Thank you. [Music] Foreign. [Music] Laughs. [Music] Foreign. [Music] Thank you. [Music] Wow. Foreign. [Music] Good evening, welcome everybody who actually is here. Thank you for coming this evening and braving the ice in the cold and all the rest. We do get to bask in the birth and the blow and warmth of our son of righteousness.
Just as a minor note, both of our boilers flamed out earlier today, so the heat has actually only been on again since about three o’clock, getting a chance at 3:30 to get this place warmed up as much as it is. So I apologize, but thank you for bearing with us. It’s an ongoing issue; it’s an old system, so what can we say?
But please, let us go ahead and turn our hearts to worship as we begin our service with our responsive call.
In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, and the Earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the waters, and God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness, and God called the light day, and the darkness he called night.
Come, let us worship God.
Foreign. [Music]
Candle called hope, the second Advent candle called faith. [Music] The third candle called joy. Thank you. The fourth candle called peace, and finally, we light the candle called Christ in honor of our Lord Jesus, the light of the world.
Foreign.
Blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. Drawn to us, a child was born. On Teresa, Charles Gibbon, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall 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 establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness, from this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
This evening, as we are celebrating with a worship service of light, the thing will come when all these bright lights will be dimmed and we will sit in darkness except for the light from these candles. Then we will begin to light more and more candles, such that in a certain way it will be far brighter in here than it is now. That is how the Light of Christ often seems within this brightly lit sanctuary.
These candles are not very bright, but when darkness falls, their light will grow brighter. The deeper the darkness, the brighter and more illuminating the smallest light becomes. The world outside is very dark; there is darkness of spirit out there.
But when we carry the light of Jesus within our hearts, his light shines forth and fills the whole earth with his glory. The light spreads, sparking fires in the souls of other people, drawing all of his brothers and sisters to himself. We are called. We come and we gather in the light of his countenance and share in his great love for us together in his light.
He shares his joy with us and with all who bear his name and carry his light within their hearts, in all times and in all places, past, present, and future.
So let your light shine because it is the Light of Christ. Let us pray.
Jesus, light of the world, be the light within our souls. Illuminate our hearts, transform our lives, and help us to shine your light so that everyone may see. Let us stand in the sunshine of your love, hopefully, faithfully, joyfully, and peaceably. Let us stand as a testimony to who you are and to the love which you offer to our broken and fallen world.
Help us to proclaim your first coming as we anticipate your return. We pray this in your precious and holy name. Amen.
Foreign.
Yet, so with all of the kids and families, come on down, please. Yeah, we’ve started a little family tradition—visitors, too. That’s okay; y’all can come on down or send somebody down. [Music]
But we have started a tradition of giving Christmas presents. These are Christian storybooks and such that we are giving to them. This is another one that was written by a friend of mine from seminary. But enjoy these and read them together as a family. Merry Christmas! You’re welcome. Thank you.
Let us pray together, lift up our petitions and our thanksgivings to the Lord.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this opportunity to gather together in worship. We thank you that you have given us a light to shine in the darkness, to be a beacon of warmth and wholeness, something to draw us near to you, and something that we can share with those who are lost, who are cold, who are wandering, and help them to find their way to you.
Let them hear your call as we hear you calling to us. Let them be drawn to the light of your countenance as we come here to worship and to bask in the light of your glory. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray to you by saying:
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The tradition for Christmas Eve service is a series of lessons and carols. We will read the verses of scripture and then intermix them with singing songs of joy and of the season to our Lord. Some of these songs we will be invited to stand for, so please stand if you are able. Otherwise, listen.
This evening, ordinarily I would ask that you would open up your Bibles and read along with, but tonight is the kind of night where I ask you to just sit and listen and hear the words of God and let them fill you. The words to the songs we will be singing are printed in your bulletin, so everything is there at hand.
Our first lesson this evening we just heard a moment ago, but hear it again. These are the words of the prophet Isaiah, coming from chapter nine:
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is born. Arms around his Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Please stand and let us sing our first carol, ‘The First Noel.’ Thank you.
[Music]
Foreign. [Music]
Please try. [Music]
[Music]
Thank you. [Music]
Foreign.
Our second lesson comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter one, beginning at verse 26.
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, ‘Hail, thou art highly favored. The Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.’
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus. 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, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there shall be no end.’
Then Mary said unto the angel, ‘How shall this be, seeing that I know not a man?’ 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. And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren. For with God, nothing shall be impossible.’
And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.
Our second carol is ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.’
[Music]
[Music]
It’s every day. [Music]
Thank you. [Music]
[Music]
Thank you. [Music]
Foreign.
Our third lesson comes from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter one, beginning at the 18th verse.
Now the birth of Jesus 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. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
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. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.’
Now all of this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘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.’
Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took unto him his wife and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus.
Our next carol is ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful.’
[Music]
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
Thank you. [Music]
[Music]
Foreign.
To Luke, chapter 2, verse 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. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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.
Our next carol is ‘Away in a Manger.’
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
All right.
[Music]
Country.
[Music]
Foreign.
Thank you. Thank you.
Our fifth lesson continues in Luke, and they were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.
And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you was born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.’
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.’
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them.
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Our next carol is ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.’
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
Those two hours.
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Thank you. Amazing. Amen. You may be seated.
A scripture to share this evening comes from Isaiah, chapter 7.
And again, the Lord said to Ahaz, ‘Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as heaven.’
But he has said, ‘I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.’
And he said, ‘Hear ye now, O house of David; is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.’
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Let us pray.
Father God, we thank you for your word, for your promises, especially for the signs and wonders you have given us, and particularly for the wonder and sign of your Son, Jesus, our Emmanuel. It is in his name that we pray. Amen.
We are gathered here together this evening to celebrate the miracle and mystery of the Incarnation. Tonight we celebrate the human birth of God the Son, Jesus Christ, Mary’s firstborn child, and Joseph’s son by adoption and in love. We celebrate all that his birth some 2000 years ago means for us.
The birth of a child, any child, and every child, truly is a miracle and a mystery. Well, the birth of Jesus is even more so. The creation and generation of a newborn life is something that we do not understand, and I do not think we will ever be rightly able to comprehend.
Even with all of our modern medicine, like the wonders of in vitro fertilization or the full resurrection efforts of cloning sheep or pets like Dolly, science can only encourage life, but we cannot actually create it. No man can instill life into lifeless matter. There is still an element of mystery about it, truly a divine mystery which we should never unlock.
Whether we say that life, human and animal, begins at birth or in the womb or at the moment of conception, it is really an arbitrary determination. I believe that the moment of conception is the most correct, but not for any reason that you might expect.
Life begins, our life begins at the moment of conception, not in a biological event but in the moments wherein the Lord God conceived of that life. All life begins within the thoughts and the mind of God, and life ceases when God removes his sustaining and maintaining provision.
The beginning and the end, along with everything in between, are determined by the Lord in and through the establishment of his Son, the Eternal Word, Jesus.
Now, this idea should not seem so strange to any of us, for we will often use this very same language of generation and birth to describe the origin of ideas and thoughts within our own minds.
Do not all the many characters of a novelist begin to live within the author’s mind before their stories are written down? They are conceived in the mind of the writer, who then brings them to life by a stroke of the pen.
The same cause of works with artists, regardless of the preferred medium. First, they conceive an idea, then they bring it to life—in color, in wood, in stone. This is just another way in which we reflect our Author and Creator as His image bearers.
However, we as human beings cannot create or bring anything to life merely through our own work, effort, or volition. All inspiration finds its first source in God. You have to work with the Lord, who then created it. Like the old punchline goes: first make your own dirt. Life does not come about through the will of men, but only through the sovereign will of God, the Lord, the Giver of Life.
And we remember that fact; much of the controversy which we tend to cloak Jesus’s birth with disappears. This leaves us with the simple miracle and wonder of this little boy’s parentage: the wonder of who his father is—the Lord God most high—and who that makes Mary’s child to be God the Son.
The Lord God, born of the Virgin Mary, by the will of the Father, conceived through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God made flesh; Jesus is the Lord. He is Emmanuel, God with us.
It is in the person of Jesus Christ that we find the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to his people, of all of our restoration to a right relationship with God, of our redemption and salvation from sin, and of our being welcomed into an eternal home.
Christmas is our celebration of the fulcrum point upon which the whole story of Emmanuel rests. First, the Lord walked with Adam and Eve in his garden temple in Eden. But when they sinned, he drove them out from his presence in judgment.
He mercifully sent them away for their sin and our sinfulness, instead of executing them with the just and righteous penalty of death because of the Father’s covenant of redemption with the Son, his gift of a people.
Next, the Lord dwelt in the midst of his chosen people, Israel, within the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He was hidden within the cloud of his glory, but he gave them orders and the means by substitutionary sacrifices of atonement to approach him and come near his presence once more.
The Lord then dwelt among his people within the Temple in Jerusalem upon Mount Zion, where all the world could go up to worship their Creator. But when Israel turned away from him to worship false gods and the fanciful idols of men, they were again driven away from his presence, removed from the land he promised and had given to Abraham.
But after scattering the people, the Lord abandoned his Temple but not his people. He brought them back home to await his return.
Then, taking on flesh, Jesus was born, and Emmanuel returned to Jerusalem. He returned to his Temple and dwelt with his people.
God the Son experienced all that it means to be human except for sin. He shared in all of our joys and experienced all of our sorrows so that he alone may empathize with each and every one of us because he knows just what you and I are going through.
Our Lord Jesus returned to the Temple as a humble teacher, a rabbi teaching God’s law, God’s truth to God’s people. But he was dragged away in disgrace. Jesus, our Emmanuel, was cast out, driven away from his people’s presence. He was banished, exiled, and excommunicated from the community, and he was unjustly executed at their demand for crimes which he did not commit.
Jesus was born to die upon Calvary’s cross. Our God Emmanuel died to sin in our stead, and the veil which kept us from the Lord’s presence was torn, and our complete access to God was given. Our loving relationship with the Lord is now stored.
So then Jesus rose up from the grave, conquering death. The Lord God the Father, Jesus God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—the Author of Life himself—raised himself up on the third day, and those who saw him worshiped him.
He ascended to heaven where he presently reigns with our Heavenly Father. It is in Jesus Christ that we have life—spiritual and physical life. Through him, we live and move and have our being.
Through Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we have his promise and the present hope of life eternal, of a life spent in God’s glorious presence to worship and glorify him forever and ever.
Jesus has ascended, and he has sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell within our hearts, to fill us, to sanctify us, to encourage us and to transform us, renewing us as we patiently wait for Christ’s return.
Truly the Lord God is with his people always, but it is the promised return of Jesus, our Emmanuel, for which we wait. Then all things will be made new; all things will be set to right. No more sorrow and no more tears.
Then, when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven to the new Earth, we shall enter into the Lord’s presence to dwell with him—God with us and we with God.
That is what we are celebrating tonight: the promise and hope of a future in the kingdom of God. That is the wonder and glory of Christmas. It’s not about trees or lights or presents; it’s not about even the joy that we feel when we’re gathered together with family.
It is about this promise of Emmanuel, which Jesus fulfills, and it’s about the promise of Emmanuel that Jesus will fulfill: life eternal and the Lord’s glorious presence forever and ever. Amen.
All life exists as part of God’s great and glorious plan of redemption. The Lord envisioned and birthed a people to call his own, his most special and treasured possession out of all the Earth. Even our sinfulness has been allowed so that we might be set apart, ordained, and made holy for God.
Jesus was born in order to redeem us, to claim us for himself, for the Lord as his own. Jesus was born: Emmanuel entered into his creation to redeem a people for himself, effectively making us Jesus’s Christmas present for our Heavenly Father.
Yes, Emmanuel came into the world, bringing us the Christmas gift of salvation, but also to bring us home as God’s Christmas gift. Amen, and Merry Christmas.
Let us pray.
Lord, we thank you for Christmas, for the glory and wonder of the Incarnation of your Son, Jesus, our Emmanuel. We thank you that you have chosen for yourself a people, that you claim us and that you keep us as your treasured possession, making us a present to yourself as you make yourself a present to us.
We thank you for all of this and bless your holy name. Amen.
Our next carol is ‘Joy to the World.’ Please stand.
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
Thank you.
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
All right.
[Music]
Now.
[Music]
Foreign.
This evening comes from the Gospel of John.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Our final carol is ‘Silent Night.’ Did everybody pick up a candle on your way in?
I will go ahead and light from the central candle here, please. As a reminder, do not tip the lit candles. As I come down, I will light the first candle on the end of the row. Tip the unlit candle towards the lit, and then continue on down the line, please.
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
Who will be nice?
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
Hallelujah.
[Music]
[Music]
Christ the Savior is Jesus.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
Jesus, Lord, as thy birth—the silence changes.
So, as we leave this place this evening, let your light shine. Share the Light of Christ with you wherever you go.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of us now and always.
Go in peace, and Merry Christmas.
[Music]
Let’s see.
[Music]