Christmas Eve Messages

Introducing the Advent Candles

Merry Christmas!

Tonight is the culmination of the season of Advent.

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming.” Advent in the

4th and 5th centuries was a time of preparation for the baptism of new Christians. Christians

would spend 40 days in prayer and fasting to prepare for the celebration that accompanied the

baptism of new believers.

Over time, advent was connected to the coming of Christ. Originally Christians used this term to

reference Christ’s second coming, but by the Middle Ages, Advent was connected to Christ’s

first coming that we celebrate at Christmas.

Advent season traditionally is an invitation to get our minds off of the stresses of the year. We

can take our focus off of the crazy hustle that can be associated with the Christmas season that

often threatens to produce more hassle than delight. Advent is a chance to focus our thoughts

on the gift God has given us in his son Jesus who stepped down from Heaven and took the form

of a man so that we might believe.

Tonight as we wrap up the season of Advent, we will be reflecting on the candles of hope, faith,

joy, and peace. Throughout the service, various people will come and share a reading that

corresponds with each candle.

Here in one night, we will look back on all that the season of Advent represents in the

expectation of the first coming of our Savior, while looking forward to his glorious return!

Let’s stand together and sing as we celebrate the coming of our Heavenly King!

The Candle of Hope

(Carl Adema)

As we light the first candle, the candle of hope, we look to our hope in Christ which gets us through the waiting. The Advent season is all about waiting. We wait with eager anticipation for Christmas to arrive each year. Some people begin looking forward on December 26 – only 364 days until Christmas.

But it is not just the waiting FOR Christmas that we hope in, it is also waiting for the FULFILLMENT of Christmas. Remember the long period of waiting that preceded the first coming of Christ. It stretched all the way from Genesis to Matthew, from Adam and Eve to Joseph and Mary, from the Garden of Eden to the manger of Bethlehem. We have also had a long season of waiting for the second coming of Christ. God is a God who keeps His promises. Our hope is not based on wishful thinking but on the confidence that God keeps his word. That fact has been proven time and again as the Lord both blesses and disciplines His people, just as He promised. We, God’s people, are hopefully awaiting the Messiah. Our Savior will return and draw His children to Himself as He promised. No matter what circumstances we face in our personal lives or how uncertain the world’s circumstances appear, we can look forward with confidence to the Lord’s return.

Hope in Christ does not disappoint. As Romans 5:5 tells us: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5)

The Candle of Faith

Some people have said that faith is blind - that it causes us to take an unsubstantiated jump into some unknown action or realm of belief. It can sometimes refer to a sense of hope or wishfulness.

RC Sproul has said:

“In Western countries today. When we use the word hope, we usually are referring to an emotional state of desire in our hearts regarding what we would like to happen in the future but are not sure will come to pass” (Sproul)

We might hope for our favorite team to win or express faith that they will. For some teams, that may be little more than a blind wish - and yet, as my high school baseball coach used to say “any team can be any other team on any given day.”

But we’re not here tonight to talk about sports. We’re talking about faith and the object of our faith.

Sproul goes on to say that...

“When the Bible speaks of hope, it is not referring to a desire for a future outcome that is uncertain, but rather a desire for a future outcome that is absolutely sure. Based on our trust in the promises of God, we can be fully confident about the outcome. When God gives His people a promise for the future, and the church grasps it, this hope is said to be the “anchor of the soul” (Heb. 6:19). An anchor is that which gives a ship protection against aimless drifting in the sea. The promises of God for tomorrow are the anchor for believers today.”

Hebrews 11:1–2 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.

This year, as we’ve studied the book of John we’ve learned that time and again John has called us to believe in Jesus, to have faith in him. His call is not based on a whim, but on evidence.

In the years leading up to Jesus’ first advent, God’s people expressed faith in the coming of Messiah which was rooted in the character and the Word of God.

This side of Jesus first advent, his first coming, we express faith based on the character of God, his fulfilled promises, the testimony of eye-witnesses, and two thousand years of church history. Our faith in who Jesus is and in his second advent is not wishful thinking, but stands on a firm foundation.

Do you have faith?

Born to Die

The birth of every child is filled with a great deal of hope and anticipation. The future is full of blank pages of opportunity, waiting to be written by this child and the child’s parents. Very few children have births that are surrounded by prophecy. In fact, even throughout scripture, I can only think of 4 where the parents were given some instruction regarding the coming and the future of the child.

Samson - was born to aged and barren parents and was intended to be dedicated to the Lord. He served as a judge in Israel.

Samuel - was the answered prayer of another barren woman. He was dedicated to the Lord and served as Priest and judge.

John the Baptist - like Samson, he was the child of barren parents who were now well beyond child bearing years. The Angel told his father Zechariah that he would live in the power of the prophet Elijah as a forerunner to God’s anointed one - the Messiah.

and then, we finally come to the reason we are here tonight - the birth of Jesus. Prophets anticipated his birth for centuries. The angel told his unwed, teenaged mother that he would be called the son of God. His birth was foretold and miraculous.

With Jesus, the prophets began to write in advance some of what would fill the pages of his life. He would...

suffer

heal

bring sight to the blind

raise the dead

release prisoners.

rule as an heir to the throne of David.

The Angel told Joseph (Jesus’ step-father) that he would “save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21). Now that is quite a big feat - to save from their sins.

Now, I can imagine that Joseph and Mary would have wondered exactly how that would happen. How will the son of God, this child to be born, save people?

The short answer - is by dying. In other words, he was born to die. But that is something that Mary wouldn’t learn about for another 30+ years.

In celebrating Christmas, it’s wonderful to retell the story, to reimagine the events leading up to and surrounding the birth of Jesus, but if we don’t keep his death in mind, then we don’t have the full picture.

I recently learned that one of John Piper’s favorite Advent passages is Hebrews 2:14-15, which says...

Hebrews 2:14–15 ESV

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Scripture tells us that our sin results in death (Rom. 3:23). Sin has so corrupted the world that death is the natural outcome. In the OT sacrificial system, death of animals was the means by which people would have their sin covered for a time. It was a gory reminder of the ugliness of our sin.

And yet, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that even the blood of goats and bulls would not be sufficient to take away sin. (Heb. 10:4)

So, as humans, we have a problem in that the sacrifices were insufficient to dal with our sin problem.

But, there is another problem.

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

So, it’s as though there is no hope - our sin problem results in death and the sacrifices that were offered were not enough to cover our sin.

But that’s where Jesus’ birth comes into the picture.

Before he took on human flesh, Jesus enjoyed the glories of heaven in perfect unity with God the father. He has always existed - but as a spirit. As Spirit he cannot die. But as human he can.

So, as Pipers favorite passage says - Jesus “partook of the same things” - namely our humanity - flesh and blood - so that he could live perfectly and die. In his dying he destroyed the power of death once and for all - for you and me. He took on flesh to free us from the bondage of sin on our bodies.

Hebrews 9:12 ESV

he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

He was born to live perfectly.

He was born to teach powerfully.

He was born to die sufficiently.

He died to be raised to life in victory over sin and death.

He was raised to reign eternally.

He lives so that you and I might live eternally as well.

As you celebrate the gift of this baby in a manger, keep in mind that the manger is meaningless without the cross, the grave and the resurrection.

What’s more, the gift of Jesus and all that he entails, is a gift that must be received by faith. Have you received this gift?

If you have received the gift, are you sharing that with the world around you? with your neighbors, family members, classmates, coworkers, friends?

Let’s pray.

Light candles

Sources:

Piper, John. Good News of Great Joy: 25 Devotional Readings for Advent. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021.

Sproul, R. C. What Is Faith?. Vol. 8. The Crucial Questions Series. Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2010.