The Christmas season gives us special opportunities to worship, to reflect upon God's Word, and to seek to reach out in numerous ways. To me, it just seems like that all the references to the season are a reminder to us of the preeminence of Jesus Christ. Psalm 95 offers a relevant invitation for us to enter into worship:
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand...
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand...
The story of Christmas is full of instances of worship. And, when we consider that God sent His Son into the world, this gives us plenty for which we should thank Him. Jesus came to earth to bring us salvation - He was born in order that He might die and rise again. And, if we are saved, we know that we have been raised with Him and have the bright promise of spending eternity in His presence. So, whatever your local church worship experience might look like this Christmas, we can be challenged to have a heart full of adoration for our Lord!
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We are continuing our journey, our Advent-ure, through 25 symbols relative to the coming of Christ an its significance, and today, the 22nd day of December, we see that Jesus was brought to the temple. This appears to be after 40 days. In Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 22, we read this:
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
This is prescribed in Leviticus 12:8.
We also find that Jesus and his family had a visitor during their time in the Temple, a man named Simeon, who was devoted to the Lord, Who had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not
die until he had seen the Christ. He spoke over Jesus and said, later in the chapter:
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
Jesus was born as a Jew, and was engaged with the worship at the Temple. At the age of twelve, we see that he was in Jerusalem talking with the wise elders there - he told his parents that he was about His Father's business. We see in the book of Luke that after being baptized by John the Baptist and tempted by the devil, he "taught in the synagogues," and upon coming to Nazareth, He preached about what Isaiah had written - about Him!
So, one of the rites of the Temple was this dedication of a Hebrew child to the Lord, which was done according to God's Law. The two birds - turtledoves or pigeons - are powerful symbols to us of obedience to the truth of God. And, a little aside, when you read about the legend of the origins of the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, the "two turtle doves" are thought to refer to the Old and New Testaments, as part of the "code" that was being communicated in that song.
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Christmas Day is this Sunday, and while churches may adjust their worship times for that special day to accommodate families, a LifeWay Research survey indicates that a significant percentage of churches will be open this Sunday to celebrate our Savior's birth.
Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, says, “Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year especially at churches, with many churches having extra Christmas Eve services and special programs,” and added, “If Christmas falls on Monday through Saturday, churches might be closed on December 25—but almost never on a Sunday.”
The Christmas season has become a major outreach focus for many churches, with more than half of Americans saying they visit church for Christmas. Many of those who don’t go usually to church are open to an invitation during the holidays, according to previous LifeWay Research studies.Also, according to the article, "More than 7 in 10 Protestant senior pastors say their churches plan to hold Christmas Eve services. And more than a few will be open on New Year’s Eve."
According to their pastors, among churches with fewer than 50 attenders, 84% will be holding services on Christmas. 85% of churches with more than 250 in attendance will hold services on Christmas, And, 92% of pastors of mid-size churches - with between 100 and 249 attenders - say their church will hold Christmas Day services. The total, then: 89% of Protestant churches will meet on Christmas Day, with 85% on New Year's Day, and 71% on Christmas Eve.
These findings can also help us to think about some themes from the Christmas narrative. First of all, Christmas is a time for worship. All of the major players are depicted as participating in worship. And, even if your church may not be meeting on Christmas Day or you will not be attending, it is still important to incorporate worship in your Christmas celebration.
We also recognize that the ministry of Jesus included His teaching in the synagogue. You might say that Jesus was involved in the local church. And, not only that, but He had an outward focus beyond the Temple. What a great pattern for us! We integrate into the local church, but we also realize that we have been given a ministry in our communities. And, in a relevant matter to Christmas, I read of a church that was cancelling services at Christmas in order to go out and serve the community.
Of course, we do have to guard against misplaced priorities, as an article from the satire site The Babylon Bee reminds us. The piece announces:
Citing the great reverence and honor due the Lord Jesus on the traditional day celebrating His incarnation, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church confirmed Tuesday that their worship service would be canceled on Christmas morning.
“We want to show respect and adoration to our Lord on the day commemorating His birth,” pastor Kyle Redding told reporters. “So we’ll be calling off all the services in which we usually sing praises to Him and study His Word, in order that He’ll be more glorified.”
“Also, I’ll get to play with my new iPad that I just know my wife, Kate, got me. I felt the package. I’m pretty sure it’s the Pro edition.” Redding further stated he was pretty sure this is what Jesus would want on the day marking His taking on flesh and coming into the world to save His people from their sins.
“I can think of nothing more worshipful on the Lord’s Day than foregoing worship services in order to tear into gift after gift after gift from under our ornate tree.”This Christmas, wherever you worship, make sure you focus on THE gift.
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