For a beautiful little story we are indebted to a lady named Hazel Hughes who wrote it in The Upper Room a few years ago. This is what she wrote: "How well I remember the day the botany teacher spoke to me. My mind was not on the lesson. His soft, gentle voice must have soothed me into inattention. Suddenly I heard him. He was speaking to me. All he said was: 'Hazel Hughes, I've looked at you all morning, and you haven't looked at me once.' He looked so sad and hurt I jumped up to say 'sorry,' but I could not utter a word, for my eyes were filled with tears, my throat was swollen. 'You're forgiven, child,' he said. 'Just listen from now on.'

Is it possible that our Lord may have been saying to you or me, "Child, I've been looking at you all these years, and you haven't looked at me once." This morning, let's be sure, every one of us, that we look. In Bethlehem, in Calvary, and in many other ways, he has been looking our way for a long time. Now it's our turn - in worship here today - our turn to turn and look to him. This turning, this looking, is a very important aspect of what worship is.