Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for His bed;
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable, and His cradle was a stall;
With the poor and mean and lowly lived on earth our Savior holy.
But our eyes at last shall see Him through His own redeeming love,
For that child, so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heav’n above,
And He leads His children on to the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor, lowly stable with the oxen standing by
Shall we see Him but in heaven, set at God’s right hand on high.
Then like stars His children crowned, all in white, His praise will sound.
Angels we have heard on high,
sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply,
echoing their joyous strains.
Chorus: Glo-ria in excelsis Deo; Glo-ria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be?
Which inspire your heav’nly song? Chorus.
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare to make no other claim but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Chorus: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. Chorus.
His oath, His covenant and blood support me in the raging flood;
When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. Chorus.
When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne. Chorus.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.
I love You, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask You to stay
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Your tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with You there.
Long time ago in Bethlehem, So the Holy Bible say,
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ, Was born on Christmas Day
Chorus: Hark! Now hear the angels sing. New King is born today.
And men will live forevermore Because of Christmas Day!
While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
They saw a bright, new shining star,
They heard the choirs of angels sing,
The music came from afar. Chorus.
Joseph and his wife, Mary,
Came to Bethlehem that night,
They found no place to bear the child;
Not a single room was in sight. Chorus.
By and by they found a little nook,
In a stable all forlorn,
And in a manger, cold and dark,
Mary’s little boy child was born.
Trumpets sound and angels sing, Listen to what they say,
That men will live forevermore, Because of Christmas Day!
How I long to breathe the air of heaven
Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets;
To look upon the one who bled to save me,
And walk with Him for all eternity.
CHORUS: There will be a day when all will bow before Him.
There will be a day when death will be no more.
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again.
Holy, holy is the Lord!
Ev’ry prayer we prayed in desperation,
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear.
Oh, in the end, we’ll see that it was worth it,
When He returns to wipe away our tears. CHORUS
On that day, we join the resurrection,
And stand beside the heroes of the faith,
And with one voice, a thousand generations,
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.
Forever He shall reign!”
Final Chorus: So let it be today, we shout the hymn of heaven,
With angels and the saints, we raise a mighty roar.
Glory to our God, who gave us life beyond the grave.
Holy, holy is the Lord! (repeat final chorus, then sing last line)
Oh, holy, holy is the Lord
The birth of the Savior of the world. Notice the angels’ message to the shepherds. That’s the meaning of Christmas.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
(A reading from Psalm 146)
The Psalm writer reminds us where our trust should lie. And where it shouldn’t – not in humanity suddenly making the right decisions or doing the right things. Our trust is in God Almighty who never lets us down.
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
A reading from Romans 8:1-4,6-7,11)
Our hope is not found in striving to obey laws, even the laws of God. But our hope is securely rooted in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
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.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen.
OPENING PRAYER for WORSHIP
P: Eternal God, we have gathered today to rejoice in You. To rejoice
In the creation of world and in the gift of the breathe of life,
In the daily bread You provide and in the protection You give,
In the redemption You won for us through Jesus and in the faith Your
Spirit has created in us.
In the promise of strength for each day and in the promise of eternal
life with You.
Lord Jesus, you promised, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Be with us as You have promised. May Your presence humble us today. You tell us to not give up meeting together so that we might encourage one another. Use us today, Lord, to bless our brothers and sisters.
C: Here may the faithful find salvation, and the careless be awakened.
Here may the doubting find faith, and the anxious be encouraged.
Here may the tempted find help, and the troubled find comfort.
Here may the weary find rest, and the strong be renewed.
P: O Holy Spirit, You poured out Your power on Your people on Pentecost. We pray that today You would once again pour out Your power on Your people here.
C: Come to cleanse us within.
and to inspire us.
Come to lead us in the darkness.
And to dispel our ignorance.
Come to enable us in our weaknesses.
And to dwell in us.
P: Convict us, convert us, consecrate us. Until we are all set free from the service of ourselves to be Your servants to the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray
C: Amen.
P: Come, let us worship the Lord who loved us enough to die for us.
SONG of PRAISE for WHO GOD IS
You are here, moving in our midst.
We worship You. We worship You.
You are here, working in this place.
We worship You. We worship You.
CHORUS: You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker,
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness,
My God, that is who you are.
You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker,
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness,
My God, that is who you are.
You are here, turning lives around.
We worship you. We worship you.
You are here, mending ev’ry heart.
We worship you. We worship you.
CHORUS: You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker,
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness,
My God, that is who you are.
You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker,
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness,
My God, that is who you are.
CHORUS: You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker,
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness,
My God, that is who you are.
You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker,
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness,
My God, that is who you are.
That is who you are.
THANK OFFERING
TIME OF PRAYER
I’m calling on the God of Jacob,
Whose love endures through generations.
I know that you will keep your covenant.
I’m calling on the God of David,
Who made a shepherd boy courageous.
I may not face Goliath, but I’ve got my own giants.
O God, my God, I need you.
O God, my God I need you now.
How I need you now.
O Rock, O Rock of ages
I’m standing on your faithfulness,
On your faithfulness, O God.
PRAYERS
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
You answered prayers back then, and you will answer now.
You are the same God. You are the same God.
You were providing then. You are providing now.
You are the same God. You are the same God.
You moved in power then. God move in power now.
You are the same God. You are the same God.
You were a Savior then. You are a Savior now.
You are the same God. You are the same God.
O God, my God, I need you.
O God, my God I need you now.
How I need you now.
O Rock, O Rock of ages,
I’m standing on your faithfulness,
On your faithfulness, O God.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
M: Our Lord Jesus Christ on the night He was betrayed took bread, gave thanks and gave it to His disciples saying, “Take and eat. This is my body given into death for your sins.”
In the same way, He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, “Drink from it all of you. This is My blood of the new covenant poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of Me.”
M: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: Amen.
(The Scriptures teach that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper connects us intimately with Christ and with one another as Christians. To understand more about the Lord’s Supper, please visit with our pastor. He would love to talk with you about the blessings of the Lord’s Supper.)
DISTRIBUTION
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
A SENDING PRAYER.
P: O Lord God, may Your strength protect us. May Your power preserve us. May Your wisdom, O Lord, instruct us. May Your hand pilot us. May Your ways direct us. May Your shield, O God, defend us. May Your hosts guard us against the snares of the evil one and the temptations of the world.
Christ, be with us. Christ, be behind us, before us, beside us and within us. Be with us, O Christ, in quiet; O Christ, in danger; O Christ, at work and at home. Christ, be on my mouth, in my heart, and all through my life. Dwell in us, Christ, to win us, to comfort us, to restore us, and to save us.
May your salvation, O Lord, be always ours this day and forevermore. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.