Supporting Characters of Christmas: Worship as Our Response

They basically live their lives out in the fields. Like they're just outcasts of that society, which is crazy because in that Jewish culture, they don't function without sheep. Sheep for their clothing, for their milk, for food, for sacrifice at the temple. The Jewish culture does not operate without sheep and yet the people who spend the most time with the sheep, the people who take care of the sheep, who raise them, they are shunned and kind of outcasts in this society. And so the idea of the announcement of the birth of the Messiah being told to the shepherds first was crazy to even think about. [00:27:35] (35 seconds)  #ShepherdsHeardFirst

They give gold and gold was a gift fit for a king. Gold was often a gift that kings were given as a way to be honored as a way to be acknowledged as king and so when these wise men bow down and worship Jesus and they give this gift of gold they're basically saying to Mary and Joseph and whoever else is around we see him as the new king and we're worshiping him just as that he is the king. [00:37:09] (25 seconds)  #GiftsForAKing

and so when these magi who aren't Jewish they present him with a gift of frankincense they're basically saying this is a gift for a God now whether they knew the divine nature of Jesus or not their hearts were in the right place where their worship led them to give this gift but basically saying we acknowledge him more than just the man there's something uniquely special with it this was a worship of Jesus as God. [00:38:28] (24 seconds)  #FrankincenseForTheDivine

but then you have myrrh and myrrh is a gift for burial and this gift when they brought this out of their bag and gave it this might have struck confusion even fear even fear for Mary and Joseph because myrrh is an anointing oil for embalming the dead and they would have known it because this was common practice in that area in that time. [00:38:56] (22 seconds)  #MyrrhAndMortality

these three gifts these gifts were gifts of worship of Jesus because the magi worship just like the angels did just like the shepherds did their response to the birth of Jesus was worship and they worship this God king who came as a man who came to die this is their response and this is what I mean God doesn't waste roles the angels the shepherds the magi they all were used for God's purposes to respond the same way and they came from different backgrounds different traditions different experiences they were different creatures from the angels compared to the humans and they all ended up in the same place and that was worship. [00:40:02] (38 seconds)  #UnitedInWorship

If we follow Jesus we're a part of his kingdom we're a part of his story and what he's doing and our job is to worship him as supporting characters in God's ultimate story. We should respond in worship and worship is what we give our attention and adoration to. The truth is we all worship and at Christmas time where it gets funky for us sometimes is it's so crazy it's so busy and culture sets these crazy expectations that it's fighting for our adoration it's fighting for our attention. Christmas from a worldly view is fighting for our worship. If Christmas is anything it should be a reminder for us to worship the one true king and that's Jesus. [00:40:56] (38 seconds)  #WorshipNotConsumerism

one of the easiest ways you can do that this season is if you're coming to a Christmas Eve service invite someone to come with you a friend a family a co-worker or really any Sunday you can invite someone to come with you but this season this Christmas time people's hearts are more attuned to what God has done at Christmas time and if they don't have a church connection you can be that shepherd to them. [00:43:57] (20 seconds)  #InviteSomeoneToChurch

I love the movies I love the presents I love the traditions I love arguing about what movies a Christmas movie or where the characters rank but Christmas is and always will be about God becoming a man in Jesus and he was born to die and risen as king of God's kingdom forever and ever and that is what he did for you and me and the only proper response to that is worship. [00:46:25] (23 seconds)  #ChristmasIsWorship