Heaven sent a host of angels to sing the night Mary settled into the cleanest hay Joseph could find in the stable and gave birth to this promised Son and savior.

On a nearby hillside, an angel appeared to lowly shepherds, “keeping watch over the flocks.“ “Do not be afraid,“ the angel said. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.“

After the angel had told them how to find this baby, a company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest.“ With this announcement, they rushed off to find the baby and worship him. Afterwards, they “spread the word concerning what had been told them about the child” and returned to their flocks, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.“

Fast forward a few days to Jerusalem. The time had come for Joseph and Mary to present Jesus to the Lord and “to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord.“ As they entered the temple, two more people rushed to adore the incarnated Christ.

Simeon, righteous and devout, “lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel” (Luke 2:25, The Message). The Holy Spirit was on him and revealed that he would not die before he had seen “the Lord Christ.“ Seeing the baby, Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation . . . .“

Anna, the prophetess, was always in the temple. Married seven years and a widow for eighty-four, she remained in the temple day and night, fasting and praying. As Simeon finished speaking, she came up to them and “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.“

By the time the Magi reached Bethlehem, by way of Herod and Jerusalem, the star they had followed for so long stood over a house where Mary and Joseph were staying. The Maji (also called wise men and “three kings”) were overjoyed to have finally arrived, and “when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they bowed down and worshipped him.“ Then they honored him further by opening their treasures and presenting him “with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh” (Matt. 2:10-11).
He deserved such homage.

Like Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna, and the Maji, Christians have some inkling of what God has done for us, and like them, adoration should well up within us. And like these first worshippers, we can express our adoration in three distinct ways.

I want to discuss those ways in the next two blogs. The first Christmas I’ve had this website, I wanted to tell the Christmas story and have it in the archives.

The way Jesus came into the world is an event only exceeded by the way he left it to return to his Father.

So, “hear ye, hear ye!“ :-)