Christmas Eve

Welcome

Choir

Offering for the Methodist Children’s Home

Lighting of the Advent Candles

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear v.1

Isaiah 11:1–4 ESV

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

O Little Town of Bethlehem v.1,4

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing v.1,3

Luke 2:1–7 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The First Noel v.1

Luke 2:8–16 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

The First Noel v.2

Matthew 2:1–11 ESV

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

We Three Kings v.1,5

John 1:1–14 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

O Come, All Ye Faithful v.1,3,6

Message: God With Us

God came so He could be with you and you with Him. He doesn’t ask for anything except you.

Kings, Emperors, Pharaohs, and other leaders have fancied themselves gods. They demand service and obedience. Jesus, truly God, came to serve. How remarkable!

God came down to us to show us the way. He came to a hurting and broken world to pull us out of the mire and bring us to the Father.

Jesus told the disciples to “Follow me.” He told the paralytic and the prostitute “Go and sin no more.” He told the dead to “Rise and walk.”

When John the Baptist’s disciples came to ask Jesus if He was the One, He replied:

Matthew 11:5–6 ESV

the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

The problem is, and I’m guilty of this as well, that too often we pull away from Jesus. Rather than run to Him so we can be healed and cleansed of our sin we hold onto it roll around in it’s filth a little more because where not quite ready yet to be rid of it. Jesus came so we could have life. He came to deal with our sin, to heal our hurts, to lift our heads to the Father, so that His glory and His Spirit would dwell within us. Abide in me, He says, so that my love will abide in you. He wants you to be loved. He wants you to be filled with joy. He wants you to overflow with peace. He wants you to be with Him and see His glory as all creation bows the knee and confesses Jesus as Lord. (John 17:24)

A King has come to us, has come for us, has come to be with us. I don’t have much of anything, but what I do have I’ll give with all my heart. Jesus says it is enough, if you will just come and follow Him.

“But, Jesus, I’m broken, I’m tired, you don’t understand the things I have done, you don’t understand the things that have been done to me, you don’t know the names people call me, and I’ve tried but I just can’t, I’m simply not good enough.”

That’s why He came, because He sees you and desires you in His kingdom. Thank God it is not about who I was and what I did, it is about what Christ can and will and is doing in me. He took a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread, blessed it, and fed a crowd of 5,000, then later a crowd of 4,000. He made the lame to walk again, the blind to see, the dead to live, you and I don’t even comprehend all the medical miracles that had to take place as bone and sinews and synapses were brought back in order. He told Peter after denying Him three times in His most vulnerable state, “Go and feed my sheep, I have work for you to do.” He came to Thomas who doubted and said, “Touch the scars, put your hand in my side.”

We say, ”But I’m broken Jesus!” But Jesus says to cast our cares upon Him, to lay down the yoke of slavery to sin and death and pick up His yoke which is light. He says those who trust in Him will run and not grow weary, will walk and not faint. Those who believe in the resurrection will live again, not just in Heaven, will live a new life here on this earth.

This is why Jesus came, to be with you, to bring life, to heal you, to strengthen you. Will you come? This is the good news, this is what Christmas is all about, a Savior was born, God in the flesh so that we would walk in His love. Will you come and allow Him to heal you? Will you come and allow Him to love you? Will you come and present everything you have, everything you are, and enter in to His embrace?

Come, let us talk to the King.

Matthew 1:22–23 ESV

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

John 14:2–3 ESV

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Communion

Candle Lighting

Silent Night, Holy Night v.1,4

Benediction