Cradle and Cross

Christmas Video: Emmanuel

Welcome/Prayer

Worship Through Song

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

Here I am to Worship

Scripture: Luke 1:46-50; Isa.7:14; 9:2, 6; John 1:1, 4, 14

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His name.

And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name ‘Immanuel.’

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and His name shall be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

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.

Worship Through Song

Silent Night

O Praise The Name (Anastasis)

Recitation: Luke 2:1-20

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Chapter 2

THE BIRTH OF JESUS

1–5  2 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6–7  While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

AN EVENT FOR EVERYONE

8–12  There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

13–14  At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15–18  As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19–20  Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Tonight, maybe we take cues from Mary and the shepherds alike. Maybe we make haste to see the Baby of Bethlehem born for us, the Christ King coming to call His own. And maybe we pause and ponder and reflect and wonder at the God who was born to a virgin girl. And when we leave, maybe we leave with the sound of the songs of our Savior ever-springing from our lips, declaring, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”

Worship Through Song

The First Noel

King of Kings

Recitation: Luke 4:16-17, 18-19

Luke 4:16–17 ESV

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

Luke 4:18–19 The Message

God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”

Yes, the Christ was born, and He was born for a purpose. The prophets of old had told of His coming and what it would mean. Yes, He would be the King who sat forever on the throne of David. Yes, He would be the blessing to the nations that comes from Abraham’s line. And yes, He would be the Son of the woman that crushes the head of Satan.

Wonderful Counselor? Yes! Even secular critics cannot deny that no teacher in the history of the world has had the impact of Jesus of Nazareth.

Mighty God? Certainly! Who else has made the lame to walk?! The blind to see?! The deaf to hear?! Who else has cast out demons and chased away sickness and disease? Who else has taken the dead by the hand or called them forth from the tomb and given them life again? No one but Jesus.

Eternal Father? Sure! He is the Word who was both with God and who was God. The second person of the Trinity, we echo the words of “Doubting Thomas,” “My Lord and my God.”

Prince of Peace? Again we boldly say He surely is. But here is where we come back to His purpose. You see, the question is HOW will jesus set the “burdened and battered free?” And it is here that we are reminded of the grim shadow that lingered over Jesus’ life, for even in the cradle, the cross was His destiny.

Isaiah 53:2–12 The Message

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him. He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true. Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him. Out of that terrible travail of soul, he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly— the best of everything, the highest honors— Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

Philippians 2:6–11 The Message

He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Yes, we celebrate the cradle tonight, but only because the cross made a way to bring us back to God. And because the Christ Child and King has now become our Savior and Lord, we surrender all and proclaim the good news that “Jesus saves!” as we answer the call to be salt and light, shining the hope of the gospel into the dark and broken world around us.

Candle Lighting: “O Holy Night”