Come Let Us Adore Him
Luke 2:41-52
Click here to view the full sermon video for December 26, 2021 entitled, "Come Let Us Adore Him."
In his book Reflections on the Psalms C. S. Lewis gives one reason why he was an agnostic for so many years. He simply could not understand why religious people insisted that we praise God or that God demanded from us endless praise. Lewis wrote this, “We all despise people who demand our continual assurance of their virtue, intelligence, or delightfulness. We despise even more the crowd of people around every dictator, millionaire, or celebrity who satisfy that demand.” Lewis found this “perpetual eulogy” extremely distressing, like sycophants obsequiously going around a table singing the praises of their “dear leader.”
What Lewis discovered was that praise is not exactly like complimenting someone in need of constant affirmation. Lewis came to see that “all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise”. In truth, we “praise whatever we value and we urge others to join us in praise.” When we hear beautiful music, we say to others, “Wasn’t that glorious!” It is as though our praise completes our enjoyment. How can we remain silent before such beauty and grandeur? Our praise signals our delight, delight with the sights and sounds and feelings that move us. In fact, praise is delight, sheer delight in the very goodness and grace of God, who invites us “to glorify God and enjoy God forever.” Glorifying, praising, enjoying, delighting in God-it is all of one fabric.
And so it is no accident that the twelve old Jesus finds himself attracted to the Temple, that house of prayer and praise for all nations. He is drawn to the place where the name of God hovers mysteriously in the Holy of Holies. The place where sacrifices are offered and hymns of praise are sung continually. Where scholars come and seek wisdom in the Torah. Here Jesus feels most at home, in his Father’s house. The place where the tribes of Israel go up to worship. The place where all nations are invited to offer their praise. Glorifying God and enjoying God forever in the Temple, where even the swallow finds a nest for her young.
From the Temple we go south to Bethlehem where “heaven and nature” joined in praise at the birth of the Christ child. Praise that echoed the words of Psalm 148: “Praise the Lord from the heavens...all his angels. Praise God, all you shining stars...kings of the earth and all peoples, young men and women alike, old and young together...let them praise the name of the Lord, for his glory is above earth and heaven.”
Indeed, at Bethlehem the heavens declared the birth of a Savior, with a shining star and angels announcing the “good news of a great joy”. That glad birth announcement moved the magi bringing their gifts to follow that star. And the shepherds heard the angel voices and went “to see this thing which has taken place.” And after seeing mother and child, the “shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.” Imagine their utter delight!
Glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard. Isn’t that the secret of Christmas, the goal, the aim of this holy season? To join the angelic chorus, “Glory to God in the highest!” “Born a king on Bethlehem’s plain, gold I bring to crown him again, King forever, ceasing never over us to reign.” To give praise and glory to God is to delight in our Emmanuel, God with us, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Hear again those Christmas carols, calling us to come and worship, come and worship Christ the newborn king. Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King. Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the sun of righteousness! Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice, give ye heed to what we say, Jesus Christ is born today. Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing and heaven and nature sing. This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing, haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary. Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing, come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn king. So come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord! Gloria in excelsis Deo!
If Christmas offers us anything at all, it is to learn to praise again, to give hearty thanks to the One who came for us, even in the bleak midwinter. Even when Rome’s power sought to lay heavy taxes upon them. Even where there was no room in the inn. Even when Herod’s soldiers sought to do them harm. Even so, he comes born in a stable, to us who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow. We who have endured two years of pain and loss and separation. We so long to hear the angels sing and the light to shine above us yet again. Here we bring our praise and our love, here are met the hopes and fears of all the years.
And when we offer our praise and our love, something mysterious and amazing happens to us. We see what we could not see and we hear what we could not hear before. Like John imprisoned on the island of Patmos, we come to worship on the Lord’s Day. Then the heavens open and we see the sights and hear the sounds surrounding the Lamb of God who alone is worthy of praise. As our hearts are lifted up, a song comes to our lips, “To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.” No matter that we are exiled to Patmos or to Babylon or anywhere else in God’s creation, we still lift our voices in praise and love. Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? The Lamb of God who was pierced takes away the sins of the world and rules over ever principality and power. And thus is worthy of our heart-felt praise and adoration.
It is like those Christians in Kentucky whose homes and businesses and schools and places of worship were reduced to rubble. On the Lord’s Day they gathered as a community in front of their destroyed church building. And they gave thanks for their lives and lamented those they lost. And in that act of worship and praise, their hearts were strengthened and their hopes were renewed, because they believe that God is with them, God is for them, and God is good, all the time, in the best of times, the worst of times. Despite the rubble, despite the loss and the hurt, we celebrate Emmanuel. God with us.
For me, worship, especially at Christmas, lifts up this great and liberating truth: I am not the center of the universe. Worship dethrones my ego and seeks to enthrone Christ yet again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Psalm 115 forcefully reminds us, “Not to us, not us, but to your name give glory!” This Christmas once again Pope Francis called upon the Vatican bureaucracy to humble themselves and remember that they are servants of Christ. The pontiff’s sermon was simple, “All you cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, come down off your high horse and humble yourself before the Christ child. Merry Christmas!”
So how is it with your soul this Lord’s Day? Has this Advent journey summoned you afresh to dethrone your ego so that the Christ child may enter in? Will you in humility bow before your Savior with shepherds and magi? In this blessed Christmas season, you are called to give thanks and praise for what God has done for you at Bethlehem, what God has done for you at Calvary, what God has done for you every day of your life. Remember that Christ is born to save, Jesus Christ is born to save.
So on this Lord’s Day, may your heart learn to praise again, to give thanks again, to delight in the One who delights in you. And to sing again your alleluia. Christ, to thee with God the Father, and O Holy Ghost, to thee, hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unwearied praises be, Honor, glory and dominion and eternal victory. Evermore and evermore. Amen.