Christmas Communion Service

Luke 2:11–12 ESV

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Introduction There are many ways to recall who Jesus was and is and what He did for us as Savior and Lord. It is most appropriate, therefore, at Christmas to celebrate communion combined with the sign of the baby in the manger. His body and blood were in the manger, as well as on the cross and risen from the tomb. You cannot appropriately view the manger without the cross, nor can you view the cross without the manger. Both are not just part of the story: both are the story. Without either there is no story, there is no savior, and there is no peace. The peace found in Jesus began in the manger and then led to the cross. Today we observe communion to remember the manger and the cross.

Luke 22:14–20 ESV

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Rememberence The babe in the manger cries out for us to remember God who became like us to save us (Heb. 4:15). The God of all creation humbled Himself. God Himself became a fragile baby to identify with our weakness and to show us the way to overcome the world by the power of His Spirit, even unto death on the cross. Angels announced His being vulnerable for our sakes.

The manger is a sign of the Savior and His amazing grace!

The coming King "attacked" the world as a baby. He chose not armies—or a royal birth —to display His power. His strength, as ours, was made perfect in weakness, yet that "baby" won the victory at Calvary! Behold the manger for the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King. This babe is a king who willingly sacrificed himself for his people. The celebration of Jesus' birth calls us to remember Him as the humble infant who was born on earth so we might be reborn through His death and resurrection. The manger, like the Cross and the empty tomb, is a sign of His victory, which He offers to us as our victory.

Luke 2:15 ESV

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”