Advent Reflection: 19th December - Laura White

Every day in Advent 2016 we will be sharing short reflections from authors, Christian charities and Eden team members.

What’s your favourite Christmas carol?

For me, it has to be O Come all Ye Faithful. Every year I am so moved by the call to come and adore him. In fact, the worship at our wedding started just with the refrain “O Come Let us Adore Him”.

The word adoration is so powerful, it can be defined as: deep love and respect, worship, veneration.

Let’s break that definition down a bit.

Deep Love: When was the last time you said you loved something? For me, it’s ingrained in my vocabulary. In fact, I think the last thing I told someone I “loved” was brie! But a deep love, an adoration, that’s huge. That’s an all-consuming, can’t live without kind of love.

Worship: In amongst the busyness of this season, even with all the extra church services, carol concerts, nativity plays. It’s easy to lose sight of exactly why we’re singing worship and to whom. We’re reminded in the carol that we aren’t just worshipping the tiny baby in the manger, surrounded by sheep and goodness knows what else. But we’re also worshipping Christ the Lord and most high King. The glorious one. Often, the whole of Jesus gets lost in amongst the nativity scene and it’s easy to forgot exactly what his birth meant and what it would lead to.

Veneration and Respect: Without beginning to sound like a dictionary, respect can be two things: firstly, a deep feeling of admiration but also a regard for their feelings and wishes. When it comes to adoring and ‘respecting’ the Christ child, I think both come into play. Sometimes, disregarding and not respecting what we’re called to do, individually or as a church, is the easy way out. Sometimes, we’re called to something difficult, painful or just not in line with what we want to be doing. Adoring Him means we’re listening, adhering and respecting his plan.

So, come, let us adore him. For who he is, for what he did, for what he is still doing.

Laura is originally from sunny Bournemouth, she now lives in Chester with her husband Andy. When she's not sending emails and tweeting for Eden, she is a sometime blogger who enjoys baking and eating out. Laura is never seen without a cup of tea.