Opening Prayer
Christmas Story— Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated “God with us.”
Luke 1:26-33, "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."
John 1:1-5, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Purpose— In the Gospel of Luke, three times Luke emphasizes that Jesus was born in a manger. First, in Luke2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Second, Luke 2:12 states, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The third time, in Luke 2:16, “So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.”
Isaiah 1:3, "An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand."
This passage describes why Luke took time to announce “manger” three times. Because an ox knows its owner and will survive, a donkey knows its owner and can find food, but believers did not know God and I believe that’s why Jesus was laid in a manger to feed every spiritual hunger of mankind.
Song— Silent Night
“It was Christmas Eve in the Austrian Alps and Pastor Joseph Mohr was preparing for the midnight service. He was distraught when he found out that the church organ was broken, ruining prospects for that evening’s carefully planned music. But Pastor Mohr was about to learn that our problems are God’s opportunities, that the Lord causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him. It came to Pastor Mohr’s mind to write a new song, one that could easily be sung without an organ. Hastily, he wrote the words, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.” Taking the text to his organist, Franz Gruber, he explained the situation and asked Franz to compose a simple tune. That night, December 24, 1818, “Silent Night” was sung for the first time as a duet accompanied by a guitar.”
The Christ Story— Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Meaning— This Scripture reminds us of who Jesus is?
1) Jesus is Wonderful Counselor (He is our great advisor)
2) Jesus is the Mighty God (He can handle anything)
3) Jesus is the Everlasting Father (He’s God in flesh and he is eternal)
4) Jesus is the Prince of Peace (He can bring us peace in our lives)
Message of Light— John 3:19-21, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:19-21
John 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Benefits of Light—
1) Light reveals what was hidden or missing in the dark.
2) Light defeats the darkness.
3) Light is also used as a standard of measure.
4) Light can show you the way.
5) Light warms and assures of safety.
6) Light provides safety.
7) Light provides vision.
8) Light energizes our lives (vitamins).
Communion— We can’t remember and celebrate His birth without remembering and honoring His sacrifice.
John 3:16-18, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Luke 22:14-20, "And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."
Isaiah 53:5, “He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
Prayer of Remembrance
Serve Bread and Cup
Song— “Joy to the World”
Close With Prayer
