I thought about how do I worship Christ. What does it mean to worship? to praise, to adore, to revere. One thing I do know is we each worship in our own way. Joseph Smith said "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates or our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."
I looked to my Bible for direction and help in understanding how I worship and how I can worship. And the nativity story showed me. I looked to the "wise men" to guide me.
Matthew 2:9-11
"When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense,and myrrh."
1) they looked for Him and searched Him out
Their path wasn't easy, Herod even tried to tempt them. They arrived in Jerusalem without finding Him but didn't stop there, they kept going until they found Him in Bethlehem. I think of many who have chosen the path of baptism with no family support but they found Christ and were not going to let that stop them. I search for Christ in reading my scriptures and find love and insights as I search the words there.
2) they rejoiced with exceeding great joy
Do you feel the joy expressed in the songs from the Primary children today. One way I express my joy in Christ is to sing praises to Him. I am a member of our ward choir and a lowly member of that but I keep singing because it is one way I can worship Him and find great joy.
3) they went to Him
They found Him in His home with his family. Our time playing with our family and being with them is a form of worship. We can worship Him at home with the love we demonstrate in our families and during Family Home Evening, family prayers, and family scripture reading. We come together at church and worship Him here. Going to the temple is another place we can worship Him and show our love and reverence for Him.
4) they fell down/bowed down to Him
The wise men were powerful men, sometimes referred to as magi, perhaps even prophets but they recognized Him as their Messiah and they humbled themselves before Him by bowing before Him. They knew He was greater than them. We humble ourselves by doing His will. Yesterday I overheard a sister say "I never say no." She was worshiping Him by doing His will. I often ponder what He wants me to do.
5) they recognized Him as the Messiah
They testified of Him, we worship Him when we share our testimonies. We can do it formally in church meetings or easily in our daily conversation. I remember Pres. David Heid mentioning when you are talking about your weekend on Monday you can just as easily say yours was great and you went to church to worship Christ.
6) they gave their best gifts to Him
They gave gifts of value; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When we share our gifts and talents with others, we are worshipping Him. He has given us these talents to share and we should develop them. My son-in-law likes to take pictures but he didn't just stop there. He studied about his camera, he took pictures, he studied some more about how to take good pictures, and he took more pictures. His pictures are beautiful because he took the time to strengthen his gift and now shares it with others. I was at the Alex Boye fireside a few weeks ago and one of the comments he said stood out to me.
"When we are ourselves is when we shine brightest." As we shine with our gifts and talents we are worshipping Him.
Let us worship Him, let us adore Him.