Candlelight Service

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SERIES DESCRIPTION: In this Christmas Series called The Truth about Christmas, Pastor Shawn highlight the true meaning of Christmas. This week, he will explore John 1:1-14 noticing the similarities between the Christmas tree and the Cross of Christ.

Altar Instructions: after the question under the 2nd point I will go right into communion… I will walk everyone through it together… I will pray at the end and say AMEN… thats when you guys can begin your song… CLAY - I will listen to the end of the song… and Possibly give you guys a cue… for when to play.

Series | The Truth about Christmas

Countdown Video

Intro + Welcome Video 2

Songs

Oh Come All Ye Faithful (Thrive)

Let Us Adore

Prayer + Transition: Pastor Amanda

Candlelight Description / Scripture Reading/ (ushers light candles)

Scripture – John 1:1-14 NIV

Candlelight Carol Medley

Final Song – O Holy Night (Britt)

Prayer: Pastor Amanda

Blow out candles Download Sermon Notes

Bumper Video

Pre-Message Welcome

Merry Christmas - we’re so glad to see everyone of you that are here today in person and online.

My name is Shawn... my wife and I are honored to be the Co-Pastors here at The Grace Place.

Our mission here is simple...

It’s to be Caring People... Caring for people.

We hope you feel cared for... by God in worship & Word and by the friendly faces around here.

Spanish Welcome - 2nd Service ONLY!

To our Spanish speaking family…

Spanish Welcome

A mis amigos hispanos, filis navidad… me-da-gusto.. que vino... a adorar... con nosotros hoy!

We’re so glad your…. with us today!

Transition: We’re in a series called

Series | The Truth about Christmas

The Passage for our message today comes from John ch 1 verses 1-14… Pastor Amanda already read the passage. But I want to highlight v.9-14… lets look at it together on the screen. and take are time to unpack these amazing verses…

John 1:1-14 NIV

9 The true LIGHT that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Who is the TRUE LIGHT this passage is talking about?

Right JESUS

Looking back at his life… John the beloved is writing… and is telling his listeners…

the True light… Jesus Was Coming…. His Birth was about to take place… and would enter the world as a baby… This my friends is the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

Here is a fun fact… did you know that the Greek word for Christ is the word Cristos… which starts with the letter X in greek…

So.. when short-hand is used… the letter “X” is used a symbol for Christ… which is why people starting writing X-mas for short had meaning Christmas.

Just want to help some of you out… who think people are trying to take Jesus out of Christmas :)

No doubt some have that… but if you have ever written X-mas on your ornament box-I just want you to know you are NOT in sin lol…

Back to our text… Then John goes on describing Who he was and how He was received. Lets look at V 10….

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

Think about this for a moment… Jesus the son of God… who created the world with his very hands… including humanity…

Show’s up to redeem us becuase of the fall and the mess we created and humanity looks at him and says, “Who are you”

Could you imagine showing up for a dear family member or a friend that you consider like a son or a daughter… you extended your heart… your life… you resources and they look at you like… “Am I supposed to know you?”

Scripture continues in v. 11 and says… not only did they not recognize him…

11 But when He came to …. his own, what happened…? ….they did not receive him.

Who was his very own children? Right… Historic… Israel… the Israelites… who are presented in the New Testement as the Jew’s… these are God’s chosen people… scripture describes that he came FIRST to the Jew and then to everyone else.

His own people did NOT recognize him or receive him. In fact we know that the Leadership Team for the Religious Jews… are responsible for handing Jesus over to be crucified.

Here comes the GOOD NEWS… in v. 12

12 Yet to all who DID RECEIVE him, to those who BELIEVED in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

TodayAny Children of God in the house today?

13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will(meaning stuck in your sinful nature - fallen like the original man… due to the fall), but NOW YOU ARE WHAT… born of God(Because of salvation you are now… re-born… saved and take after Jesus - the baby in the manger… who is God in the flesh…

14 The Word(JESUS) became flesh(in the Birth of Christ) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

At The Grace Place we believe God speaks to us through his word… the scriptures.. and many other ways… how many of you agree with me?

Today as the scriptures are taught… lets keep our hearts open for what God might want to say to each of us today.

LETS PRAY

Transition: the title of our message today is...

The Tree and the Cross

STORY: Cutting Down Tree for Christmas

I remember as a kid growing up in California…

Part of the Christmas tradition was bundling up… getting out in the weather…

Heading out of town to a tree farm… walking through the all the trees looking for the perfect tree that would fit just right in our little 900sq foot house.

When we found the perfect tree which ment… the tree my mom approved of…(By the way it works the same way in my house when we pick out the Fake tree for our house… :)

One we found the tree… My dad would bust out the saw… we would help him cut it down… as a little boy… I felt so cool and strong… helping my Dad cut the tree down… even though I’m sure I got in the way… more than I actually helped… I was glad I got to help.

We would decorate the tree every year…

And it would not start until my mom would throw on some good ole Christmas music..

For my family it was Barbra Mandrel’s, Ronnie Milsap Christas album… its still in my Christmas mix today

We would put on the Colored Lights…

the.. Ornaments from all our school projects as little kids

Those old school ornaments .. you know the figurines of Frosty the Snow man… or Santa snow skying or skydiving… anyone remember that old school of stuff.

Some people would string their tree’s with Life savors or popcorn… (My Aunt used to do that - I thought it was so cool :)

As a kid… the tradition of setting up our Christmas Tree was so epic.

Honestly… it would not hurt my feelings to get rid of the new fancy department store trees we have at our homes and go back to the old school tree’s… (I know this ages me lol)

anyone with me?

Who loves the Old School trees?

Who loves the fancy department store trees?

Yes…. there is a little division in my house… but I want to make sure to be on the record by saying… I appreciate and respect the skills of the Tree Master in our home… :)

This brings us to the heart of today’s message…as we talk about…

______ The Tree and the Cross ___

Well what is the TRUTH ABOUT…. The Tree and The Cross?

Did you know there are two commonly cited historical accounts regarding the origin of the Christmas Tree?.

The first Tradition of the Christmas Tree:

Traces the way back to the ancient Egyptians… who were pagans… worshiping many gods… but not the God of Heaven. They were highly superstitious, the saw everything they did not understand as an evil spirit….

When the dark winters came and the crops died… they saw the death of the crops as evil spirits taking over…

The saw that in the spring and summer when the Sun would come out.., and bring life back to the vegetation… that the Sun -God was strong and healthy…. and kept the evil sprits at bay from devouring their crops.

So in the the winter time… in their minds… the Sun God -Ra… was losing the war to the evil spirits and they we’re getting stronger..

To ward them off… they would bring ever green limbs in their home and celebrate the winter solstice…

This was the turning point towards the end of winter… when the cold… and dark winter days would… slowly transition into the spring season… and the nights began to get shorter and the days we’re longer.

These ever green limbs… where not a celebration of Jesus…. they we’re not Christmas tree’s… They did not decorate these these ever limbs with bows, ribbons or candles… no… they were just just tree branches.

There are a few different variations of these claim.

While some claim this is the origins of the Christmas Tree tradition that many of us celebrate today… I would have to argue… that this looks NOTHING like the Christmas tree’s of today- and the majority of people… to my knowledge is trying to ward off evil spirits.

Friends… One culture tradition… does not get the exclusive rights to define and limit use of a tree limb.. to their pegan ways of worhsip.

If we used this logic for everything… I would suggest that much of what we do these days could be considered pagan…

In my opinion… these cursory reports of the history of the Christmas tree seems like a weak way to formulate a solid argument against the Christmas Tree.

The second Tradition of the Christmas Tree:

Began around the 16th century in Germany…. sources record that Christians would celebrated the Feast of Adam & Eve. This celebration reminded Christians of God’s goodness despite humanity’s fall through Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden.

It pointed to the good news of Christ’s birth, as God provided His Son, Jesus, to redeem humankind through His death on the cross.

In Celebrating this… on December 24th they would placing fir trees called "Paradise Trees," into their homes and decorate them w/ candles in the tree… so they would twinkle… now … Im not sure how they did that without burning the tree down… and I don’t suggest it… but this is the view of the majority when it comes to this historical record.

So, enjoy your tree this Christmas and remember the Christ who is not only at the center of Christmas, but who is at the center of all things, including my life and your life!

I just want to know the TRUTH about Christmas next time a Christian pops on your SM reel telling you that your tree is Pegan….

We’re talking about…

____ The Tree and the Cross

Well far we’ve talked about the roots of the Christmas… tree… but for many Christians it doesn’t just point to his birth.. but to the broader story of Christ… which includes the Cross. I want to show you how the Tree is a representation of not only the birth but the death of Jesus on the cross

When I look at the Christmas Tree… IF YOUR TAKING NOTES… it reminds me of the cross in that…

It Symbolizes LIFE v. 4-5

Did you know that in many cultures around the world the evergreen tree… is actually a symbol of life…. just as the Cross of Christ points us to the Eternal life we have in Christ.

We see this in v. 4-5 of our text today… lets look at it together…

John 1:4–5 (NIV)

In him(Speaking of Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Have you ever wondered if there was more to life than the one you have?

The Truth is… God desires to give you ETERNAL LIFE… when you awaken to the reality of this life… you will experiance a sense of peace like never before.

I remember at 18 years old… I was lost… trying to figure out what I wanted to do now that I was an adult… I was no good at school… and all I knew was that I was supposed to college… and why would I want to do that when I felt like a constant failure as a student… dark clouds hung over my life as I thought about my future.

But friends… when I received the eternal life of Jesus at 18..

It was LIKE I woke up to a new reality… I had the life of Christ in me and when I looked up… the dark clouds we’re gone… and there was a sunny blue sky as I looked into my future.

Friend do you know Jesus as your savior?

Maybe you do but the dark clouds still seem to follow you… I want you to know that there is MORE LIFE available for you too

Here is the question I believe scripture is inviting you to consider today as we talk about the Tree and the Cross?

Question: What’s holding you back from the life Christ offers?

Is it doubt, fear, or the distractions of the world that keep you from fully embracing all that God has for you?

I want to encourage you today to take some time to reflect-on… what might be standing in the way… of you experiencing all that God has for you.

When I look at the Christmas Tree… IF YOUR TAKING NOTES… it reminds me of the cross in that…

It symbolizes Life…

It doesn’t just symbolize life.. but…

It Symbolizes LIGHT v.9-11

Light is a pointer… how does the cross do this? It illuminates the path so we can find our way to the father…

In the same way the believers in the 16th century put lights amoung the Christmas tree… to symbolize Christ as LIGHT of the World. … the Cross too…. lights the way… to those who are looking for Eternal life.

I’m so glad God doesn’t just give us an internal sense that there is more to life… but in his kindness.. he shows us the way… to life… through the death of Christ on the Cross.

We see this in v. 9-11 of our text today… lets look at it together…

9 The true LIGHT(JESUS) that gives light to everyone was coming (Birth of Christ)into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own(Jewish People), but his own did not receive him(They Crucified him).

Jesus has come to many of us… and we just kept-it-moving… not recognizing him… and many of us did recognize him… but we would not receive him.

We like the affiliation with Christianity… we like the world view of Christianity… we like the moral code of Christianity… but we don’t like the idea of surrendering and pledging our life to him…

Earlier in the message I invited you to

Identified what might is holding you back from the life of Christ.

My question for you today is this are you willing to let it go of whats holding you back to answer the next most important question you will ever answer in your lifetime.

The question is this…

Question: Will you receive Him today?

Call to: Salvation

Call to remember Christ in this season… let the Tree point us to the Main attraction.. .Jesus…

As we consider what Jesus did on the cross.. I think its appropriate for us to pause and tell him thank you by remembering the Cross through taking Communion.

If you did not get a chance to get the communion elements today…

Communion passage

We’re going to close out the message today by taking communion together…

-If you did get a change to get your communion elements.. go ahead and raise your hand and one of the Ushers will be sure to bring them to you today.

Reflecting back on our text today…

9 The true LIGHT that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who DID RECEIVE him, to those who BELIEVED in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Full of Grace in that he took on our sin… and gave us his life…

Becuase he loves us… and he likes us…

Blood-

Body-

Prayer: Thanking God for the birth of his son… we don’t just adore the baby in the manger… but we adore… our Lord and savor Jesus… the risen Savior of the world

Song: Oh Come let us adore him…

Read | John 1:1-14

What stuck out to you in this passage?

What’s holding you back from the life Christ offers? v. 4-5

Will you receive Him today? v. 9-11

What might the Holy Spirit be saying to you in light of this teaching?

How might the Holy Spirit want to transform you in light of this teaching?

What actions might the Holy Spirit want to take in light of this teaching?

Pray

Tongues & Interpretation

1. To STRENGTHEN the Church (1 Cor14:5)

For prophecy is greater than SPEAKING in TONGUES, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be STRENGTHENED.

Believers, God has operated through this gift today to strengthen you today. Let your faith be strengthened and know that God is in control and using supernatural measures to speak to us.

2. Is a SIGN for unbelievers. (1Cor. 14: 21a, 22)

1 Corinthians 14:21–22 (ESV)

In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

22 -  So you see that speaking in tongues is a SIGN, not for believers, but for UNBELIEVERS.

The Bible explains to us God has chosen to use this gift to be a sign for you. A sign for what? It is a sign of his realness for those of you who have been doubting or questioning the existence of God. He wants you to know he is REAL and he wants to bring you spiritual life and health. If you're in here today and you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior... he wants you to know he has gone to great lengths to show you his love today. (Great opportunity for a salvation altar call if it fits).