A Heart That Finds Redemption
CHRISTMAS AND THE HUMAN HEART • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsThe Incarnation fulfills the soul's need for salvation, offering grace, transformation, and hope through Jesus' coming.
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A Christmas Eve Communion Devotional
Opening
Opening
This evening, Christmas Eve, we are here to remember the one birth that changed everything. As we prepare our hearts for Communion, we're reminded that the story of Christmas doesn't end at the manger. The baby born in Bethlehem came with a purpose that would lead from a feeding trough to an upper room, from swaddling clothes to grave clothes, from birth to death to glorious resurrection.
Tonight, we consider the journey of a heart that finds redemption—from the prophecy of old to the bread and cup before us.
The Heart's Condition: Lost and Hungry
The Heart's Condition: Lost and Hungry
The Christmas story begins not with celebration, but with a world desperately in need. Isaiah prophesied, Isaiah 53:6.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Humanity was lost, wandering in darkness, separated from God by sin.
When Caesar Augustus issued his decree, he set in motion God's eternal plan. Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem, the city of David, fulfilling prophecy. But notice something remarkable: when the King of Glory entered the world, there was no room for Him in the inn. The Son of God, the Creator of all things, found Himself laid in a manger—a feeding trough for animals.
This detail is no accident. From His first moments, Jesus identified with our need. A manger speaks of hunger, of creatures who must eat to survive. And isn't that precisely our spiritual condition? Jesus Himself would later say, John 6:35.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
The Heart's Hope: God with Us
The Heart's Hope: God with Us
The angels announced to the shepherds, Luke 2:11.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Notice those words: unto you. This birth was personal. This salvation was for each heart willing to receive it.
Matthew's gospel reminds us that the child would be called Emmanuel, Matthew 1:23.
23 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.
The infinite God compressed Himself into finite flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Why? Because our redemption required not just God's power from a distance, but God's presence among us—experiencing our joys, our sorrows, our temptations, our suffering.
The heart that finds redemption begins by recognizing this astounding truth: God did not merely send a message or a prophet or an angel. He sent Himself. In the most vulnerable form possible—a baby—dependent, weak, accessible. The heart that finds redemption sees in that manger God's relentless pursuit of His lost sheep.
The Heart's Transformation: From Birth to Sacrifice
The Heart's Transformation: From Birth to Sacrifice
But Christmas is incomplete without Communion. The baby in the manger grew into the man on the cross. The birth we celebrate tonight finds its meaning in the death we remember at this table.
Listen to how the Gospel of John describes Jesus: John 1:29.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
A lamb. Not a conquering warrior, not a politician—a lamb. A sacrifice.
The wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, but myrrh—myrrh was a burial spice. Even at His birth, His death was anticipated. The prophet Isaiah completed his earlier statement: Isaiah 53:6.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
On that final night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered with His disciples in an upper room. He took bread and blessed it, saying, 1 Corinthians 11:24.
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
The body born in Bethlehem would be broken for us.
Then He took the cup, saying, 1 Corinthians 11:25.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
The blood that flowed through Emmanuel's veins would be poured out for our redemption.
The Heart's Response: Come and Receive
The Heart's Response: Come and Receive
The heart that finds redemption is the heart that responds to divine invitation. On that first Christmas night, the shepherds didn't stay in their fields. They said, Luke 2:15.
15 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 Beth-lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
They came. They saw. They worshiped.
Tonight, as we approach this table, we answer the same invitation. Jesus said, Matthew 11:28.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Come—not because you're worthy, but because you're needy. Come—not because you've earned it, but because He's offered it. Come—not in your strength, but in His mercy.
The bread we break tonight connects us to that night in Bethlehem when the Bread of Life entered our world. The cup we share connects us to Calvary where our redemption was purchased. And both elements point us forward to that great day when Jesus promised, Matthew 26:29.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
Closing: A Heart Made New
Closing: A Heart Made New
The heart that finds redemption is transformed from death to life, from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom. It's a heart that recognizes the baby in the manger is the Lamb on the altar is the King on the throne.
As we partake tonight, let us remember with gratitude that John 3:16.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The journey from manger to table is the journey from promise to fulfillment, from prophecy to reality, from separation to reconciliation. It's the story of a heart—your heart, my heart—that finds redemption.
Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.
As we prepare to receive the elements, let us examine our hearts and come with thanksgiving, remembering that "as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
SENIOR PASTOR’S COMMUNION SCRIPT (KJV)
SENIOR PASTOR’S COMMUNION SCRIPT (KJV)
I. THE CALL TO THE TABLE
I. THE CALL TO THE TABLE
Pastor: "As the music plays, I ask our Associate Pastors and our serving brothers [Name 1] and [Name 2] to come forward to the Table of the Lord."
(Hand out the trays. As the team moves to their aisles, the pianist plays softly.)
II. THE BREAD (THE BODY)
II. THE BREAD (THE BODY)
(Once the team has returned, you have served the leaders, and everyone has a packet in hand:)
Pastor: "Beloved, we follow the pattern set forth by the Apostle Paul, who wrote to the church at Corinth:"
Scripture: "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)
Logistical Instruction: "Please peel back the top layer of your packet to reveal the bread. I will now ask Brother [Name] to lead us in a word of prayer, thanking God for the broken body of our Savior."
(Deacon/Server Prays)
The Act: "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us partake together."
III. THE CUP (THE BLOOD)
III. THE CUP (THE BLOOD)
Pastor: "In like manner also He took the cup, signifying the New Testament in His blood."
Scripture: "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he c1ome."(1 Corinthians 11:25-26)
Logistical Instruction: "Please carefully peel back the second layer for the cup. I ask Brother [Name] to lead us in prayer for the shed blood of Christ."
(Deacon/Server Prays)
The Act: "The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for the remission of sins. Let us drink together."
IV. THE CLOSING
IV. THE CLOSING
Pastor: "Having partaken of these elements in unity, let us go forth as the body of Christ. Gentlemen, thank you for your service; you may return to your seats."
(Wait for the team to be seated before moving to the final hymn or benediction.)
