O Come Let Us...

"And after entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, after opening their treasure chests, they presented to Him gifts fit for a king..."—Matthew 2:11

There is absolutely nothing wimpy or cute about the word "adore."

Three (or quite possibly more) very wise men's men were among the first to put it into action. Adore is far more than a reasonable facsimile for "love" or "worship." It is shocking in its against-the-grain invitation to actually linger awhile instead of hurrying on to the next thing, or the next latest-and-greatest. In fact, adore is such a rugged word, its depth reaches to the point of being an expression of something that, considering the Subject, really can't be put into the right words.

It blows "wow!" and "woah!" out of the water.

Adore may not be found in the most authentic bible translations, but nevertheless, its call is on nearly every page, and embedded in every breath of a Creator who desires nothing more than daily relationship with His created kids.

Which, of course, is why He came in the first place.

And so, in the whirlwind of the season, it's good to take a deep breath this morning and sing like never before:

O come, let us…

Love and respect deeply

Cherish

Love dearly

Be devoted to

Prize

Treasure

Think the world of

Love in the highest degree

Put off shoes that stand on holy ground

Approach joyfully and yet in an attitude of reverent face-downness

And there, and only there, find perfect peace and rest...

...adore Him, Christ the LORD.

The ancient carol may take longer to sing that way, but this is not the week for wimping out on what really matters...remembering, celebrating, embracing, and learning to live out the greatest Gift ever given.

"Worship is life. Every breath. Every word. Every thought. Every deed. In public. In private. Everything. Everywhere..."

—Jeff Deyo, "Awakening Pure Worship"