2 Corinthians 5

The week ahead Tues 27th Dec 7.30pm Film night in the church hall. This month’s film will be ‘God’s Not Dead’ (PG cert). Wed 21st Dec 7.30pm Midweek prayer meeting, church hall. Services next Sunday 1st January 2017 11am family service (church hall) led by Mr John Hebditch. No Sunday school until after the holidays. 6pm service (church hall) led by Mr Chris Barrowman. Dates for your diary Friday 6th Jan 2017 Rock Solid starts back. Monday 9th Jan 2017 Evening Bible study 7.30pm Church hall. Everyone welcome. Studying characters in the Old Testament. Any donations for the food bank can be brought to the church in the last two weeks in December ready for delivery in the beginning of January. Pasta, UHT milk, tinned fruit and cereal especially are needed. No beans or sugar please. Please continue to pray for our congregation, that we would know the Lord’s blessing at this time. We continue to pray for all in our congregation and community who are in hospital or are ill in any way. If you know of someone who needs prayer at this time, please let one of the Elders know 25th December 2016 Merry Christmas to everyone this joyful morning! A very warm welcome is given to all as we come together to worship God this Christmas, and remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Induction loops are fitted in both the Church and hall for the hard of hearing. Please set your hearing aid to position ‘T’. Recordings of all our services are available on our website www.crossnesschurch.com as free Podcasts. CD recordings are also made of the services and are made available free of charge to the housebound and elderly. Please ask one of the office bearers if you would like a copy. Crèche available by request. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eaglaisnis or via Google by entering ‘@eaglaisnis’ www.crossnesschurch.com for more information and audio content. If you would like information posted on the website, please contact Chris on 810112 or email the website crossnesschurch@gmail.com Cross Ness Church of Scotland is a registered Scottish Charity No.SC000991 11 o’clock Christmas Family Service Praise: Hymn 57 ‘The race that long in darkness pined’ Praise: Hymn 53 ‘Child in the manger’ Praise: Hymn 40 ‘Hark, the glad sound! the saviour comes’ Praise: Hymn 55 ‘O Come, all ye faithful’ Reading 1: Matthew 1:18-24 (ESV) 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Reading 2: Romans 12:1-8 (ESV) 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Tea/Coffee will be served after the morning service to which everyone is warmly invited No Sunday school until after the holidays. 6pm service – led by Mr John Hebditch