Order, Words, & Voices – 12.08.24, Luke 2:1-20 You Will Find
Pre/Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
Lighting of Advent Peace Candle (Christ/Hope Candles Already Lit) Mitch
Songs Hark the Herald Angels Sing #27738 Lynn/Linda
The First Noel #31047
Passage/Prayer Luke 2:1-20 Beth
Special Hope is Alive #7102243 Lynn/Linda
Impact/Message You Will Find Rick
Song Silent night with Away in a Manger? Lynn/Linda
Community/Closing Peace Rick
Closing Music O Come All Ye Faithful CCLI Song # 31054 Lynn/Linda
- Record message on memory card – leave space above Speaker’s head
Christ Candle (Slides) (Music softly begins to play near end) Mitch
– Christ & Hope Candles Already Lit as Mitch lights the Peace candle
Leader: There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the exile to the birth of the Messiah, Jesus.
Response: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Leader: Joseph went from his town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.
Response: Joseph went to be registered with his fiancé Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
Leader: While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for Mary to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger.
Response: For there was no room in the guest house.
Leader: Shepherds were nearby in the fields keeping watch over their flock through the night. An angel of the Lord stood before the terrified shepherds. The angel said, “Do not be afraid, for I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David the Messiah, the Lord.
Response: You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
Leader: Suddenly, with the angel, there was a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
Response: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors!”
Luke 2:1-14
Music (Slides) Lynn/Linda
Hark the Herald Angels Sing #27738
Verse 1
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With th’angelic hosts proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Verse 2
Christ by highest heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of the Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail th’incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus our Emmanuel
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Verse 3
Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Verse 4
Come Desire of nations come
Fix in us Thy humble home
Rise the woman’s conqu’ring seed
Bruise in us the serpent’s head
Adam’s likeness now efface
Stamp Thine image in its place
Second Adam from above
Reinstate us in Thy love
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
The First Noel #31047
Verse 1
The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep
Chorus
Noel Noel Noel Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Verse 2
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night
Chorus
Noel Noel Noel Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Verse 3
And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far
To seek for a king was their intent
And to follow the star wherever it went
Chorus
Noel Noel Noel Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Verse 4
This star drew nigh to the northwest
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay
Chorus
Noel Noel Noel Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Verse 5
Then entered in those wise men three
Full rev’rently upon the knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense
Chorus
Noel Noel Noel Noel
Born is the King of Israel
?
Passage (Slides) Luke 2:8-20 Beth
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth 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 heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told to them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.
Join me in the prayer of Jesus,
Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.
And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Special Music Duet (No Slides) Lynn/Linda
Hope is Alive (Just Title Slide – No Word Slides) #7102243
Verse 1
After the silence of waiting so long
We hear a baby’s first cry
And into our midnight
A heavenly song whispers that hope is alive
Oh joy to the world on this holy night
Chorus 1
So sing with the angels that fill up the sky
Heaven broke through and now hope is alive
He is right here among us our God is with us tonight
And hope is alive
Verse 2
In an old stable beneath the bright stars
A young mother is holding her son
Oh the beauty of feeling the beat of God’s heart
That tells us that we’re not alone
Oh our Emmanuel has come
Bridge
Into our aching into our breaking
Into our longing to be made whole
Your arms are reaching your love is holding us close
And into our suffering into our weeping
Into this need we have to be known
Your arms are reaching your love is holding us close
Chorus 2
So sing with the angels that fill up the sky
Those in the shadows have seen a great light
He is right here among us our God is with us tonight
And hope is alive
Message Rick [? title slide up for entire message]
The Christmas narrative is a beautiful and simplistic story. A simple yet faithful teenage girl is told that she will be the mother of the promised Messiah. Her fiance Joseph is apprehensive, he considers a very compassionate and loving way to back out of his engagement but, after an angel visits him he is fully on board. At the same time the Roman ruler, Caesar Augustus, declared a registration, a count of all of his subjects which was most of the known world. This means Joseph and his very pregnant fiance must make the journey to Bethlehem, the hometown of his ancestors. Once there, they find there is no one, and no place, for them. An innkeeper, who has no rooms, offers them his barn, saying “it is not ideal but it is at least something”. It is there that the child is born.
Soon, shepherds sitting on the hillside watching their sheep, are frightened by the appearance of angels. The angels tell the shepherds of the birth of the Messiah. Once the angels leave, the shepherds jump to their feet and run to the place where they can see this Child. As Mary and Joseph are holding their newborn the shepherds arrive. Mary smiles as she treasures their visit.
A beautiful and simple story. Or, is it messy, complicated, exhausting, frustrating, and probably a disgusting, aggravating, and confusing story. Let’s face it, this probably would not be human reality if it wasn’t as messy as humans actually are.
The story of the birth of Jesus is the story of God becoming man in our very real world. He wasn’t born in a palace, Mary wasn’t assisted by the finest medical minds, there was no chef, no nutritionist, no pain medications, no cameras or paparazzi, there were no admiring fans standing outside the gates, no maids and no staff, it was just two young people, scared, confused, frustrated, cold, uncomfortable and if that is not enough, there is the suffering that comes naturally with the trauma of the birth experience, and, for Joseph and Mary, the looming oppressive question of ‘What is our future going to look like’.
We are not given much information about Joesph. What he was thinking there in the stable, what was his impression of the shepherds that showed up with the news of angels. But, we do know that he stayed, he showed up at the stable, at the circumcision, the baptism, the naming. When they were threatened by the politicians, he quickly picked up the family and moved them to safety, taking on the title of refugee with all that baggage that title carries.
We know more about Mary however, this teenage girl, somehow, someway, was able to live in every moment. She mindfully processed and held tightly to every experience, she remained constantly mindful whether it was the intrusion of Anna and Simeon at the temple, the flight to Egypt, the words of her adult son, the crowds that praised him and then yelled ‘Crucify Him!’ And, the moment at the foot of the cross watching her son die, and then treasuring the news that he was alive.
Somehow, Mary recognized the Holy in every moment even though the reality of those moments were often chaotic, frightening, painful, mysterious, and messy.
Mary constantly reminded herself that all the moments were the moments she had been called to by God.
And, every moment was joyous, difficult, exciting, and ultimately, excruciatingly painful.
Moments are a constant for every human and especially for every believer on God’s path. God’s path is not an airport moving sidewalk that takes us to our destination, God’s path for us often has to be found by us while we just hold on to God’s promise of the destination.
‘The angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth 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 heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.’ (Luke 2:8-15)
SO Many questions.
One of the problems of our journey at Christmas, is that we turn our brains off and just hold to what we have always heard. This is probably the same with the Easter story as well as the eschatological passages Even nonbelievers have a pretty good grasp of the details of the story. However, every passage, every story, and every truth, is always waiting for us to be ready to find the next layer of truth. We never know it all, we are never experts, we always have reason to take another look, to consider and look for those treasures we have never seen before.
Illustration – Wayne
So, we ask questions to know the path.
The Shepherds were doing the same job they did every night, sitting on a hillside, or a boring pasture, and watching over their flocks. This is not a simple job, it is a job that requires the shepherd to be awake and alert. Watching for aggressive and fierce predators that pose a threat to the sheep and the shepherd. A drowsy distracted shepherd is soon to be an unemployed, or dead, shepherd.
Angels appear to the shepherds. It is a moment that each of them will tell to others forever. Others who will increasingly dismiss them.
And the angel said to the shepherds, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)
And then….the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15)
Again, SO Many questions.
- Did a handful of the angels stick around to watch over the sheep while the shepherds ran to town?
- Did the shepherd wait until their shift was over, heading into town when their replacement shepherds showed up?
- Did the shepherds suddenly decide that keeping the sheep could take a back seat in this extraordinary moment?
On top of that, Bethlehem could have had a population of possibly 3,000 people. There were surely multiple stables scattered throughout the city. The angel gave no specifics about the stable, it was going to take a while. The angel just said, ‘you will find,’
But, we do know that the shepherds did find the correct stable. And, that they told Mary and Joseph the story of the angels, and then when they left the stable, the shepherds continued to tell others the story. They told the story of the ‘news of great joy for all the people: that on that day in the city of David the Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord,’ was born.’ (Luke 2:10).
On that night, and for the rest of their lives, I think, those shepherds were on the Jesus path. They had searched out the truth that they had been told. They searched for the stable, the truth. They found, and then they couldn’t help but proclaim for the rest of their lives. Surely they were in the crowd of 5,000 plus who were fed, surely they listened and learned from the words of the adult Jesus, surely, they grieved at the cross and surely they rejoiced when they heard of the resurrection.
They had stepped on the path and, I believe, they continued on that path. How can I be so sure in my speculation? Because, they had believed they would find the child, and they set out and did the searching to find.
Ironically, Sheep are not generally considered capable of finding their own way but, also ironically, Jesus would later be called the shepherd who led and told his flock, his sheep, us…
“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Jesus, Matthew 7:7-8)
How? For the shepherds and for us…
- We begin by trusting God’s promise of the destination.
- We step onto a lifetime journey to the destination paying attention to the moments on the path that reveal to us the truth God gives.
- We treasure, we look for and settle into God’s presence all along the way.
- We know that God, that Jesus, that the Spirit, is the great shepherd that cares for us.
Illustation – Lady finding decades old missing brother. ‘While we were yet sinners….’
Music Slides Lynn/Linda
Silent Night (Stille Nacht)/Away In A Manger #38583
Verse 1
Silent night holy night
All is calm all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Verse 2
Silent night holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heav’nly hosts sing alleluia
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born
Verse 3
Silent night holy night
Son of God love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord at Thy birth
Jesus Lord at Thy birth
Verse 4
Silent night holy night
Wondrous star lend thy light
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born
Away In A Manger (Mueller) #38583
Verse 1
Away in a manger no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay
Verse 2
The cattle are lowing the Baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes
I love Thee Lord Jesus look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle ’til morning is nigh
Verse 3
Be near me Lord Jesus I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there
Community (Slides) Rick
- Next Sunday, 12.15.24, Luke 2:15-20; Advent Three – Joy.
- Today – Advent Luncheon/Budget Vote, December 8 following worship & Advent
- Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship, December 24 (time?)
- Like Instagram and Write Google Review
Closing Peace (Slides) Rick (Slides)
Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.
Response: And also with you.
Closing Music Lynn/Linda
O Come All Ye Faithful CCLI Song # 31054
Verse 1
O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels
Chorus
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Verse 2
Sing choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
O sing all ye bright
Hosts of heav’n above
Glory to God allGlory in the highest
Chorus
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Verse 3
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
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Order, Words, & Voices 