Today, we are looking into the Window of Worship. We see worship in the Shepherd’s experience at the birth of Jesus. Luke 2:20 says: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Personally experiencing Jesus most assuredly results in worship, as it did for the shepherds, and later for the wise men… as it does for us.
At Christmas, we celebrate the gift that was given to us: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”(John 3:16 NCV) The ultimate response to God’s gift of a Messiah, is to offer a gift in return. Giving an offering to the Lord, is a natural form of Worship.
Throughout the Christmas season, we practice gift giving. We give to our family and friends, we give to charities, to our kettle campaign, to our local communities. And this morning, we have an opportunity to give to The World, the world God so loved, the world he still loves. And we have an opportunity to show love to this world through the ministry of the international Salvation Army. When we give to World Services, we practice worship by following God’s example of giving to the world He loves.
Our Salvationist brothers and sisters around the world are caring for their communities through the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army and we can come alongside them through our worship offerings of self-denial to World Services. Join us in worship this morning.
