One of the more famous Christmas hymns is “O Come, All Ye Faithful” by John Francis Wade in 1744. This Christ-centered melody reminds us of the reason for the season and gives a collective call to all Christians to “Come, let us adore Him.”
Admittedly, there are many distractions this time of year that can take our focus away from the Savior of mankind’s grand entrance into the world just over 2,000 years ago.
Whether or not you have a “White Christmas,” experience a “Silent Night,” or hear those “Silver Bells,” it is time to follow this centuries-old hymn and “adore Him.”
Here are 4 Bible-saturated truths to remind you to come and adore Jesus this Christmas season.
1. Oh come, and adore Jesus for He is Immanuel
Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”
It is a beautiful truth that our God is not distant, uninvolved, or indifferent. Our God is with us.
The Christmas season represents a time that we joyfully celebrate God physically coming into our world as our Savior, Jesus Christ.
On Christmas Eve 1854, famous preacher Charles Spurgeon exclaimed to his congregation, “Oh may God teach you the meaning of that name Immanuel, ‘God with us’.”
The great British orator continued, “Tis the sufferer’s comfort, ’tis the balm of his woe, ’tis the alleviation of his misery, ’tis the sleep which God giveth to his beloved, ’tis their rest after exertion and toil… God with us — ’tis eternity’s sonnet, ’tis heaven’s hallelujah, ’tis the shout of the glorified, ’tis the song of the redeemed, ’tis the chorus of angels, ’tis the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky.”
May your hearts overflow with adoration for Christ! For you are not alone. Our God is with us.
2. Oh come, and adore the humility of our King’s birth
Luke 2: 10-12 says, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger’.”
Christ lived a life of a humility beginning with His very birth in the “little town of Bethlehem.”
In a time when those of royalty were birthed in palaces, received the utmost attention, and were lavished with a multitude of gifts, the “King of Kings” entered this world in what was considered a step below a barn.
He did not lay in a crib of silk, cotton, or the finest material of His time. Our “Lord of Lords” lay in a feeding trough.
On the birth of Christ, C.S. Lewis said, “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”
It is undoubtedly humbling that the Savior of all mankind was born in the most humbling of circumstances. Let us together lower ourselves into a position of humble adoration and worship our King who did not enter this world in luxury or grandeur, but came to us in the lowliest of settings.
This humble beginning of God in the flesh deserves our adoration.
3. Oh come, and adore the one that Angels marvel at
Luke 2:11-14 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased’!”
At the moment of Christ’s birth, the angels broke out into a joyful praise to God. Can you imagine the sight the shepherds would have seen?
This image of a congregation of angels communicates the significance of this moment in history and is something that is seldom seen throughout the entirety of scripture.
Were the angels the ones in need of redemption? Did Christ come to save the angels? No and No. Still they joyfully praised God at the arrival of Christ. If we are the recipients of the salvation available through Jesus, how much more should we worship Him?
Phillip Holmes says, “The angels demonstrate a reverence and admiration that we, in our fallen state, struggle to display and maintain. The gospel is good news for us, not angels – yet they rejoice and worship as if they were the ones experiencing this peculiar good of our merciful God. We would do well to listen and learn.”
Yes, the angels did sing the “first noel.” However, let their example encourage you to be filled with astonishment and adoration when reflecting on Christ this season.
4. Oh come and adore not only the baby in the manger, but also the man on the cross
Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
The baby Jesus did not stay in Bethlehem, but would grow to eventually give His life on the cross for the sins of mankind.
We often reflect on this portion of Jesus’s life in April. However, understanding the full mission of Jesus’s life can allow more adoration to overflow out of your heart this Christmas season.
Pastor John MacArthur says, “The shadow of the cross looms over the manger. When you understand that, you understand Christmas.”
Let your hearts be filled with adoration for Jesus, knowing that the trajectory of His life would lead to the cross.
The baby in the manger would become the greatest man to walk the earth. The Savior of all humanity.
Be filled with adoration! Just as the manger was eventually vacated, so would Jesus leave behind an empty tomb years later, defeating death itself.
“Oh come, let us adore Him” this Christmas season – and every day. For the baby that entered into this world over 2,000 years ago was God in the flesh. He is Immanuel, meaning God with us.
He is alive today.
Come and adore our living Savior!
(h/t Christian Life Daily)