Adore

Someone had asked me, “How would you feel if you were to meet the baby Jesus knowing he is the son of God.”

This enquiry took me by surprise and caused me to think deeply about my response to this thought-provoking question.

When I contemplate about the shepherds being surprised by the announcement from an angel, did they fully understand the significance of the birth of Christ?

Back then being of Jewish decent and hearing that in the town of David a savior had been born to them was a reason for celebration.  Isreal had been under foreign rule for a long time and at that period the Roman empire was in reign.  There had been many prophecies throughout the years promising the Jews that a Messiah would come to them from the line of David being born in Bethlehem.  The Jews had been waiting for this deliverer who was expected to overthrow the oppressors and free Isreal from bondage ushering in a golden age of peace, justice, and abundance, making Israel the world’s leading nation.

If I were one of those shepherds I would have been stunned speechless.  But after seeing the heavenly host appearing with an angelic praise and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  I would have made haste to Bethlehem too. 

What an announcement to hear!  But I wonder if the shepherds truly understood the meaning of why God sent his son to be born on earth to Mary and Joseph.  This was a different kind of salvation that God was offering to his people.  Giving his son, Jesus, a mission focusing on spiritual redemption from sin, a concept distinct from the political liberation most of Isreal had expected.

So, today, I would answer the above question by saying that I would have an immense feeling of adoration.  The utmost esteem, love, and respect that would come from my most inner self bubbling up and out in a form of worship for this king who would save his people from sin making salvation available to all who believe in him.

This is God’s love song.  Jesus’s birth is the ultimate tangible expression of God’s love for the world.  This is the reason for the season.

This Christmas holiday, take time to ponder on why Jesus was born.  Let us adore Him and worship Christ, the Lord.

Merry Christmas.

Image by manaemedia on iStock.

Gwen