8 – And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 – An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 – But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11 – Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 – This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 – Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 – “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”
15 – When 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.”
One thing I have learned in the past decade or so—is that AGE CHANGES HOLIDAYS. Let’s take this past Thanksgiving as an example. When Sue and I first got married, since both our families lived in Dover, Delaware, we’d split the day between the two. We’d have “Thanksgiving lunch” with my parents—and after letting our food settle a bit—we’d load the kids in the car and head over to Sue’s family for “Thanksgiving dinner.” Both houses were filled with food—and family—siblings and their spouses and kids. Both tables were full to capacity—there was even a “children’s table” or two where cousins would eat because the family gatherings were just too large for one table. It was fun listening to the cousins sitting around those tables—giggling as they enjoyed each other’s company—laughing as only cousins laugh when they are together. In short—back then Thanksgiving was a crowded, noisy, joyful time.
But as we’ve aged—all that has changed. Parents have passed away—both of our dads are with the Lord; cousins have grown—started their own families—with their own Thanksgiving traditions. And as a result, our gathering on the fourth Thursday of November has gotten smaller and smaller as the years have passed. This year, since Daniel and Ashley were with her family—Sue and I decided to have our Thanksgiving meal at her mom and brother’s house—because Sue’s mother is no longer mobile. Sarah and Joe came with us as did Becca. I picked up my mom on the way. The eight of us gathered around the table and—as good as it was to be together—I confess to feeling a little sad. I mean, I always miss my dad at holidays—and I miss my father-in-law as well. The table seems empty without them there. Adding to my melancholy was the fact that none of my siblings were present. Most of Sue’s were absent as well. She has five siblings and only one brother was there. Worst of all there were no great-grandkids—which means there was no laughter-filled children’s table. All that combined to make it a much quieter less-crowded Thanksgiving than the celebrations of the past—and as I said—that made me feel a bit down—but this year we did something that turned things around—something that made the day special.
WE WORSHIPPED.
Before we loaded our plates with food—we loaded our souls with truth—BY SHARING COMMUNION. We opened the Bible and read Paul’s account of the Last Supper—in 1st Corinthians chapter 10. My mother thanked God for Jesus’ broken body and then we each ate a bitter memorial wafer—remembering our Lord’s bitter sacrifice. Sue’s mom led us in prayer thanking God for Jesus’ blood—and then we each drank from a little cup filled with grape juice remembering how on the cross our Lord washed our sins away. The whole thing only took five minutes—but that little communion service changed the atmosphere of that entire “shrunken Thanksgiving gathering.” As we worshipped in those few moments I was reminded of God’s blessings on all other Thanksgivings—all the ways God has been so good to our family down through the years. As we partook, I felt my Heavenly Father’s presence in a special way—and as I did—I thanked Him for His “cup-overflowing goodness” in my life. Best of all—as we read the last part of that text from 1st Corinthians—I thanked God for His promise that Jesus will come again—and when He does—He’ll take us all to Heaven—where we will be reunited with family members like our dads—and we’ll sit around a PACKED table once again—the banquet table of the Lamb where there will be lots of joyous noise—as together we worship God—thanking Him—PRAISING HIM—for His amazing grace.
Have you ever had a worship experience like that—I’m talking about a time of worship that worked wonders in your life? Perhaps it was a private worship service—just you and God and His Word in some secluded setting. Maybe the wonder of worship impacted you as you gazed at a beautiful sunset—and in that moment got a new perspective on life as you remembered how BIG God is—infinitely bigger—GREATER than even YOUR greatest problems. Perhaps worship worked wonders for you in a formal service like this—or when you were with our youth at a summer camp at a more informal setting. Wherever it was—if you’ve ever had a time of worship that turned things around for you would you raise your hand? Thanks!
This morning—we’re going to take a close look at this principle of worship as we continue our Advent series: “Because of Christmas.” You see, because of Christmas worship changed. No longer would a priest be required to intercede between us and God. Jesus became our Intercessor.
As Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:13, “we who were far away from God have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Jesus’ birth and life and atoning death made it possible for us to draw close to our Heavenly Father—to commune with Him in worship in a wonder-working way.
Let’s continue our study of the power of Christian worship begin by DEFINING the word. What is WORSHIP? The word evolved from the Old English word weorthscipe” — and even trying to pronounce that old word helps us to see that worship literally means, “to ascribe worth to someone or something.” So—we worship God anytime we say with our words or our actions that God is WORTHY—worthy of our praise. And growing Christians—KNOW God is worthy—they know the NEED this time of closeness with God in order to SOAR so they naturally worship Him—even if it is costly to do so.
James Montgomery Boice tells of Reverend Joseph Ton, a Baptist pastor who served in Romania before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Pastor Ton told him that before Communism the Romanians celebrated Christmas with the giving of gifts and feasts and Christmas caroling by all ages—as well as with special worship services. But when the Communists took over, Christmas was no longer a legal holiday. Everybody had to go to work on that day, just like any other day. Well, for many people the old Christmas customs ceased. But among the truly born-again people of Romania the traditions concerned with worshiping Christ and celebrating His birth did not perish. Evangelical churches would hold services in the morning and evening—before and after work—and not only on Christmas day, but on the 26th of December as well—which those Christians called “The Second Day of Christmas.” And CAROLING continued—in spite of the fact that for many years the police worked hard to stop people from this religious activity. One Christmas the local police actually attacked the Baptist choir and beat some of the singers as they caroled. But the singers were out again the next day and were welcomed by many who were afraid to join them but greeted the worshipers thankfully, often with tears in their eyes.
These Christians kept singing because worship is the natural response to anyone who has met the Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us. The natural response of anyone who knows God—knows by experience that He IS worthy—is to worship Him—to draw near to Him in order to experience His presence and power.
Okay—HOW do we worship? In his new book, Because of Bethelehem, Lucado points to three ways.
A. First, we worship God—we ascribe Him worth—VERBALLY.
Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of LIPS that openly praise His name.” So—one way we WORSHIP GOD is by telling Him that He is worthy in our prayer conversations with Him—as well as in our songs—and sermons.
Back in the early ‘80’s Willie Nelson had a hit song entitled, “You Were Always On My Mind.” Do you remember it? The lyrics went like this:
“Maybe I didn’t love you quite as often as I could have
And maybe I didn’t treat you quite as good as I should have.
If I made you feel second best. Girl I’m sorry I was blind”
And then his excuse was the chorus.
“But you were always on my mind—you were always on my mind.”
Next verse:
“And maybe I didn’t hold you all those lonely, lonely times
I guess I never told you I am so happy that you’re mine
Little things I should have said and done—I just never took the time”
Here’s the excuse again,
“But, you were always on my mind. You were always on my mind.”
I can’t figure out how that song became a hit because that excuse would never work—can I get an AMEN? If you are young enough—inexperienced enough—to doubt this I challenge you to try it. Try NOT telling your wife you love her. Try treating your wife as if she is second best. Try not being there when she has a hard time—try never telling her how happy she makes you—and then when she gets upset about all that—say, “But honey—you were always on my mind!”
She won’t buy it—and God doesn’t either. Actions speak louder than words—and words literally speak louder than thoughts. God wants to HEAR our praises. He DESERVES to hear them!
As Jesus said in Matthew 12:34: “It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” Psalm 47:1 says, “Shout to God with joyful praise!” Psalm 66:1 says, “May a joyful SHOUT to God all the earth.” Now—I know God can hear our worship—hear our prayers—even if they are unspoken. After all, He knows what we are going to say before we say it.
But I have found that I feel closest to God when I speak to Him—praise Him—thank Him AUDIBLY. For some reason our conversation becomes more real—more genuine—when it is audible. John Wesley wrote to Christians about how to improve their hymn singing in worship. He said, “Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.”
And speaking of our adversary, he cannot tolerate Christ-centered VERBAL worship. You see, unlike God, the devil is not omniscient—he cannot read your mind. He is not moved by what you think only by what you say. So, as James 4:7-8 says, “Yell a loud ‘NO’ to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet ‘YES’ to God and He’ll be there in no time.” (The Message)
Do you remember the story of the little 10-year-old child in Atlanta who was kidnapped a couple years back? His name is Willie Myrick and he said he was in his front yard and bent down to pick up money when somebody grabbed him and threw him in a car. Willie said, “The man told me he didn’t want to hear a word from me,” Well, Willie bravely disobeyed that order. He began to sing—sing a Gospel song called “Every Praise.” The kidnapper started cursing and repeatedly told Myrick to shut up, but he wouldn’t. The little guy sang the song for three hours straight and at that point the kidnapper couldn’t stand it anymore. He let Willie go. Willie boy ran to a nearby home and asked the resident to call his guardian. Way to go Willie! He knew the power of VERBAL worship!
Lucado writes, “Do you want your city to be free from Satan’s grip? WORSHIP! Do you want your home to be loosed from the Devil? WORSHIP! Do you want nations to be places of peace and prosperity? Then let the church assault Satan’s strongholds with joy-filled praise.”
Great advice!
B. A second way we worship is in COMMUNITY.
Remember—Luke 2:13 tells us that on that first Christmas night, “There was a MULTITUDE of the heavenly hosts praising God.” The shepherds—all of them—joined in to that outdoor service. This is a reminder that we need to not only worship verbally alone—but TOGETHER!
You see, something happens in corporate worship that does not happen in our private times of worship. When we worship TOGETHER—when we ascribe God worth TOGETHER—we encourage each other to keep serving God—standing for God.
I remember the power I felt when I attended my first Promise Keepers Rally and worshipped in RFK with tens of thousands of men. It was SO powerful to sing God’s praise—and rejoice in His promises TOGETHER! I was emboldened by that service to serve my God more faithfully.
Now—I know corporate worship is not perfect. In some churches—not ours—the choir sings off key. In this church—not all others—the pastor often stumbles over his words. But that’s not the point. You see, it’s not the QUALITY of corporate worship—no—it’s the SINCERITY that matters. I’ve been in tons of worship services in the D.R. where NO one was on key—and where I didn’t understand what the preacher was saying—I stumbled to grasp his message—but those corporate services still moved me—challenged me. So, we worship verbally, and in community—and finally Lucado says,
C. We worship DEMONSTRABLY.
In other words, don’t be afraid to use your body to show what you feel. Psalm 141:2 says, “May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 63:3-4 says, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.” Daniel 6 says that three times a day Daniel got on his KNEES to pray.
Now—I know outward expressions of worship can be used inappropriately. It can make some feel uncomfortable if people around them raise their hands or get on their knees. And—I know there are people who abuse worship by showing off. They use their bodies—not to worship God—but to get attention. In this way they actually worship self.
But we aren’t supposed to be focused on others when we worship—we’re supposed to be focused God. Other people aren’t our concern. So—clap your hands—as long as it’s GOD you are applauding. LIFT your hands as a way to say you are giving your all to God—as long as you are doing that to be seen by Him. Get on your knees—as long as you are humbling yourself before our Maker. Don’t be afraid to worship demonstrably.
Okay—back to our main question. Why does Christian worship work wonders? Why does sincere God-centered worship change us?
(1) One reason it does is because we were MADE to worship.
We are WIRED to worship our Maker. Let me put it this way worship works WONDERS like vitamin-packed WONDER bread—for in the same way we require vitamins to grow physically—we require communion with God to grow spiritually.
The problem is people don’t worship God. Oh—they worship—but they worship—they ascribe worth to—the wrong things. They are designed to worship—but they don’t worship their Designer. People worship their careers—their health—their possessions—education—sports. Worst of all, people worship themselves—how else do you explain the “SELFIE craze?”
Listen, whatever your passion is—whatever you trust to give your life meaning—that is the object of your worship. And that thing—the subject of our passion—it can be as silly as something like a cup of coffee. Do you remember when Hurricane Sandy slammed into the coast of the Northeastern United States back in 2012? It was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles. Experts estimate that the storm’s monetary damages topped $68 billion. At least 286 people were killed along the path of the storm in seven countries.
Well, as Hurricane Sandy bore down on New York City, almost everything shut down—except at least one rogue Starbucks near Times Square. Desperate but highly committed Starbucks junkies fought high winds, dangerous rains, and dire warnings just to get a latte or a cup of coffee. Bethany Owings, 28, walked 10 blocks with her one-year-old daughter for a fix. “I saw on Facebook that they were open,” she said. “It was scary not having Starbucks.” Her neighbor and friend 29-year-old Chris Hernandez came along and later said, “When she said they were open, I was like, ‘Pack the baby up. Let’s go!’ I didn’t know they were all going to close. I started panicking. There’s nothing else I would’ve gone out for. This makes my day complete.”
Alex Mwangi, 25, walked more than 20 blocks in the raging storm looking for an open Starbucks. He told reporters, “It took half an hour. But I’m a Starbucks fanatic. I go four or five times a day.”
Now—I love my coffee—I have a piping hot polish mug full of java every morning—but I don’t worship the stuff. It doesn’t give my life meaning. It helps me wake up—but it doesn’t make my life complete!
Another VERY SAD example of worship directed in the wrong way comes from the life of the late Steve Jobs—-co-founder and CEO of APPLE. Jobs displayed incredible drive and creativity. He was an amazing guy but he struggled with idolatry. Surprisingly his idol wasn’t TECHNOLOGY; it was FOOD. Steve Jobs was obsessed with food in ways that dominated his life and relationships. As a teenager, he experimented with strange diets. At one point, he went for two weeks eating only apples. I wonder if that’s why he named his company—APPLE. The various diets, often based on raw food, gave Jobs an exhilarating sense of control. And like all idols, his obsession worked at first. It was part of Jobs’ larger project of attaining to superhuman control over his surroundings and other people—intimately linked with his perfectionism. But Jobs’ idolatrous relationship to food cost him his life. In October 2003, a scan turned up islet cell cancer, a rare version of pancreatic cancer that is slow-growing and consequently almost always curable with prompt surgery.
But Jobs’ idol—food as a method of control—failed him. As his biographer, Walter Isaacson writes: “Jobs decided not to have surgery to remove the tumor, which was the only accepted medical approach. Jobs said, ‘I really didn’t want them to open up my body, so I tried to see if a few other things would work.’ Specifically, he kept to a strict vegan diet, with large quantities of fresh carrot and fruit juices. For nine months, as his friends and family pleaded with him to have the surgery, Jobs refused. Not until July of the next year did he consent to remove part of his pancreas. During the surgery, doctors found that the cancer had spread. Jobs would never again be free of cancer, and just over eight years later he was dead at age fifty-six.”
You could rightly say that when diagnosed Jobs was in the terminal stage, not of cancer, but of idolatry—that inevitable point when an idol ceases to deliver but exacts its full demands for unwavering worship. When the public became aware that Jobs was increasingly gaunt, commentators suspected that Jobs’ disease had come back with a vengeance. What few knew was that his wasted body was not just the result of cancer but also his own dependence on—his worship OF—CONTROL THROUGH FOOD.
This is a tragic example of the fact that NOTHING and NO ONE satisfies our need for worship—other than God—and Christmas reminds us of this fact.
This week I came across a story about a missionary serving in Burma. One day he came across a large Buddhist temple. A large number of people, very poor and desperate, were bowing down to a large golden Buddha. They were stuffing what seemed to be the last of their money into the treasury box and kneeling in prayer, hoping to secure a blessing from the Buddha. On the other side of the large golden idol, scaffolding had been built. You see, the Buddha had begun to deteriorate, and a group of workers was diligently repairing the broken Buddha. In short—broken people were bowing down to a broken Buddha asking the broken Buddha to fix their broken lives while someone else fixed the broken Buddha. It’s the same when we worship anything but our Maker—when we do this we are broken people worshiping a broken powerless idol. We were made to worship God—nothing else satisfies.
Lucado writes, “God-centered worship rescues us from bamboozlers, fake gods that never deliver on their promises. Worship does to the soul what a spring rain does to a thirsty field. It soaks down, seeps in, and stirs life. Are you stressed? Worship God, Who could store the universe in His pocket and the oceans in an eyedropper. Are you ashamed? Worship Jesus, Whose love never fades. Are you bereaved? Open your heart to your Shepherd. He will lead you through the valley of sorrow. Do you feel small? A few moments in front of the throne of your loving King will evaporate any sense of insignificance. Worshiping GOD works wonders.”
Here’s a second reason this is true.
(2) God WANTS—not NEEDS—wants our worship.
Worship works wonders because it pleases God. He ACTS in response to our worship. As James promises—“When we draw near to God—He will draw near to us!” He touches our lives as we commune with Him through worship. And God WANTS to commune with us. This is one reason He WANTS our worship.
Now—as everyone knows, Christmas is all about GIVING.
- The magi gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- The shepherds gave Jesus the gift of their time and belief.
- Mary gave Jesus the gift of her womb.
And these gifts were practical. The wise man’s treasures could be used to fund the family’s escape to Egypt. The shepherds’ visits would keep the family company. Mary’s womb would protect the growing child. But the angels’ gift was not at all practical. For they gave Jesus the gift of WORSHIP.
As we just read, the angels filled the night with light and the air with music. Now think about that—couldn’t they have done something more useful? I mean, wasn’t their gift kind of like those fruit cakes you get every year? When given one, you smile and say “Thank you” but you think, “What am I supposed to do with this? I know—I’ll re-gift it to my neighbor!” I mean, the angels could have provided Mary something she really needed like a BED—or they could have given the young family AN ANGELIC ESCORT back to Nazareth. Jesus could have used something BETTER THAN A FEED TROUGH to sleep in.
But of course, as angels they knew what our Maker—made flesh desired. As angels, they knew that Heaven is always filled with worship. As Revelation 4:8 says, “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy!” They knew God LOVES worship. Well, God hasn’t changed—He never does! He still wants our worship. And because of Christmas we know this. Even the word “Christmas” literally means, “the Mass of Christ.” Worship works wonders because God lovingly acts in response to our worship!
Here’s a third reason worship works wonders.
(3) It does so because worship CHANGES us.
As I said earlier, it’s one way we soar to new heights of Christlikeness—because worship is a way of fellowshiping with God such that He helps us see HIM in ways that embolden us.
Whenever we leave a time of sincere worship—we leave different—BETTER—just like those humble shepherds who left the first nativity encouraged to tell everyone what they had experienced.
One of the most stirring, dramatic events of WW I, took place on the first Christmas of that dreadful war in 1914. After five months of unending slaughter, the colossal armies of the German Empire and France and Great Britain had fought themselves to a standstill. In Flanders the trenches of the German army faced those of the British army—separated by a no-man’s land of barbed wire fences.
Picture this in your mind’s eye. All about them the desolate, bleak country was strewn with the wreckage of the terrible struggle of these armies-blackened and ruined villages and smashed churches—jagged trunks of trees, cut down by the artillery; and everything covered with a sea of yellow mud. Everywhere were the dead-the dead of a month ago—the dead of a week ago—-the dead of yesterday—the dead of last night strewn like litter over No Man’s Land and clung like scarecrows to the barbed-wire defenses of both armies.
Then came Christmas Eve 1914. Standing on their platforms in the trenches, troops from both sides watched for an attack but none came that night. Finally, the night passed, and Christmas day dawned, the birthday of the Prince of Peace. The soldiers knew that every morning the whistles would blow and an attack would come but this morning there was a great stillness that covered both lines. At one point from the German side of the field came a chorus of voices singing a Welsh Christmas carol.
“Sleep my child and peace attend thee—all through the night.
Guardian angels God will send thee—all through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping.
I am loving vigil keeping all through the night.”
As this song was sung, soldiers on both sides put down their weapons. Then both armies began singing carols TOGETHER—separated by no man’s land—but united in their worship. Around dawn British troops raised hastily prepared signs that said, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” Suddenly the British soldiers saw three gray-clad soldiers rise out of the German trenches. This time they came without bayonets or hand grenades. Slowly, cautiously, and at first with pathetic hesitation, they approached and passed the line of their own barbed wire, and stood unprotected in No Man’s land. In a moment, before the officers realized what was happening, men by the hundreds were scrambling out of both the German trenches and the British trenches—and running forward toward each other. The soldiers who yesterday were seeking to kill one another now shook hands and wished one another a Merry Christmas in broken English and German. Then they continued to sing the songs of Christmas together each in their own language heralding the birth of THE PRINCE OF PEACE.
All day long on Christmas day in 1914 these enemies celebrated Christmas together in brotherly friendship by singing and exchanging small gifts—German beer, sausages from one side—canned corn beef, biscuits from the other. At one spot along this odd front, the British played soccer with the Germans who won three to two—-but no one seemed to mind who scored the most goals! In some places, the spontaneous truce continued the next day, neither side willing to fire the first shot. Enemies had become friends.
All this change started—with WORSHIP—sinners—enemies—united in praising the God Who made us all. Worship does indeed work wonders!