Reverence for the Sacred
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” – Hebrews 12:28
When we have reverence for something or someone, we treat it or him with deep respect, devotion, and honor. It is in a state of reverence that we will adore and worship the object of our reverence. In Christianity, we revere the Trinitarian God above all else. And the most natural and right response is for us to kneel in sight of what we revere, as a sign of our respect, devotion, and adoration of the sacred. As Psalms 95:6 says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!”
Think of the nativity scene. In many depictions of it, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men are bowing down or kneeling by the side of the manager in which the baby Jesus lays. The only one standing is the angel. There’s a reason for this posture. It is reverence. As it says of the wise men when they found the child they sought, “and they fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11b).
Let us this Advent Season find a new appreciation for reverence. Look closely at the nativity scenes you come across. See how they convey a sense of reverence and adoration of the Christ Child in the placement, posture, and facial expressions of the characters.