Christmas Eve 2014 - If you would like a copy of the PPT just email ArcadeNazarene@gmail.com
Guitar and Flute to open the service quitely
Away in a Manger (Alternate Melody)
Reader 1
Welcome and opening prayer
Explanation of the evening (Journey to Jesus’ Birth)
The Longing of the prophets (explain)
Reader 2
Isaiah 60:1-4
“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before You!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil,
come down to make Your name known to Your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before You!
For when You did awesome things that we did not expect,
You came down, and the mountains trembled before You.
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides You,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down.”
Pianist
O Come, O Come, Immanuel (Em)
(Use alternate lyrics - instead of:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee of Israel
use
We wait - for Thee - Immanuel. Come save Your people, Israel)
Reader 1
Some of the OT kings who were full of themselves and prideful would conscript men to run ahead of their chariots and announce that someone real important was coming. This was meant to impress.
When God was about to send the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Messiah, He didn’t need to impress anyone. So, He only sent one …
Reader 2
Isaiah 40:3-5 says,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted
and every mountain and hill brought low;
“The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Reader 1
And, the Father faithfully sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Lord, but, even yet, the Messiah was not here, at least, that’s what they all thought and they continued to long for Him.
Pianist
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (F)
Reader 1
There was a problem, though. This messiah was to be born of a virgin.
Reader 2
Isaiah 7:14 says,
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Reader 1
Doubters say that the word used for virgin in this verse was also commonly used to describe a young maiden. If you substitute “young lady” for “virgin” it kind of takes the miracle of the sign away doesn’t it?
Most babies are born to young ladies. To say that a “young lady shall conceive” would be like saying that the baby would be born with two eyes or it would grow up one day. No miracle, no sign at all, just a common place event!
And then, could such a baby really be called “Immanuel - God with us”?
We do believe that Jesus, the Messiah was indeed born of the virgin Mary and was indeed God with us!
This is a foundational belief from the earliest times of Christianity.
That is why we sing every Christmas
A Cappella
“Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace … sleep in heavenly peace.”
Reader 1
But … on the very night that Immanuel, God with us, was to be born to the
virgin Mary, the Lord God did indeed make huge announcement!
Did God the Father make the announcement to Caesar the ruler of the mighty Roman Empire? NO!
Did God the Father make the announcement of the birth of His One and Only Son to Herod and the religious leaders in Jerusalem? NO!
To whom DID He make the announcement?
Shepherds! To lowly, despised shepherds …
Reader 2
Luke 2:8-15
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 that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, 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 heaven, and on earth peace to those 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.”
Pianist
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear (Verses 1 and 2)
Reader 1
It is amazing that the angels did not have to instruct the shepherds to go and look for the Christ child. Their hearts made them go.
Reader 2
Luke 2:16-20
So the shepherds 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.
Reader 1
But the shepherds must have wondered what the Messiah was doing sleeping in a manger in a place intended to shelter cattle. How had that come to be?
Reader 2
Luke 2:1-7
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their 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 guest room available for them.
Pianist
What Child is This?
Reader 1
So, after the shepherds had seen the Baby Messiah they just kind of quietly went back to watching the sheep right?
Reader 2
Luke 2:17-20
When they had seen [Jesus, the Infant Messiah], 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.
Reader 1
If the shepherds would have had a song to sing as they went through Jerusalem proclaiming the birth if the Messiah it would have been this …
Pianist
Joy to the World (Verses 1 and 2)
Reader 1
So, that’s the end of the story of the birth of Jesus, our Savior. But, there’s one more event that is almost always brought into this story even though it may have taken place as long as two years afterward and that’s the account of the wise men bringing gifts to the Messiah and worshiping Him.
Reader 2
Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Reader 1
Who were these Wise Men? When Daniel was one of the exiles in Babylon it is known from quotes in Daniel that He had the Scriptures which had come from the Lord through Jeremiah. So, it is reasonable to believe that the exiled Israelites had brought the other sacred Scriptures with them including the word of the Lord through Moses the giver of the law.
Reader 2
Numbers 24:17 says
“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a Scepter will rise out of Israel.”
Reader 1
Were these Holy Scriptures still stored in that area of the world? When the star appeared did they dig through the ancient writings to see what it could mean?
Was such an amazing celestial phenomenon visible in Israel at the same time as it was to the wise men?
Why didn’t the religious leaders of Israel take note of the star?
Why hadn’t Herod’s people noticed the star?
Why did Herod have to ask when the star had appeared?
Were they not paying attention?
Did God actually pick out men from a pagan country to celebrate the birth of the Messiah?
Was it God’s great intention to hide the event from the religious leaders of Israel?
Someday we may know the answers to these questions but the real question we have tonight is this? Are we paying attention?
Jesus came to earth to be the spiritual light of this dark, sin filled world.
Have we seen that light of Jesus and did we faithfully pursue Him until we found Him?
Are we faithfully and steadfastly still following Him?
Are we faithfully speaking to others about this Great Messiah as the shepherds did?
Luke 2:17
When they had seen [Jesus, the Infant Messiah], they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child
Are we being faithful? Faithful to the Son of God whose birth we are recounting and celebrating tonight?
If so, there’s a song written for the faithful. Let’s sing it together …
Pianist
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Video
Labor of Love
Candle Lighting Ceremony
Silent Night - a Cappella
Prayer of dismissal
