Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

O Leave, Let Us Adore Him!
by Tom Goodman
December 23, 2015

We tend to separate worship from daily life. In the thinking of many, on Sunday mornings we leave home and go to worship.

But in the Christmas story, after the shepherds found Christ they returned home to worship.

That's what Luke wrote: "The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen" (2:20). Did you catch it? Yes, they knelt before the Christ child in the manger, but then worship continued as they returned back to daily life.

In light of this little verse, maybe some of our Christmas carols need updating:

O leave, all ye faithful!
Joyful and triumphant!
O leave ye, O leave ye from Bethlehem.
O leave, let us adore him
O leave, let us adore him
O leave, let us adore him
Christ the Lord!

There's a serious point here. While you should come to worship, you should leave worshipping, too.

This is hard, I know.

In a worship service we sing all these glorious statements about God's power and care. But then maybe we leave the service and return home to not-so-glorious living. It's not easy to return home worshipping when your marriage is strained, or your kids disappoint you, or there's tension in your workplace, or you're fighting cancer, or there's financial anxiety.

But what you experience from worship music and from Bible study should rearrange your priorities, attitudes, and choices in daily life. Declaring gospel truth in a worship service is scrimmage; living out the implications of gospel truth throughout the week is where the real game is won.

This Thursday at 6:00 p.m., we'll hold our annual Christmas Eve worship service. We'll sing carols, observe the Lord's Supper, look into the Word, and close with "Silent Night" by candlelight. Come, let us adore him. But follow the example of the shepherds. At the end of our service, leave adoring him, too.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Schedule. The Christmas Eve service is a 45-minute family-friendly service that begins at 6:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, December 27, we will gather for worship at 10 a.m. There will be no meeting for Common Ground or Sunday School that day.

--Tom

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O Leave, Let Us Adore Him! by Tom Goodman December 23, 2015 We tend to separate worship from daily life. In the thinking of many, on Sunday mornings we leave home and go to worship. But in the Christmas story, after the shepherds found Christ they returned home to worship. That's what Luke wrote: "The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen" (2:20). Did you catch it? Yes, they knelt before the Christ child in the manger, but then worship continued as they returned back to daily life. In light of this little verse, maybe some of our Christmas carols need updating: O leave, all ye faithful! Joyful and triumphant! O leave ye, O leave ye from Bethlehem. O leave, let us adore him O leave, let us adore him O leave, let us adore him Christ the Lord! There's a serious point here. While you should come to worship, you should leave worshipping, too. This is hard, I know. In a worship service we sing all these glorious statements about God's power and care. But then maybe we leave the service and return home to not-so-glorious living. It's not easy to return home worshipping when your marriage is strained, or your kids disappoint you, or there's tension in your workplace, or you're fighting cancer, or there's financial anxiety. But what you experience from worship music and from Bible study should rearrange your priorities, attitudes, and choices in daily life. Declaring gospel truth in a worship service is scrimmage; living out the implications of gospel truth throughout the week is where the real game is won. This Thursday at 6:00 p.m., we'll hold our annual Christmas Eve worship service. We'll sing carols, observe the Lord's Supper, look into the Word, and close with "Silent Night" by candlelight. Come, let us adore him. But follow the example of the shepherds. At the end of our service, leave adoring him, too. Merry Christmas! Holiday Schedule. The Christmas Eve service is a 45-minute family-friendly service that begins at 6:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, December 27, we will gather for worship at 10 a.m. There will be no meeting for Common Ground or Sunday School that day. --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.