Why We'll Always Celebrate Christmas!
The Heart of Christmas
Monday, December 8, 2003
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for being worthy of my worship and praise. As I move to a Monday, I pray that I will worship You as fully today as I do on Sundays, when I gather with brothers and sisters through Your Son, Jesus, to worship as His body gathered together. I pray that my thoughts, words, and actions, will be offered to You as a living sacrifice, which is my spiritual act of service and worship to You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that all that I am and all that I do will glorify You. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Verses
Luke 2:8-20
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15When 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.”
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Questions for Reflection
Today, we’re focusing on worship as we turn again to Luke 2:8-20. Consider the characters involved in this first Christmas story and see how they worshiped God: The angels sang praises to Him. The shepherds acted on the angel’s message. Mary pondered the shepherds words in her heart, reflecting on what God had in store for her, and her new son, Jesus!
What is the most natural way for you to worship God? (Is it through song, through action, through study?)
Questions for Exploration
What is the angel’s basic message to the shepherds? (8-14)
In what ways do the shepherd’s demonstrate that they believed the message the angel brought them? (15-20)
How did Mary respond to the shepherd’s news? (18-20)
Questions for Understanding
In what sense could each of the characters in today’s Scripture be considered to have worshiped God?
How do you suppose the angel’s appearing to the shepherds would have impacted your understanding of worship, if you had been one of them?
Question for Application
What is one way you will worship God today as a result of reading today’s Scripture?
Do Not Be Afraid!
The angels that appeared after the first angel delivered his message, came to offer praise to God! Imagine what it must have been like for the shepherds to see an army of angels standing before them praising God. We are reminded in the Book of Revelation that all of eternity will be devoted to worshiping and praising God, and today’s Scripture reminds us as well! Worship is the central activity of heaven. Some folks find other activities more interesting here on earth, and indeed, sometimes our worship is presented as if it were a duty or a habit rather than a response of praise and adoration to God, who alone is worthy of adoration and praise. On that first Christmas night, when God became a human being and came to live among us, the angels rejoiced and praised God, because they knew that as a result of this amazing action on God’s part, humanity would be given access to heaven! The angel army who sang that night was only doing what comes naturally to beings who live in the presence of God: they praised Him and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” As we go through this Christmas season, may we stop and offer praise to God throughout each day, for He alone is worthy of our worship and praise!
To view other studies from the Why We Celebrate Christmas series, click here.