2015.12.24.CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
William Akehurst, HSWC
It’s not just another Charlie Brown Christmas
THE BIG IDEA: Charles Shultz shared the message of Christmas through Linus to Charlie Brown. The many Charlie Browns of the world need to hear from the Linuses of CHRIST. Something hit me about Linus as he carries that blue blanket, that 'COMFORTER'. Those who carry the Holy Spirit, need to share the Message of Christmas this year.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
JOSEPH
Matthew 1:18-25 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
THE VIRGIN MARY
Luke 1:26-38 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM
Luke 2:1-5 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
SONG: #29 Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
THE BIRTH IN THE MANGER
Luke 2:6-7 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
SONG: #39 Away in a Manger (Verse 1)
THE NATIVITY TABLE (A table in the front is set out for the nativity set. Prior to the service, the congregation was given figurines to bring and place on the nativity during the song, Silent Night)
SONG: #38 Silent Night (all verses)
*During this song, Please bring your figurines to the nativity table
THE SHEPHERDS AND THE ANGELS
Luke 2:8-14 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
SONG: #32 Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Verse 1)
THE SHEPHERDS SEEK THE CHRIST CHILD
Luke 2:15-16 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
SONG: #34 The First Noel, The Angels Did Say (Verse 1)
THE SHEPHERDS SHARE CHRIST
Luke 2:17-20 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
SONG: #33 Angels We Have Heard on High (Verse 1)
~2 YEARS LATER…
THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN
Matthew 2:1-12 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
SONG: #36 Oh Come All Ye Faithful (All)
MESSAGE: “It’s not just another Charlie Brown Christmas”
Christmas TV shows. Miracle on ____ street. It’s a _____ Life. Elf, The Christmas Clause-1/2/3, etc. etc. etc.
What do these have to do with Christ-mas?
How many have seen the Charlie Brown Christmas Special?
Charles Shultz used the platform of his comic strip to share the meaning of Christmas.
In the beginning of the story, everyone is all about decorating and shopping and gifts. Sally, CB’s sister is talking about all the gifts she wants, and if people can’t get those, just give her money.
Charlie Brown’s classical response. “Good Grief”
He goes on showing his disgust of the commercialization of the holiday and becomes depressed. Nothing ever goes right for CB.
When Lucy asks him to direct the Christmas Play, he accepts and has new purpose.
He gives everyone their part and heads off to buy the proverbial Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
When he returns, everyone is disappointed in his selection.
Illus: Our double trunk/leader Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.
This year we bought a 10’ Christmas tree. Our ceilings are 8 foot, so with the stand and star on top, we cut it to 6’. The double crown was tied together with a cinch strap and when it was placed in the stand, we have a real Charlie Brown Christmas tree on our hands.
As is typical with CB, everything seems to fall apart and he becomes even more depressed.
In one version, Sally is the angel and her big line is "HARK", yet in stage fright, she exclaims "Hockey Stick".
When CB realizes his failure, he exasperates and asks the question.
“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”
Linus with his blanket answers, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”
He then reads from Luke 2:8-14 and ends with, that’s the meaning of Christmas Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown ponders the meaning of Christmas, and the whole gang comes together as one in support of each other and of Charlie Brown.
A change comes over the characters of the set after the message of Christ is heard. The whole atmosphere changes.
That’s what Christmas is all about. It’s bringing Christ into our lives, its introducing HIM to others.
Saving Statistics:
China: 30,000 people accept, receive and come to Christ each week
Africa: 20,000 people every week
South America: 10,000 people a week
In America, the good ‘ol USA, 60 churches close their doors every week.
Something is wrong in America. People everywhere in the USA are losing sight of Christ.
In Kentucky, the Charlie Brown Christmas Special is played to the schools. This year there was a gap. They cut out the announcement of CHRIST! Reading only vs 8-9 and cutting the rest to hear.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
Then they cut to Linus’ line “And that’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”
That’s NOT what Christmas is all about.
WE are talking about GOD WITH US.
JESUS, the CHRIST, the REDEEMER and SAVIOUR of our souls, has come here to rescue us.
Christmas is the celebration of a living person. You don’t celebrate the birthday of a dead person.
Jesus Christ is alive
Foreshadowing:
Cradle Wrapped in swaddling clothes. Alive, Immanuel, GOD WITH US come to rescue us. JESUS, GOD SAVES here in the manger, the feeding trough, this bread of life.
Tomb wrapped in cloth. Dead to this world, but alive for everlasting. Those cloths wrapped neatly beside the death bed, JESUS rising and walking out that door and leaving it wide open for all to follow HIM.
Joseph, whose profession as a carpenter, probably taught JESUS the skills of the trade.
Jesus working with wood, going to the old wooden cross, working with the CROSS for YOU AND ME. Giving HIS life, for ours.
The Tomb, Empty, HE is alive.
Celebrating a living Savior, JESUS CHRIST THE LORD.
BIG IDEA: Charles Shultz shared the message of Christmas through Linus to Charlie Brown. The many Charlie Browns of the world need to hear from the Linuses of CHRIST. Something hit me about Linus as he carries that blue blanket, that 'COMFORTER'. We, who have the Holy Spirit, must share the True Message and Meaning of Christmas this year.
As we look forward to HIS coming again, we marvel that HE came for EVERYONE WORLD WIDE who would receive HIM.
He came for US. U…S... He came for the United States too. We were founded as ONE NATION UNDER THE ONE AND ONLY GOD. WE NEED THE MESSAGE AND GIFT OF CHRIST, CHRISTMAS IN OUR LIVES.
We all love to get gifts and to give gifts at Christmas.
The best gift we can ever receive in our entire life, is the Gift of God, given through the receiving of JESUS CHRIST, our Savior, Redeemer and King.
LETS PRAY. (Acceptance and Dedication)
Amen.
Suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising GOD, and saying, Glory to GOD in the HIGHEST, and on Earth, Peace, Good will toward men.
THAT'S SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT!
SONG! #27 “Joy to the World” Congregation
