of two lines filled with three powerful pairs: Two weighty words: glory and peace; two places: heaven and earth; two beings: God and favored people. Here is the Gloria:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Glory in heaven is united with peace on earth. The invitation is to glorify the one and only God who is alone worthy of the highest praise. Peace has come to those on whom his favor rests. Who are those people? They are favored people. While the angel has told the shepherds that good news of great joy has come for all the people. This remark makes it clear that salvation in its fullness is not automatic for everyone. Who are the favored people? Favored people are those who receive God’s gift. You can experience God’s peace. If you have never bowed your knee to Jesus Christ in faith, you can do so today. I call you to faith. I invite you to receive the peace of God that he offers to all people so that you might be among the favored people who experience God’s peace. Trust in Jesus Christ as your savior. Each person must personally trust in Jesus Christ to experience the peace of God’s salvation. If you have never done so, I urge you to trust in Jesus today. I am going to pray and I invite you to pray right along with me in your heart. I will pray a prayer of requesting salvation, a prayer of receiving God’s peace through His son, Jesus Christ. Pray after me in your own heart.
PRAYER of salvation
If you prayed that prayer, would you let someone know? Tell your family, tell your friend, tell me. Salvation is the greatest gift you can receive and telling others your decision is the greatest gift you could give to them this Christmas. The model of the angels’ Gloria should inspire us to sing God’s praise year-round.
The Glory of God
Angels we have heard on high
Shepherds’ response – go tell, praise
To the models of Mary and the angels, we add the example of the shepherds’ response. Turn to Luke chapter two, verse fifteen. What did the shepherds do after hearing the angel’s Gloria? They could have ignored the whole thing, returned to the deadening routine of their daily lives with the sheep. But they did not. Instead, the Shepherds’ response is a model for how we should respond to God. The shepherds respond in three ways. Luke chapter two, verse fifteen.
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:15–20
The first thing the shepherds did was to hurry to go find Jesus. They go to Bethlehem. The shepherds are eager to see Jesus. And we need to do the same thing. We need to look for Jesus. I don’t know where you are with Jesus Christ today. Do you have a personal relationship with him? Are you figuring out what you believe? Are you searching for truth, for God? I encourage you figuratively to go to Bethlehem; look in the manger.
After the shepherds go see Jesus, what do they do? What is their second response? They tell about the child. Luke tells us
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. The shepherds were so excited about what they had seen, they tell others what they had seen and been told by the angels. The Savior has come, the Messiah, the Lord God of all. In a sense, the shepherds were the first evangelists.
And we need to do the same thing. Take advantage of the season. It’s natural to talk about Jesus Christ on his birthday. How will you share Jesus with others this Christmas? What a great time to talk to friends and family about your Savior. At Christ Fellowship, we are having special Christmas Eve services and a service on Christmas morning. What an opportunity to invite friends and family who are in town. Most people who might not go to church at another time are much more inclined to come at Christmas. Use the invitation cards we have provided you to invite people to come to one of the Christmas services.
Finally, at the end of this story, after going to see Jesus and telling others, in the shepherds’ third response they praise God. Luke tells us: 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen. The shepherds praise God for sending Jesus Christ into the world to bring us peace.
And we need to do the same thing. We need to praise and glorify God for sending Jesus into the world. Never take Jesus for granted. Never let praise become formal or routine. It is always time to praise God, but this is one of the highest and best times: the birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord. Let’s worship more fully by following the shepherds’ model that first Noel by going, telling and praising.
The First Noel
Go Tell it on the Mountain
Magi’s worship – Rejoice, Bow, Give
We’ve seen the models of Mary, the angels and the shepherds inspiring us to worship more fully. Now we come to our last model, the Magi. Open your Bible to Matthew chapter two, verse ten. The Magi are the wise men from the East who follow the star to come see the newborn King. We will focus on their response to Jesus, starting in Matthew two, verse ten.
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10–11
The Magi rejoice. They are overjoyed. In Greek this one English word, “overjoyed” translates four Greek words that literally say: “They rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” They are thrilled with Jesus. Are you overjoyed with Jesus? This does not mean you are always happy and smiling, but even in a tough economy, deep in your soul are you full of joy over Jesus’ birth?
When they saw the child, the Magi bowed down in worship. These powerful, intelligent men fall down before an infant and worship him. God is calling you and me to bow before the Christ child. This is Christmas.
Then the Magi opened their treasures to give him gifts. These were gifts worthy of a king. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were expensive. The Magi probably gave large portions that they carried in treasure boxes on their long journey.
What we do with our treasure, our money, proves or exposes the sincerity of our worship. Jesus says:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21.
Where is your heart? What do you do with your treasures? Do you lay them at Jesus’ feet? To what extent does your giving to Christ show how much you are really celebrating him?
Especially in a down economy, the Magi’s example inspires us; however much money you have or do not have, worship the real King by opening your treasures and giving him great gifts. Will you practice Magi-worship this Christmas? This Christmas, you will buy gifts for yourself and for various people you love, which is fine. But what gift will you give to the One whose birthday it is?
Today we are celebrating Jesus by worshipping more fully. Christmas should be about the birth of Jesus. It is his birthday. Let’s conspire together to celebrate Jesus by blessing more people, by giving more presence and by worshipping more fully, as we bow before the King.
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