Christmas Eve Service
Just fills with your joy. And Lord, we just thank you for all the blessings and the love. And just the amazing. Joy that you provide for our lives. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Words will be on the screen also.
We stay on his way saying.
Play for Christ.
Proclaim.
Thank you. Please. Be seated.
Number 217 away in the manger.
Sweet. No crying. He makes me by my cradle till morning. Handsome.
a 240 Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Cries cries.
Late in time. Behold Him come.
For the newborn.
Sing the first verse of The First Noel.
The snow.
No, no.
Volume six.
Stand with me as we sang first. Two verses of Joy to the World.
Repeat the sounding Joy, repeat, the sounding Joy repeat.
Thank you. Please. Be seated.
He knows I Was preparing for this and thinking about Christmas. Of course something we all think about his gifts. But we all get that one gift every year. That isn't exactly what we expected may be what we wanted. I mean if you ever had you know where you hoped that something would come in the mail, you know before Christmas. Maybe you were a little late on your Christmas shopping this year. That could have been a real problem. I know. James had to tell Jalen that a one of her Christmas presents is now a birthday present because it never quite made it here. But you know, when things like that happen, when you're hoping for something, and it doesn't happen. It's disappointing. You know, maybe it's a phone call. You're hoping to get her an email about something or text to come through. You know, you're wanting to hear something or receive something at a certain time. So you're hoping it's going to be there, but then something happens. And you're disappointed, you know, expecting something to happen and then it doesn't. Well, that's the very definition of disappointment. Using the word, hope in those context when I say you hope to get something. That's not the way, the Bible uses the word hope. You know, there isn't a sense of failed. Hope biblically. When the Bible talks about hope it is always hope that is already been accomplished. You know, my favorite definition of hope that I've heard of in the Bible is Hope is the absolute expectation of coming. Good.
A pretty general definition but a pretty awesome one. Also your biblical. Hope is a sure thing. Biblical. Hope will never disappoint biblical. Hope is always there and always fulfilled. Yeah, that's why we start with Advent. And we start the Christmas calendar with it because it starts to build that, hope it's a perfect reminder of building up to that. Hope. In Hope is the gift that never disappoints. You know, no matter the weight, no matter the suffering, no matter what happens. We will not be disappointed because our hope is based upon the work of God.
And it may not necessarily be something that we always fully understand. But our hope is in knowing that God is good. And that God is going to bless us. No matter what the circumstances are.
You know, the Christmas song that the Joe will sing for us here in a few minutes of O, Holy Night. We find the following line, a thrill of Hope, the weary World rejoices.
You know, if there's ever been a time of a weary world, I think this year would, I definitely qualify, you know, we thought 2020 was the worst but 2021. It's kind of lag. I think people feel more weary from everything this year than they did last year.
And you know this, I thought about it, you know, many generations have dealt with things that have made them weary, you know, other things that have happened in our society like the depression, like the great Wars, all those things. I'm sure had people thinking it can't get any worse than this.
But where was their hope based? You know, if we look at the price story, we see you know that line, a thrill of Hope, a weary World rejoices. It was into a dark World. Shrouded in sin, that Christ was born. It was when God bird that salvation light in that manger, and if you really think about that story, you know, it sounds. 2. Amazing. But it should be. Think of the hope that, that story is filled with. You know, it's only fitting that with the birth of Christ that one of the main metaphors that's used in the Bible to talk about hope. Is pregnancy.
you know, Paul applies this in Romans 8 and we talked about a little bit my message last week, you know, as he kind of talks about the things that we experience in life in the trials and the difficulties that are there and he Compares them to the experience of Childbirth. You know, he talks about how it can be really difficult to go through circumstances in life, not knowing how it's going to end up. But you know, that's the exciting thing about childbirth is a mother can endure the Pains of childbirth because she is joyfully expectant of that child. That is to come.
Pause trying to tell us that when we Face trials in life, we should feel the same way. We should have that same joyful expectation knowing that no matter what we might go through. God is going to bless us in it. And God is going to birth something out of that better than anything that we could imagine.
You know, it's always this great. Hope and Paul talks about it. As I said and Romans 8 Romans 8:24 says for in this hope we were saved.
You know, we can look forward to Each. Coming day with that expectant Joy knowing That we are saved by Jesus Christ and knowing the hope that we have for him. You know, really, that's the whole purpose of Advent, the whole reason we go through lighting. All these candles is to make everyone pregnant with hope. We're wanting to build that hope within you and that's why we go through the Advent calendar, trying to build that anticipation.
And even though everyone's really excited for the gifts under the tree. That's not what we're building the expectation for.
Even though I'm really excited for the brisket. We started smoking tonight for tomorrow. That's not what we're building the anticipation for. We're celebrating the birth of Christ. And that is what it's all about. You know, that's why we do all of these things into me. That's what becomes exciting this time of year win. We kinda sing all the traditional songs do all the traditional things we've done is to church because it starts to remind you of what's coming.
You know, I'm sure all of your families have different traditions and those Traditions are part of building that expectation of what's coming.
And you know, that's what Advent does. It seeks to reframe our experiences that were having with new expectations. Expectations of what Christ can bring expectations of what that new life in him can do for us.
You know, biblical hope is not a blend of wishing and waiting and frustration and disappointment. Like worldly. Hope is Biblical hope is the pure. Absolute expectation of coming. Good. That's what we have to remember.
I just want to challenge each of you tonight as we prepare for Christmas morning, you know. Do you trust in God enough to dare to have that kind of hope? That no matter what you face, you can face it with. Hope knowing that, no matter what happens. It's a part of God's plan. It's meant for your good. It's meant for the good of others. And we may not understand it now. But one day, we will, we will see how it all fits in God's divine plan.
I want you to ask yourselves. Are you pregnant with hope?
For all this guy is at the new experience. We get to be pregnant with something for Eno.
But I want you to ask yourself that, are you looking forward to it with that much anticipation?
Because it's a believer in Christ that hope is already within you Christ. Has already given it to you. You just have to accept it and expect God to follow through on his promises and to fill you with his Joy.
And, you know, if you're not a Believer, if you're questioning those things, what better night. To accept that gift and to finally receive the hope that Christ wants to fill you with. You know, I think that is why we all love Christmas Eve so much. It's the night filled with hope that is ready to burst forth.
And I pray that God will fill all of us with that eager anticipation tonight. Of what is going to come? Please pray with me.
Heavenly father as we come to you Lord. We thank you for
the hope that you have provided through your son, Jesus Christ. and Lord, I pray that you will help us all to just Joyfully, expect. That good is coming our way that you are going to fill our lives with good things. No matter what we might face. And Lord, I pray that as we all wake up tomorrow morning that we will all just feel that we are pregnant with hope Lord. Joyfully expectant of the good you're going to bring to us. We pray this all in your most. Holy name. Amen.
Oh, Holy Night. The stars are brightly shining.
Night.
Brakes.
Angel.
Oh, no.
Hearts.
Yorkie.
Yorkie.
When Christ.
Thank you, Joe. My son was sitting over here and you started to sing and he turned me to goes, she's really good.
Well now for me Christmas is a time that even as a kid, I really forward to not because of the presence but just because on Christmas Eve we would always get together my entire family and we would celebrate, we go to Ponderosa and Huntingdon go back to my grandparents house and we had like a name drawing for presents and we and we all open those up. But one of the coolest things was that, all my aunts and uncles are there all my cousins and it was just I don't know. It was just more of those magical nights for us. And now getting older, we all have kids. Now, we don't really get together anymore. And as you get older, obviously you become the one that gets to host but This is pretty awesome. I never did this as a kid. I never came to a Christmas Eve service or anything like that. And so only just recently for the last few years has my family been coming to a Christmas Eve service. And this is kind of, renewing that magic where we are part of a family again, and we're able to come together at a table tonight and to celebrate with one another, the birth of Jesus. And the Bible does say that when we do take me, and we're supposed to do that as often, as we think of it. Now, as we look around in this room. Maybe we're not blood related, but we are definitely related in the body of Christ. So, my encouragement as you leave tonight. How someone that maybe you haven't spoken to before that, you love them and that you love that you are part of their family. It was we come to Jesus table tonight. Hopefully everybody has one of these. If you do not please raise your hand and I'll have one of my strapping boys over here. Go grab you one cuz they might need one. All right, cool. Everybody read the instructions, then. So, we're going to take the wafer out.
This represents the body of Christ.
And one of the most interesting things about Jesus is the fact that he came not just immediately as a man, but as a child. Because he wanted to show each and everyone of us. But he was part of us. He wanted to show us that he came to do the impossible. So that we could do the impossible and be with him for eternity. He sacrificed his body. And his body was broken. What? It didn't have to be? So, as you take the bread and break it, remember the sacrifice that he did for you.
Now, as you start to peel back the juice. We think about Christ blood. we think about, Perfection usually, but he lived a sinless life. But the blood flowing through his veins never once tasted sin. Until he went to the cross. And he took each and every one of our sins with him to that cross to pay for that penalty. So as we sit and we think about the sacrifice that he did for us. That blood flows through each and every one of us who have accepted him as our Lord and savior. That blood was shared for each and everyone of you. So again, as we remember the blood that he has shed take and drink.
That's right.
Jesus, it's amazing to think.
But not only did you come as a child. But you came in a moment in history.
Where there was very few that even believed in the father.
Lord, you came to a time. Where there were men who wanted to kill you for fear of you?
For each and every step of the way. It was a dangerous path for you. It was a path riddled. With danger of death of suffering. But Lord, you showed us how to do it through Joy.
But I think you for pastor Dave's message as he talked about just the joy in the hope of pregnancy. And I think each and every mother in this room understands. Just how crazy that thought is. To go through pain to receive Joy. Lord, I pray that you teach each and everyone of us this lesson tonight as we celebrate you. But also Lord taking that joy in that hope to those who have never experienced it.
More. We love you. We praise you and thank you for all the blessings in Jesus name. We pray. Amen.
All right. Well, now the next part, where is everyone have a candle? If not, there are candles at the back. So if everyone would like to get up and we will do our best to form something that resembles a circle. And then we will start to pass the light and we'll start at two points. Bryce will probably go to the back. I'll come up here and we will spread it around. And remember, you tip the candle. That's not lit. Keep the one that is lit straight up and down. Otherwise Cheryl has to get all the wax out of carpet. So pass it around and then we will sing.
Silent night when the time is, right.
You walk too fast.
Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much. For the wonderful gift that you gave us by sending your son to live among us Lord to walk. A mile in our shoes and to truly understand what we go through in day-to-day life. And Lord, I pray that you will allow that to fill us with confidence and hope Lord, knowing that you are walking with us. No matter what we face. And Lord, I pray that this Christmas morning that we will wake up filled with your hope and your joy and your love and your peace and Lord that you will use those things to guide us through this next year. We pray this all on your most. Holy name. Amen.
Now, you can blow out your candles, and please blow them out before you return them to the basket back there, but then thank you for coming and have a blessed Christmas.