Note: Pat and Dana are the Pastors. Others reading Scripture are church members.
"Up! Good Christian Folk, and Listen!" - Ladies’ Trio
Pat:
Welcome to Thornydale Family Church and our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. Tonight and tomorrow much of the world will join in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ which occurred over 2,000 years ago, but unfortunately many of those who take part in those observances will miss out on the full significance of that event. For some, the Christmas season is nothing more than a good excuse for partying and indulging. For others, it is merely a season to celebrate the goodness of mankind. Still others genuinely focus on celebrating the birth of baby Jesus without really recognizing the true significance of the event they commemorate. So tonight, we’ll hold on to many Christmas traditions as we remember once again the birth of Jesus. But we’ll also focus on what Paul Harvey might describe as “the rest of the story.”
Although we tend to lament the way that the world has commercialized the celebration of Christmas – even to the point that it is no longer acceptable to say “Merry Christmas” – we can still find the real meaning of the season if we look for it. For instance, one of the ways that almost everyone celebrates Christmas is by the use of lights. And light is certainly one of the themes surrounding Christmas that helps us to focus on the real significance of Christmas. In fact, Jesus even described Himself as light:
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12 (NIV)
So it seems very appropriate for us to have a candlelight service tonight and to focus on the theme of light to remind us of the full significance of what we’re remembering together tonight.
Let’s begin our journey with Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus:
Steve the Elder:
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:1-7 (NIV)
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" (#200)
Pat:
Let’s continue with Luke’s account:
Janet Gurton:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:1-12 (NIV)
"Away in a Manger" – 1st and 3rd stanzas (#213)
Pat:
Let’s conclude Luke’s account:
Paul Schneider:
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:13-20 (NIV)
"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" (#197)
Dana:
While Luke recorded the physical events surrounding the birth of Jesus in his gospel, the account in the gospel of John describes the spiritual significance of Jesus, the light of the world, leaving the glory of heaven and coming to earth to dwell among the very men that He had created:
Steve the Younger:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it...The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 9-14 (NIV)
Dana:
When Jesus left the glory of heaven and came to this earth to live among the very men that He had created, He came as the light of the world. As John clearly points out, the world that Jesus entered into was a world that was characterized by darkness because of the sin of man. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in the last 2,000 years. Our world is still a world of darkness because of the sin that is in all of us. But Jesus came as light to illuminate that darkness so that we could first see that sin in our lives and then He provided the way for us to permanently overcome that darkness. As John hinted at, and as we’ll see more clearly in a moment, that required much more than just the birth of a baby in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. But the fact that when Jesus entered into our world, he made it possible for us to become children of God is certainly a reason for joy.
"Joy to the World" (#194)
Prayer - Dana
Chime Choir - "What Child is This?/I Wonder as I Wander/Silent Night" medley
Dana:
There were probably many babies born in Bethlehem right around the time Jesus was born there. So why is it that we celebrate the birth of Jesus tonight, but not the birth of all those other babies? Certainly the birth of Jesus was unique in many ways. He was undoubtedly the only one born to a virgin. And his birth was the only one announced by the angels. But it was not His birth that provided the light that enabled us to overcome the darkness in our lives, but rather His sinless life, His death on the cross and the resurrection.
In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul likely quoted an early hymn that clearly showed that the birth of Jesus has no special significance unless we also consider “the rest of the story.”
Dave Damiani:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
Pat:
Jesus humbled Himself and put aside the glory of heaven and came to this earth as the light of the world, knowing what it would cost Him to be light for all of us. From eternity past God knew that all of us would sin and that one day He would have to send His Son, the light of the world, to this earth to be born as a man, live a sinless life and then die on the cross so that we could become part of God’s family. So, when we look at the whole story, we must conclude that Christmas really is about the cross.
Video – “It’s About the Cross”
Pat:
Tonight and tomorrow most of us will celebrate Christmas by spending time with our families, enjoying meals together, giving and receiving gifts, and observing other holiday traditions. And there is nothing wrong with that. But I want to encourage all of us to engage in an even more essential activity. In just a moment, we’ll light our candles as a symbol and as a remembrance that Jesus entered the world that first Christmas as the light of the world. And as we do that I want to encourage each of you to think about the question that we saw at the end of the video – What will you do with the cross today? That’s the real essence of what Christmas is all about.
If you’ve never committed your life to Jesus Christ and placed your trust in His death and resurrection as the only way to overcome the darkness in your life, I want to encourage you to make that decision tonight. Dana and I will be available after the service to talk to you more about what it means to make that decision or to pray with you. Please don’t leave here tonight without making Jesus the light of your life.
Let’s stand together as we sing Silent Night. As we sing, we’ll be lighting our candles to recognize Jesus as the light of the world. After we’re finished singing, we invite you to stay and join us for some light refreshments and a time of fellowship.
Lighting of the candles
"Silent Night! Holy Night!" (#189)
