Worship Set - December 24
Christmas Eve Service
Opening Prayer – Welcome – Pastor Mike
Joy to the World (A)
How Great Our Joy (A)
Emmanuel/His Name is Called(A)
Pastor Mike “Merry Christmas”
Music/scripture reading (Pastor Mike and Kathy and singers/musicians)
Kathy Reads: Luke 1:26-37
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
"How can this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible with God."
Song: “What Child is This?”
Pastor Mike Reads: Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Song: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
Kathy reads: Luke 2:1-5
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 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.
Song: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Pastor Mike Reads: Luke 2:6-7
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.
Song: “Away in a Manger”
Pastor Mike Reads: Luke 2:8-20
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."
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.
Song: “Angels We Have Heard on High”
PASTOR MIKE TRANSITIONS TO PODIUM during reading.
Kathy Reads: Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Message –Pastor Mike “What if there was no Christmas?”
What if there was no Christmas?
Thesis: Have you ever wondered what we would be missing if there was no Christmas? When you reflect on this thought you quickly discover just about every good thing you can think of in your life!
Scripture Text:
Matthew 2:13-18: When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Introduction:
King Herod tried to stop the plan of God and he did a horrendous sinister act which he is paying for today! Herod lost - he could not thwart the plan of God. The Devil could not even thwart the plan of God. Circumstances could not thwart the plan of God. God can always thwart the plans of others. The reality is - Gods plan for mankind will not be stopped!
Psalm 2: Tells us how futile it is to try to eliminate God and His plan for mankind.
1Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
3“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them
5Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6“I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
7I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Have you ever wondered what you would be missing from your life if there was no Christmas? No Christ child to kiss - no Savior - no miracle story - no division of time.
I originally thought – I would not get any presents, no days off from work, no Christmas dinner, no holiday to spend with my family, no chance to listen to Christmas music and no chance to play practical jokes on others at Christmas with wacky presents.
After some quiet reflection on this thought I quickly discovered that I would be missing more than what I first thought of. I soon discovered that I would be missing just about everything good that I enjoy and benefit from in life.
I. What if there was no Christmas what would we be missing in life?
a. Power point Slides – 1-3:
i.
ii.
b. The biggest truth that came to me was - NO CHRISTMAS – NO CHRISTIANITY: Have you ever wondered what you would be missing from your life if there was no Christmas – no Christ – no Christianity? The reflection on this thought is scary.
c. Lets ponder the what if - say- the antichrist powers would have defeated Christ at birth and therefore eliminated Christianity? what would have been lost?
i. There would be no Christmas joy
ii. There would be no kids smiles
iii. There would be no Merry Christmas
iv. There would be no singing of jingle bells
v. There would be no joy to the world
vi. There would be no hark the herald angels singing
vii. There would be no silent night
viii. There would be no gift giving
ix. There would be no colorful lights
x. There would be no candy canes
xi. There would be no God with us
xii. There would be no reason for the season
xiii. There would be no holiday spirit of giving
xiv. There would be no Good News
xv. There would be no sacred romance between us and the Lord
xvi. There would be no faith
xvii. There would be no prayer
xviii. There would be no bridge to Heaven
xix. There would be no supernatural healings
xx. There would be no grace
xxi. There would be no mercy
xxii. There would be no forgiveness
xxiii. There would be no purpose for our lives
xxiv. There would be no bondage breaker moments in life
xxv. There would be no freedom
xxvi. There would be no eternal life
xxvii. There would be no transformations
xxviii. There would be no light at the end of the tunnel
xxix. There would be no revivals
xxx. There would be no church - no Christian Hills
xxxi. There would be no Christians
xxxii. There would be no bridge to the presence of God
xxxiii. There would be no Spirit filled life
xxxiv. There would be no 12 step recovery program
xxxv. There would be no love
xxxvi. There would be no wise men
xxxvii. There would be no family gatherings
xxxviii. There would be no New Testament and the Bible as we know it
xxxix. There would be no entrance to the Holy of Holies
xl. There would be no revelation of Jesus
xli. There would be no Christian organizations
xlii. There would be no pastor’s
xliii. There would be no worship music
xliv. There would be no Bread of Life
xlv. There would be no deliverance
xlvi. There would be no joy or smiles in this life
xlvii. There would be no testimonies to His resurrection power
xlviii. There would be no miracles
xlix. There would be no defeating of death
l. There would be no salvation
li. There would be no hope
1. No Hope from power point 3:
2. There is a bill board in LA which reads “Keep hope Alive!”
a. The bill board sounds the message that if hope dies a city will die, a person will give up and do something as drastic as suicide.
b. If hope dies so does the spirit within a person.
c. Without hope is a scary thought to ponder. But the truth is without Christmas we have no hope as individuals!
d. The apostle Paul in Romans 8 tells us how important hope is:
i. Romans 8:28-31: “28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
ii. This is a fact of life - our hope and it comes into those situations where we scratch our heads and say how can this work out for any good?
iii. We need to understand that God knows things in advance He is not limited to time and space like we are and He is orchestrating the events of this world and even our own lives.
iv. I think in these types of situations we just need to know that God is with us and if He is for us who can be against us and win! Answer: NO ONE! This is the truth it's a fact.
1. Paul also tells us about how important hope is in his passage from I Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love…”
a. Power points: 4-5
i.
ii.
II. But there is Christmas and therefore we have the benefit and the blessing that comes from it.
a. Power point Slides 6-7:
i.
ii.
b. Instead we do have the blessing and there is a Christmas and all these items above belong to us if we choose to receive the gift of Christmas.
i. We have faith – hope and love as a result of Christmas.
ii. Christmas is “Christ in us!” That’s the gift, that’s the Christmas spirit we all need to have living in us!
1. We need to give Him space in our hearts!
2. Especially at Christmas.
iii. Because of the Christ we have Christmas! Yes, because of Christ’s willingness to come and His willingness to be born in a barn. Yes, because He was willing to die on the cross for us we have all the stuff mentioned above and even much more. The truth is because of Christmas we really do get an endless array of heavenly gifts. Jesus did come and he gave us the greatest gift of all “His very own life!” His sacrificial gift just keeps multiplying to this earth over and over as it touches individual lives.
iv. Some reminders of the benefit of Christmas and Christianity:
1. From Sermon Narnia: Hal see sermoncentral.com
a. If there had never been a Christmas, the world would be far different than it is today – in ways you may never have imagined.
i. For instance, when Jesus came, He taught His followers to love their neighbors as themselves (Luke 10:27). To live out this idea, His followers invented the idea of organized charity.The early Christian communities stressed support for widows, orphans, the sick and disabled. They organized efforts to help those who were dying. They built, staffed, and paid for hospitals. In recent times, Christ’s followers have founded virtually every charitable organization on earth, including the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, World Relief, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Food for the Hungry, and Compassion International.
ii. Without the birth of Christ, education would be very different today. Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, and almost every one of the first 123 American colleges and universities were founded by Christians.
1. They would not exist in a world without Christmas!
iii. Without Christmas: Remember No Salvation Army ringing bells, No Red Cross response teams to disasters and no Teen Challenge to help people get delivered from addictions – instead many helped by these organizations would have been lost too.
2. On a personal note: What I received because of Christmas: Christmas to me has become a time to ponder the spiritual benefits that come from its inception.
3. Christmas time is a time to reflect on the importance of its eternal benefits to each of us. But for there to be eternal benefits to others I have to pass on the true meaning of Christmas in my life to others.
a. Jesus told us to go tell others about this marvelous miracle and its eternal implications.
v. Christmas is so much more than we think today- it has eternal blessings that go far beyond a material present.
1. It points to something more meaningful and wonderful than just “Lots of presents.”
2. The truth is if we pass the gift of Christmas along to others then we ourselves will soon realize you cannot give the gift away without getting something in return from God. It appears that what we sow is what we reap and these unexpected rewards come from the reason for the season. Listen to this story:
a. Leader's Insight: Nothing for Christmas
My wife gave away the gift money, and now our kids will have no presents by Clark Cothern, guest columnist "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8). Once upon a time (in the mid-1990s), my wife, Joy, and I received a request to sing a few songs, perform a comedy routine and then lead in a serious time of reflection about the meaning of Christmas for a group of senior citizens. That year we were especially short on both time and money. (What's new?) We decided to accept the invitation, partly because we loved seniors, and partly because we viewed the opportunity as God's invitation to "abound in every good work," since he had provided all we had needed. We wanted to share some laughter, warmth, memories, and the timeless Christmas story from Luke 2 with many people who probably missed their families. Our children were young enough to write out a Christmas wish list and we began to wonder if they would receive much of anything from their lists. Over the years we had tried to instill in our kids the awareness that Christmas was not about materialism, but you can imagine the looks on their faces when we said, "You may only get a couple of small gifts this year." When we accepted the invitation to perform, we hadn't expected anything in return. After the program someone handed us an envelope. It contained a fifty-dollar love gift. We were thrilled. To us it was an unexpected bonus. Only a couple of days later we learned, through our church, that a family had just spent every last dollar moving into a new apartment, and that their circumstances had left them with nothing for Christmas. And I mean nothing. Joy and I both felt that tug in our hearts. You know the kind. It's the one that lets you know God is asking you to do something. We knew we were being called upon to give generously to this family in need. With the holiday quickly approaching, Joy went shopping for that family. She spent all fifty dollars we had been given after the seniors' program and quite a bit more than that out of our regular budget. When Joy showed up with all the wrapped gifts, she almost got knocked over from the kids' hugs. The mom in that family stood there looking at all the packages, crying tears of thanksgiving. Joy beamed when she returned from her delivery. Through her giving, God had poured out even more joy to Joy. As we turned in for the night it hit us: What are we going to do for our own kids for Christmas this year? I will candidly admit that I silently struggled for a short time with some not-so-nice feelings about spending our money on another family, when our own kids would have very little for Christmas. I also admit that for the first time in a long time I thought (only for a split second) about withholding our tithe (a tenth of our income) for that two-week period, using it instead to buy things for our kids. But tithing had been our joyful habit, for years, and that selfish thought became quickly replaced by the thought that God had always provided us with everything we had needed. Joy and I made a willful decision to give happily to God what belonged to him. As I wrote out our tithe check the next day, I was grateful for the peace that flooded my soul. I was quite sure that God's grace would continue to abound in our lives, with or without a bunch of toys at Christmas. Then, on December 22, we checked our mail. There, in the midst of a stack of Christmas cards, sat an envelope with no return address. We were curious and opened that card first. Inside the envelope was another typical Christmas card, but when Joy opened it, money, the green kind, fluttered to the ground, landing at her feet. She picked up the bills. On each corner you could read the number 100. She counted, "One, two … oh my goodness … three," and then she squealed again. Shaking four crisp bills, she screamed, "Four hundred dollars!" We both literally jumped up and down. Then we stood there for a moment, mouths open, shaking our heads. The card said simply, "You two are a blessing. God bless you this Christmas." Nobody had signed the card. To this day we have no idea who sent that card, or why. We wondered if it might have come from one of the senior citizens who saw us perform, but we really didn't have a clue. Maybe we'll get to thank the anonymous donor in heaven some day. I'm pretty sure that they had no idea just how timely or important that gift was to us and our kids. What we do know is that God provided, abundantly. In our kids' minds, God's gift to us that year was a miracle. Our kids learned, by listening to us marvel at God's goodness, that God makes his grace abound in his children, and that his ways really are not our ways. And we learned that God's cure for greed is giving. We learned that God releases the greedy grip materialism has on our hearts as we loosen our grip on money. I am reminded of that Christmas miracle every time I read the following words from Paul the Apostle: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). God expanded our joy in giving that year. He taught us (again) that when we give out of the abundant grace he provides (not out of compulsion or reluctantly), that he pours out blessings in ways we simply cannot comprehend. We sang Christmas praises that year to our grace-giving God—a God who surprised the world with his amazing provision at Christmas. His gift of Jesus magnified his glory to all who will see it. And he continues to give, abundantly, most often when we least expect it. And every time that happens, his glory is magnified again. Clark Cothern pastors Living Water Community Church, Ypsilanti, Michigan. To respond to this newsletter, write to Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net. Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
T.S. - Joy for each of us tonight should come from the ability to celebrate this miracle of God this first step toward our restoration with God. So why do so many miss this point?
III. So why do we miss the importance of having Christmas?
a. Why do we so easily forget Christmas’ eternal value? Why do we underestimate its personal benefit to us and our families?
i. I think because we get so hurried this time of the year we forget to reflect on the benefits of having Christmas.
ii. We neglect all the spiritual, eternal, emotional, and psychological benefits that come because there is a Christmas.
iii. We so often miss it's meaning because I think we get over hurried, over materialistic things at this time of the year.
1. We really need to slow down this Christmas season and quietly reflect on what we have because Christ came and Christ gave the gift of Christmas to all of us.
2. His ultimate everlasting gift keeps on multiplying itself over and over in our lives as we receive it and then as we give it to others over and over.
3. I have discovered as I give it away it just keeps coming back with more blessing and more reward. It’s really amazing how this works.
b. We should take the time this year to think what our life would be like with out Christmas - really ponder that thought?
i. The old saying, "You don't know what you have until you lose it!" should compel us not to take things for granted.
Conclusion:
Quote:
Why did Christ come to the earth? Why in the world did the Son of God become the son of a carpenter and his wife? Why in the world did God trade a throne in heaven to a manger on earth? Have you ever thought about it? …So, why did Christ come? He came, so that when we stand before God, we would not have to be sorry. He came to pay the price for our transgressions, for our sins. We have a saying, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” That’s partly true; but we are the reason. Jesus came for you and me. He came, because His love for us compelled him to come. Contributed to Sermon Central by James Buchanan
So tonight let’s remember the eternal and the blessings that came into our lives as a result of Christmas!
Pastor Mike explains Individual candle lighting
“Silent Night”
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "
Please do not tilt the lit candle only tilt the unlit candle! To prevent wax from dripping on chairs and carpet.
Closing – Pastor Mike
Closing Song – O Come All Ye Faithful
