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Good morning! Merry Christmas, because that’s really what we’re celebrating when we gather around Christmas. Just like it is to what we’re celebrating is Christmas: God’s Gift of Salvation to us in the Incarnate person of God the Son, Jesus our Savior.
I want to thank everybody for braving the weather and the cold and the snow and the ice and all the rest to join us this morning for worship. Thank you and welcome! I have no extra special announcements, so please let’s go ahead and stand and pass the Peace of Christ.
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As we all begin to find our seats, they are so among heaven and a new Earth; for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, The Dwelling Place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and Death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
In response to this joyful and wonderful good news, let us stand and sing together hymn number 277, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing.’
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Almighty God, you have proclaimed such glorious and wonderful news to your people. The angels have come, and they have said, “Christ in,” and he is risen indeed.
We join together our voices and our hearts with all who gather to worship you this day and on every Sunday and every Christmas through history, praising our heaven-born Prince of Peace.
It is in his name today that we gather and worship, and it is in his name that we pray. Amen.
You may be seated.
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And he who is seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new!’ Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the Water of Life without payment. The one who conquers, I will give this Heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
And such is what we all once were before we knew Christ, before Christ had claimed us, regenerating our hearts and cleansing us.
And so we are called to repent and confess our sins to the Lord and receive his forgiveness and pardon.
So please join with me in our corporate prayer of confession.
Oh God, our Emmanuel, serve us, we pray. We are thirsty, hungering for righteousness and life. Unite us with your Son, Jesus Christ, and make us be more than conquerors. Be our Everlasting Father and preserve us as your heritage.
Dwell with us in our midst and be our God. Rescue us from our past sins, keep us from continuing sinfulness. Comfort us as you make all the old things, all of our pain and hurts, pass away. Preserve us against the second death.
Instead, let us live in your holy city. Let us walk by your light and live according to your ways and do all things for your glory, because you are the only Savior. Write our names into the Lamb’s Book of Life and let us stand before you in the shadow of the Cross, covered by the blood of Christ. Amen.
Please take a few moments now to offer up your own silent prayers, confessions, and petitions to the Lord.
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Then came one of the Seven Angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and said to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.”
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God; its radiance like a most rare Jewel, like a Jasper clear as crystal.
It had a great high wall with 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels, and on the gates the names of the Twelve Tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed: on the East three gates, on the North three gates, on the South three gates, and on the West three gates.
And the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and either was the 12 names of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its Temple is the Lord God, the Almighty, and the lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there.
They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
My friends, brothers, and sisters, this is the good news of the Gospel. If you believe, having faith in Christ alone, be assured and know that your name has been written in the Lamb’s Book from before the foundation of the world. He has known you; he has chosen you; and he claims you as his own.
It is in him that all of our sins are forgiven. Amen.
We now continue our time of worship by returning to the Lord but a portion of the wealth that we have, and give him our tithes, our gifts, and our offerings.
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Amen. Please be seated.
Let us pray.
Father God, we come together here today to worship you, our hearts filled with joy, our hearts filled with thankfulness for all that you have given to us: all of our wealth and earthly goods, a church where we can come to gather safely, our families, our friends, our very lives.
We ask that you continue to protect and preserve us through all of our days. That you be with those who are unable to join us this morning; keep them safe during this time of cold. Protect pipes from freezing; keep people safe on the roads.
Be with those, especially our police officers, our firemen, our EMS, everybody who needs to be on the roads at this time, especially those who go out into danger to rescue those who are trapped, who are stuck, who have trouble and difficulties while they travel.
Protect all of them; keep them safe and warm and bring them home again to their families safely. We pray for those who regularly charge forward into danger, not wanting to risk themselves, but doing it sacrificially to save and to help others, thinking more of them than they think of their own lives.
Be with them, we pray. Place a hedge of protection around them. Let them know that what they do is right and good and honorable, that they are emulating and being a witness of you, who gave us your Son, giving him to us, who sacrificed himself for us, his people, his brothers and sisters of adoption, those whom you and he loved, whom you love even now and shall always love and care for.
We pray for those who, during this season of joy and light and celebration, continue to dwell in a place of deep darkness, whether it is a darkness of spirit or a darkness in the world.
Let their eyes be drawn to your light. Let them hear your call. Open their ears, renew their hearts, let them feel your presence and the warmth of your touch, bring them to yourself—All those whom you call.
Do not leave any of your children in the dark. Be with us as we have remembrances of those we have lost, knowing and believing that we may be comforted, trusting that they have been gathered together with you, that even now they are rejoicing and worshiping and glorifying you around your throne as we long to do ourselves one day when you call us home or when you return.
Keep us patient for that day, always longing but never hastening. Build us up in faith and above all, give us your peace. Let us experience it now in life as a foretaste of the peace we will know and enjoy forever in your Kingdom.
We pray this in the name of Jesus, your incarnate Son, who taught us to pray by singing.
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Our second hymn will be number 269, ‘How Great Our Joy.’
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Scripture reading comes from the book of Isaiah, chapter 9.
But there will be no bloom for her who was in anguish.
In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time, he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the trampling warrior in battle tumult, and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire; for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
On the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end, on 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.
From there we turn to John’s Book of Revelation, chapter 19, beginning at the 11th verse.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and makes war.
His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God.
And the armies of heaven are reigned, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.
He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun and with a loud voice, he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.
And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image.
These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, and the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain, and he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who