The Journey to Christmas
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Last Sunday of the Year
and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matt. 2:2
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Matt.
We have had a pretty amazing December haven’t we? I love how we have been taking time to look at the special season of Advent and trying to slow down all the chaos of this season. Today is the last Sunday of the year. 2019 has brought lots of blessings and brokenness, but we have sure seen that God is good and that He is still in control. I know this fact alone helpes me rest well at night.
[Show Christmas Eve Service Welcome video.]
[Optional: Show the Kids’ Advent Series promotional video. If the children
Jan. - Funerals & Salvations
in your church will be doing the lessons based on the major motion picture The
Star, you may also want to show the weekly movie clip for the whole
Feb. - Celebrated 6 months together
Mar. - ABM - Celebrated - ministry blessings of the previous year
congregation to enjoy together.]
Apr. - Baptism of 5 people
May - Mother’s Day
June - VBS - Refreshing outreach and 35 volunteers! Father’s Day
Jul. - YB 1 Had 5 of our youth come into a fresh encounter with God
Aug. - Flower Service - honored those who were once part of this congregation
Sept. - Beginning of ministry year - Ladies retreat with a great refreshing time in God’s Presence
Oct. - Solitary Refinemint - persecuted church Supperbowl Outreach voluntering
Nov. - Bless Israel Breakfast & Community Coats Give Away
Dec. - Christmas Banquet & Christmas Pagents and programs
It’s been a year to bring honor and blessing to God. These are a few highlights and this morning we need to take the time to express out thankfulness for what He has done this year.
What has He done for you?
How would you like to bless Him this coming year or be used?
[Take time to let people share]
Anticipation
Anticipation
It is hard to believe that this year is drawing to an end and we will soon close another Christmas.
Welcome and Merry Christmas! Tomorrow is the day, the big day,
We had someone in our house wide awake on Wednesday morning at 5:30 am. Bursting with anticipation of the things awaiting her under the Christmas tree.
Thinking about the level of anticipation and wonder of our precious children on Christmas morning made me think why are we not as children of God waiting with wonder and anticipation of the things that await us in the coming year?
Christmas Day! As if any of you little ones needed any reminding, right? We are
This past month we have spoken about the journey and observance of Christmas and focusing and reflecting on Christ’s coming. We need to be reminded this morning that he is coming again. His coming to earth that first Christmas long ago was unlike no other event in history.
so glad you’ve joined us this evening to mark this special time. Yes, we all know
tomorrow is Christmas, but I’d like to point out that tomorrow marks the
I’d like to point out that Christmas marks the culmination of a journey and observance we’ve been taking together over the last
culmination of a journey and observance we’ve been taking together over the last
His eventual triumphant return to earth to complete God’s ultimate work of
month. Ours has been a journey of Advent as we’ve been focusing and reflecting
on Christ’s coming—His coming to earth on that first Christmas long ago and His
eventual triumphant return to earth to complete God’s ultimate work of
redemption is something that will be something that will overwhelm us as well.
Each week during Advent we have followed the star guiding us toward Jesus
as it guided those wise seekers toward Him long ago.
This morning I would like us to pause and reflect and allow ourselves to be drawn into that story that changed the world on that ancient night and that still continues to this day.
and reflect and allow ourselves to be drawn into that story that changed the world
on that ancient night and that still continues to this day.
Don’t you love a good story?
As Newfoundlanders we love a good tale.
We love hearing stories of God’s goodness and what a difference He has made in our lives. That is why we have incorporated testimony time in our services.
How many of us have sat around during Christmas and heard tales of Christmases past?
fireplace on Christmas Eve and heard tales of Christmases past? The traditions
The traditions and family time surrounding holidays can bring that unique opportunity to retell and listen to the stories that form the tapestry of our lives.
and family time surrounding holidays can bring that unique opportunity to retell
and listen to the stories that form the tapestry of our lives.
Throughout the world, stories have been the means of preserving history,
passing along beliefs and values, inspiring, entertaining, and motivating us.
Stories move us. Shared stories connect us and link us to each other. They bring
meaning to our lives and help make sense of our experiences. Good stories are
messy, full of conflict, suspenseful and moving. They are filled with victory and
defeat, struggle and triumph, fear and courage, conflict and love. They draw us
into bigger and broader story lines and they make us curious about the
storyteller.
This morning, we gather to tell and retell the story of the most epic journey ever.
tell their stories when they meet up on the trail. Their stories are as diverse as
the characters who tell them, but they all contain the elements of where they
have been, where they are now, and where they are going. The epic hike they
are on deserves an epic story to recount its history, the progress made, and the
expectations of what is to come. And as we gather tonight on the eve of
Christmas, we gather to tell and retell the story of the most epic journey ever.
The story of the journey of God to earth that changed the world forever. There is
no greater storyteller, with no more powerful story, than God’s story of love and
redemption for the world.
In that spirit, I’d like us to imagine that we are outside, somewhere wild
and open, maybe on a mountaintop, maybe in a sweeping meadow set against a
flowing stream or rolling hillside. Maybe we can turn down these house lights and
let the walls and ceiling fall away in our minds. Work with me, now—I know this
may be easier for some of you than others.
[Option: Before the service, string twinkling Christmas lights along the
ceiling or overhead above the pulpit or platform.]
Now, can you see it in your mind? It’s a clear night long, long ago. We’re
back at the very beginning. This is creation, and into the inky darkness above
suddenly God is flinging stars into the sky. Maybe they simply appear in the sky,
glowing and twinkling. I like to imagine millions of shooting stars streaming with
bright tails across the heavens to find their places in distant galaxies across the
bright tails across the heavens to find their places in distant galaxies across the
heavens. There has never been a greater fireworks show! Where there was only
darkness, now there is gleaming, glittering light.
The Creator knows each of these lights. He knows which ones humans
will eventually connect with invisible lines into constellations. He knows which
ones will burn out when and then streak across our night sky as they extinguish
their gaseous flames. And He knows the one star that will one day pulse and
glow and serve as a beacon to lead and direct seekers from afar to His newly
arrived Son, Jesus.
This star would pierce the darkness with a unique purpose. It would serve
as a herald and a celestial marker. It would signal the birth of Christ, the coming
of the long-promised Messiah, come to earth at last to change the course of
eternity forever.
This star guided wise men. It lit the night for shepherds. It signaled the
way of Immanuel, God with us. It announced the arrival of the bright Morning Star
whose light shines brightest, calling us to see Him, drawing us to Himself to seek
and find Him.
As we sit at the edge of darkness this morning with light about to
break through, we reflect on the whole journey—past, present, and future. The
star is leading us to Christmas, but the star has always been there leading, and it
will lead beyond today. The light of God’s love showing us the way to Himself
lives and heralds His eventual return.
Awakening
Awakening
As we’ve seen this Advent season, God’s story is ongoing. The Christmas
story spans all of history from creation to Jesus born in Bethlehem to us gathered
here —seated in warmth, imagining ourselves under the night sky—and it
continues on into the future as we wait for Jesus’s return.
Just as we’ve spent a season expectantly waiting for Jesus’s arrival at
Christmas, we’ve experienced the truth that we are still in a season of waiting as
God’s story of love for the world continues until Jesus’s second coming.
The story of Christmas is a story of what was, what is, and what is still to come. Let’s journey deeper into the story.
story of Christmas is a story of what was, what is, and what is still to come. Let’s journey deeper into the story.
invite all of us to celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas Eve and continue to
journey deeper into the story.
The candles we lit in this beautiful Advent wreath represented something wonderful but there was one candle we did not get to light this week due to our cancelled service. So this morning indulge me as we do that. We light the final candle in our Advent wreath, the candle that represents Christ. These candles are like stars, each shining brightly, expectantly, and signaling the attributes of Christ drawing us along and filling us.
candle that represents Christ. These candles are like stars, each shining brightly,
I look at this Christ candle as a time where we are awakened from our slumber to the reality that Hope if Here and is ongoing because of Christ.
expectantly, and signaling the attributes of Christ drawing us along and filling us.
Over the past four weeks, you know that we have followed
these stars on a journey that brings HOPE to the doubting and fearful, LOVE
when we least expect it but need it most, JOY to the hurting, and PEACE to the
broken and storm-tossed.
This morning we celebrate together as the star leads us to the culmination of all
of those journeys to the place where Jesus Christ enters our world and changes
history forever. As part of that celebration, let’s look together at the elements of
the story—past, present, and future—and how they apply to the journey of hope,
love, joy, and peace that the star has led us on this Advent season.
HOPE
We began Advent with a journey of hope. And as we look back on that, we
see the thread of hope past, present, and future:
Through many years and centuries of history, hope burned for a
Savior. Sometimes that hope flickered. Sometimes it barely glowed
like an ember as time passed and the people waited and waited
and waited.
But hope was fulfilled. Christ has come! God’s promise was fulfilled
in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Today we place our hope in the fact that Jesus came, died for our sins, and is alive.
our hope in the fact that Jesus came, died for our sins, and is alive.
He is the ongoing source of our hope.
Assurance
Assurance
And we live in the future hope that Jesus will come again to
complete the story of redemption in our world and in our own lives.
The story is not over yet. And even when darkness rages and
deepens around us, we can hold onto hope that Christ will
complete His ultimate work. All will be made right. We have the steadfast assurance that He is incontrol and will do the will of His Father.
Singer and songwriter Josh Garrels wrote these words in his song
“FartherAlong”:
Along”: “Tempted and tried, I wondered why / The good man dies, the bad man
Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long;
While there are others living about us,
Never molested, though in the wrong.
Refrain:
Farther along we’ll know more about it,
Farther along we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by.
Sometimes I wonder why I must suffer,
Go in the rain, the cold, and the snow,
When there are many living in comfort,
Giving no heed to all I can do.
Tempted and tried, how often we question
Why we must suffer year after year,
Being accused by those of our loved ones,
E’en though we’ve walked in God’s holy fear.
Often when death has taken our loved ones,
Leaving our home so lone and so drear,
Then do we wonder why others prosper,
Living so wicked year after year.
“Faithful till death,” saith our loving Master;
Short is our time to labor and wait;
Then will our toiling seem to be nothing,
When we shall pass the heavenly gate.
Soon we will see our dear, loving Savior,
Hear the last trumpet sound through the sky;
Then we will meet those gone on before us,
Then we shall know and understand why.
It’s true that we are all castaways in need of rope. We need to be saved.
thrives / And Jesus cries because he loves ‘em both / We’re all castaways in
need of rope / Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope.”
It’s true that we are all castaways in need of rope. We need to be saved.
Our hope this Christmas season is not a hope for something a little nicer or
slightly more exciting than last year. It is a much deeper hope for the desperate
of spirit. Our very lives are on the line, and we put our desperate hope in the only
thing, the only person, that can save us.
Do you feel like you are hanging on by the last threads of hope? When the darkness seems deepest, God shows up.
the last threads of hope? The good news of the journey of hope is that just like
on that first Christmas Eve, when the darkness seems deepest, God is about to
show up.
Have you ever opened a book and started reading it in the middle?
Or watched a movie and skipped around from scene to scene?
watched a movie and skipped around from scene to scene? The story might not
The story might not make much sense that way. You may not understand what’s going on or where the story is going. But where you are in the story doesn’t actually change the story itself. The story is ongoing. It is the same past, present, and future, no matter which part you are engaged in.
make much sense that way. You may not understand what’s going on or where
the story is going. But where you are in the story doesn’t actually change the
story itself. The story is ongoing. It is the same past, present, and future, no
matter which part you are engaged in.
This morning we look at the blessing of this past year and the things we learned through Advent , let’s place our hope in the God who never changes, whose story is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our hope in Him will be fulfilled.
who never changes, whose story is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our
hope in Him will be fulfilled.
LOVE
The second week of Advent led us on a journey of love. Again, this story is
The second week of Advent led us on a journey of love. Again, this story is
one that spans eternity since God is love. But on this Advent journey we have
seen the same threads of past, present, and future:
Always
Always
As long as God is, there has been and is love. It is His nature and
being. It fueled His creation. It drove Him to make a way to restore
humanity to relationship with Himself. And at a specific point in past
history, motivated by intense love, God sent His Son among us.
Today love fuels our relationship with God. It is our motivation, and
we live out the love of God in us by loving others.
And we look forward to the future day when God’s love story is
complete and we will live for eternity with Him. This will be life
fulfilled in perfect love.
These elements are summed up in 1 John, which says,
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:9-11
“This is how God
showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we
might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so
loved us, we also ought to love one another. . . . And so we know and rely on the
love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in
them” (, ).
Let’s bask in the amazing love of God, who gave up everything to be with us and show His love for us. His
love of God, who gave up everything to be with us and show His love for us. His
love is real, and it is here.
JOY
Our third journey of Advent has been a journey of joy. We know from the
angel’s announcement on that first Christmas that the birth of Christ was a joyful
event.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be
afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in
the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a
manger’” ().
The good news of great joy was that Jesus, the Savior of the world,
was born (HIS ARRIVAL) . This joyous event broke through the darkness and
dispelled the fears of those shepherds, just as it replaces our own
fear in the midst of darkness.
The joy for us today is that the same message of good news is for
us, here, now, today. Jesus offers us the same salvation and life
that He came to give through His birth, death, and resurrection. It is
the source of the greatest joy possible.
And while we still live in a world where joy and pain coexist, God’s
promise is that our joy will be made complete in the future when
Jesus comes again. It fuels us along the way, standing as a stark
contrast to the death and despair of our broken world.
who announced the arrival of the long-awaited Savior. Joy leads us to worship,
Let’s rejoice with the angel who announced the arrival of the long-awaited Savior. Joy leads us to worship, and joy is sparked by and drawn from worship as we tune our spirits to God’s.
and joy is sparked by and drawn from worship as we tune our spirits to God’s.
PEACE
The journey of peace has been our fourth and final journey of Advent.
Peace is so elusive in our local news and world events—and sometimes in our
family relationships and in our own minds. Everywhere we look are indications of
a desperate need for peace. Yet there and everywhere, we again can see God’s
peace throughout the story line of eternity.
There in the past is the arrival of the Prince of Peace in that
manger. This is what we celebrate today. Peace has come. Peace
is here! He is our constant! HE is ALWAYS!!!
And fortunately peace remains. Jesus left us the gift of His peace
through His Spirit—a peace that transcends our full understanding
and worst circumstances, a peace that guards and restores our
hearts and minds.
As we look to the future, we still expectantly wait, knowing that
when He comes again, He will bring ultimate peace for all the
world. Peace among nations. Peace among enemies. Peace to
reign over and within every heart.
As we followed the star on a journey of peace, we realized that it was not
a journey away from the pain and suffering of our lives. Think of the state of the
world on that first Christmas—there was noise and hurt and pain and struggle
and fear! And yet the Prince of Peace came in the midst of it. Our journey of
peace this season does not take us away from the realities of life; it’s a journey of
peace in the midst of life’s challenges.
Jesus’s own life was filled with hardship, and He knew that His followers
would not be immune from it. And so He gave them the gift of peace:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John
leave with you; my peace I give you,” He told His disciples. “I do not give to you
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John
14:27).
In a world that desperately needs peace, God promises that His peace
that is beyond understanding will be with us as well. Paul wrote, “And the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus” ().
This morning as we continue on the journey of peace, let’s rest in the fact that in
a world filled with violence, noise, and pain, God offers us His deep and lasting
peace. And the peace He brings, which comforts us in the midst of our lives, will
peace. And the peace He brings, which comforts us in the midst of our lives, will
one day be complete in our hearts and in our world.
Hope.
Love.
Joy.
Peace.
This morning as we conclude this last Sunday of the year we need to always remember CHRIST!!!
The journey of hope, love, joy, and peace has led us to the same place—a manger in Bethlehem where the source of all good gifts lies. Jesus, the Son of God, is our hope, love, joy, and peace!
Tonight we light a candle for Christ. The journey of hope, love, joy, and peace
has led us to the same place—a manger in Bethlehem where the source of all
good gifts lies. Jesus, the Son of God, is our hope, love, joy, and peace!
The star marked Jesus’s arrival, but He is the true light of the world! Later
in Jesus’s life, He taught His disciples that He had come as the light of the world.
As John explained, Jesus spoke to them, saying,
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
“I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”
().
This morning we need to remember this we follow Jesus, who leads us and gives the light of life. No matter how dark your life is, no matter where you find yourself, no matter what pain or sadness you feel, the star’s light shines for you. It is God’s invitation to come and experience His story—past, present, and future.
days to come, we follow Jesus, who leads us and gives the light of life. No matter
how dark your life is tonight, no matter where you find yourself, no matter what
pain or sadness you feel, the star’s light shines for you. It is God’s invitation to
come and experience His story—past, present, and future.
As the words of “We Three Kings” say, “O, star of wonder, star of night / Star of
royal beauty bright / Westward leading, still proceeding / Guide us to thy perfect
light.”
Tos focus on the light that led us to God’s perfect light and let His light lead your path in the future and together we will carry hope, love, joy, and peace as we head out into the world with our way lit by Jesus, the true light of the world.
and together we will carry hope, love,
allow that light to illuminate our Christmas. And together we will carry hope, love,
joy, and peace as we head out into the world with our way lit by Jesus, the true
light of the world.
O come Let us adore Him Christ the Lord
Prayer: God, thank You that Your story—past, present, and future—has
become our story in Christ Jesus. Please encourage our hearts with Your hope,
love, joy, and peace as we follow the light of Your star to Your Son, Jesus Christ,
this Christmas Eve. Amen.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Tim.
Benediction: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,
be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” ()