Advent - Shepherds Candle

Welcome

Announcements

Join us on Sunday Mornings at 9:30 am dor Sunday School, Wednesday evenings at 6pm for our Study on Puritan theology.

Join us for lunch in the Parish Hall following communion

Christmas Eve Service will be at 6pm

Prepare for Worship

Call To Worship

224 Joy to the World

Confession

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, we acknowledge and confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; we have not loved you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. Deepen within us our sorrow for the wrong we have done, and the good we have left undone. Lord, you are full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy; there is always forgiveness with you! Restore to us the joy of your salvation; bind up that which is broken, give light to our minds, strength to our wills, and rest to our souls. Speak to each of us, and let your word abide with us until it has wrought in us your holy will. Amen.

Assurance of Faith

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons and daughters. And because you are sons and daughters, God has set the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ So through God you are no longer a slave but a son and daughter, and if a son or daughter then an heir.

In Christ, you are forgiven, adopted into God’s family, an heir to the kingdom!

Worship

225 Go Tell It On The Mountain

231 O Come All Ye Faithful

242 O Little Town of Bethlehem

Prayers of the People

Prayer Request

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done

in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

The Shepherds Joy

This weeks candle is called the Shepherds Candle, and it represents Joy.

Candle Lighting

Luke 2:8–20 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 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.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Shepherd

Shepherds of Sheep

Misinformation as to the status of shepherds

Great Shepherds in the OT, Abraham, Moses, David

Thes Shepherds on the night of the birth

Were they despised? Luke 2:18 could go either way

It doesn’t seem they were run out of the house

Though these men were commoners, they most likely were not as despised as usually indicated

Shepherds of Men

Every true church of God is equipped with a shepherd

Ephesians 4:11 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

1 Peter 5:2 ESV

2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

Kings throughout history have been called shepherds

The role of Shepherds is important to the management of God’s people throughout the Bible, it is an ongoing theme

God’s people are considered to be sheep. Surely this is not an offensive reference

The Great Shepherd

It would seem strange that a culture that despised shepherds and thought of them as lowly would refer t their God as Their Shepherd

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

There are multiple places in the OT that is is indicated that God is unhappy that His people are like sheep without a Shepherd

The Shepherd’s Message

God chooses the shepherds of all people to the bearers of this great news.

He sends angels to announce this thing to them

They are sent into the city to announce it. That night and surely for many days after.

The Angel Speaks

Luke 2:10–14 ESV

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

What an amazing message. The Christ has been born

And he is laying in a feed trough. (Expound on mangers)

The message of the birth of a king should have gone to the palace, should have gone out to the nation by proclamation

But Jesus through from royal blood did not come from royal station

therefore it was fitting that the first to hear the good news were of the same station

The Shepherds Respond

Luke 2:15–16 ESV

15 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.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

They respond with understanding

they were Jews as well, they knew their Scriptures, they knew the angels had pointed to prophecy

Unto “us” a child is Born Isaiah 9:6

the child is born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2

and all of this is happening right then

They respond in faith,

faith that they could find a newborn child in the night, in the bottom of someone’s home

They respond in obedience

They go to find this child that would be laying in a feed trough

They respond in belief

So much so they become the first evangelist in Scripture

The People Believe

Luke 2:17–19 ESV

17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Everyone they tell “marvels” at this message they bring

Mary and Joseph believe.

It is a confirmation for them of what the angels said 9 months before to them.

there did not seem to be any other visits from angels

Mary took this message to heart, “treasured up”, “pondered”, they meant much to her

This might explain where this whole narrative comes from.

The Shepherds Joy

The Shepherd’s Rejoice

Luke 2:20 ESV

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

They understood the significance of the message

They knew that this was the turning point

The point that would change the world

God’s Chosen Shepherd

The shepherds were the first to know of the arrival of the good shepherd

John 10:11 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The great shepherd

Hebrews 13:20 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

The Shepherd that all present day Shepherds are to imitate

1 Peter 5:2–4 ESV

2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Many have sought to answer the question of why God chose Shepherds to be the first to see and witness to the coming of the Messiah

All guesses are just that, guesses. But regardless of why it seems fitting that Shepherds were the first to share the good news of the arrival of the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd

Great Joy

We today, like those Shepherds should find great joy in the message they recieved

They were told that a child was born, a Savior, a child that is Christ the Lord

A Savior - a deliverer - one who would set them free - one who sets us free from the bondage of sin - not one who made himself a Savior but according to the angels one born a Savior

Christ - Messiah - the Promised one of Israel - the one who would achieve reconciliation between God and man, the one who would defeat all of God’s enemies

The Lord - A King - one who would establish the righteous rule of God for all of eternity - one who would be a benevolent ruler - shepherding His people for all time.

Conclusion

Much of the Jewish world was looking for the coming of the Messiah. A coming King who would do all the things we just said. They were waiting and watching diligently.

But God according to His own good will chose the shepherd in the field to be the first to know outside the parents of Jesus. And he chose to reveal it to them in such a way as to ensure their could be no doubt that this was the Promised One.

The joy they felt that first Christmas, intermixed with fear of seeing an angel, and combined with the trepidation of telling people that they just had a message from an angel must have been life altering. They knew for certain that God had fulfilled his promise to Israel. Though it would be 33 years later that they found out exactly how, I am sure they never tired of telling the story of how Christ had come into their lives.

As we reflect upon the Christmas season, can we capture a bit of that joy? Can we see just how life altering it is that Christ came into this world, and came into our hearts? If we have faith in Christ, we are a changed person. Part of that change should be the ability to find joy in all situations. So whether this is going to be the best Christmas of your life, or the worst, we need to find joy abounding, because we know that Christ our Saviour, our King, and our Lord is here right now, and He holds us in His hands.

Verse 20 tells us the shepherds went back to work and rejoiced. Tomorrow you will return to work. Make sure that you are rejoicing in the advent of the Lord. We like the shepherds must toil on day by day, but we like the shepherds can find joy in it knowing that we have Jesus.

Lords Supper

Lets us now partake of the Lord’s Supper together as the New Covenant body:

Table is open to all who are professing believers

The words of Institution that the Apostle Paul has given us should give us caution as we come to the table this morning:

English Standard Version Chapter 11

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

So as we pray and prepare to receive the supper, keep the Word in your mind, preparing your heart for the receiving of the Supper.

Please take this time to pray, and prepare your heart to receive the Supper.

AMEN

And now in His name, I take these elements to be set apart by prayer and thanksgiving to the holy and mysterious use for which he has appointed them. As He gave thanks and blessed, let us draw near to God, and present unto Him our prayers and thanksgivings. Let us Pray

God, Who by the blood of your dear Son has consecrated us a new and living way into the holiest of all: we ask of you, cleanse our minds by the work of the Holy Spirit, that drawing near to you with a pure heart and clear conscience, we may receive these gifts without sin, and in doing so glorify your Holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Have the people come and take. Elders deliver to those who cannot rise.

The Bread: On the night Jesus was betrayed , he took the bread and when He had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to the disciples to eat saying: “This is my body which is broken for your; do this in remembrance of me” Take the bread

The Wine: And in the same manner He also took the Cup, and having given thanks, He gave it to the disciples, saying: “This is the cup of the New Covenant in my Blood, shed for many for the remission of sin. Do This as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Drink of the cup.

Let us Pray.....

Doxology

Closing Prayer

If anyone has any questions or concerns feel free to catch me afterwards. And a quick reminder we do have plates in the back for anyone who desires to worship through giving today. The plate to the right is general giving, and the one to the left is specific for our missions giving.

Join us as we sing the doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.