Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
Oh, come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, Born the King of angels.
Chorus Oh, come, let us adore Him, Oh, come let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
God from true God, and Light from Light eternal,
Born of a virgin, to earth He comes,
Only begotten Son of God the Father. Chorus.
Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation;
Sing all ye citizens of heav’n above.
Glory to God, all Glory in the highest. Chorus.
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n,
Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing. Chorus
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we'll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
What child is this who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary!
Why lies He in such mean estate where oxen now are feeding?
Good Christians, fear; For sinners here the silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through; the cross He’ll bear for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary!
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh; Come, peasant, king to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings; Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high; The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, the babe, the Son of Mary!
In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope, without light
'Til from Heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfill the law and prophets
To a virgin came the word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt
CHORUS: Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings
To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross
For even in your suffering
You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation
Jesus for our sake you died CHORUS
And the morning that You rose
All of Heaven held its breath
'Til that stone was moved for good
For the Lamb had conquered death
And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who'd come
To the Father are restored
And the church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel, shall not faint
By His blood and in His name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me CHORUS
John’s account of Jesus’ birth is very different from Matthew and Luke. The Word, Jesus, took on flesh and made His dwelling among us (Emmanuel). The teachings in this section are amazing. Jesus, God Himself, becomes a human so that He could take our place and so He could die. Jesus was God from eternity, but became human at His incarnation. He remains both human and God today. Human so He can sympathize with our weaknesses and God so that He can rule all things for us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The writer to the Hebrews begins His letter by talking about the power of the Word (remember the lesson the from John) that sustains all things. Without the Word (Jesus), everything would fall apart. That the world isn’t in complete and utter chaos is due entirely to the sustaining power of the Word, of Jesus.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
INVOCATION
Pastor: We worship this morning in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES (Revelation 19)
P: Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
C: For true and just are His judgments
P: Praise our God, all you His servants,
C: You who fear Him both small and great
P: For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
C: Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!
PRAYER
C: O God of peace, we turn aside from an unsettled world, seeking rest for our spirits, and light for our thoughts. We bring our work to be sanctified, our wounds to be healed, our sins to be forgiven, and our hopes to be renewed. In You there is perfect harmony and peace. Draw us to You and ease the tensions of our lives. Lead us out of the emptiness of this world and fill us with Your peace. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
CONFESSION OF SINS
P: Dear friends, let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.
C: Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin.
For faithless worrying and selfish pride,
For sins of habit and sins of choice,
For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do
You should cast me away from Your presence forever.
O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus sake.
P: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In His great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through His called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise,
For it was grace that bought my liberty;
I’ll never know just why Christ came to love me so,
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
To view the cross where Jesus died for me;
How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul,
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
Prayer for a Life of Service
C: Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
Heavenly Father, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
In Your Son’s name, we pray. Amen.
PSALM 2
P: Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
C: The kings of the earth take their stand
P: And the rulers gather together against the LORD
C: And against His Anointed One.
P: "Let us break their chains," they say,
C: "and throw off their fetters."
P: The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
C: The Lord scoffs at them.
P: Then He rebukes them in His anger
C: And terrifies them in His wrath, saying,
P: "I have installed My King on Zion, My holy hill."
C: I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
P: He said to me, "You are My Son;
C: Today I have become Your Father.
P: Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance,
C: The ends of the earth Your possession.
P: You will rule them with an iron scepter;
C: You will dash them to pieces like pottery."
P: Therefore, you kings, be wise;
C: Be warned, you rulers of the earth.
P: Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
C: Kiss the Son, lest He be angry
P: And you be destroyed in your way,
C: For His wrath can flare up in a moment.
P: Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
ALL: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forever and ever. Amen.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God the Father, Maker of the heav’n and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, our Saviour, God’s own Son of human birth,
Virgin-born, the Lord incarnate, Whom the Spirit did conceive.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate. He’s the God whom I believe.
Crucified, was dead and buried; Down to hell in victory;
From the dead He rose the third day; Up to heav’n triumphantly.
There at God’s right hand He’s ruling. By His will the world is led.
He will come to judge the nations, Both the living and the dead.
I believe in God the Spirit, In His Church, His chosen band.
They are joined in sweet communion. Holy in His sight they stand.
I believe in sins forgiven. I believe I’ll rise again.
I believe in life eternal. Amen! Amen! Amen!
THANK OFFERING
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18)
- Thanks, Thanks, I give You thanks for all You’ve done.
I am so blessed; my soul is at rest. O Lord, I give You thanks. (Repeat)
PRAYER
THE LORD’S PRAYER: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours now and forever. Amen.
(Our prayer team is always ready to go to the throne of the Father for you.
For prayer chain requests, email prayer@livinghopereunion.church.)
BENEDICTION
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
GREETING & ANNOUNCEMENTS