Christmas Eve
Welcome
We are so glad to be with you. Everything you need to participate is right here except for communion elements (bread and wine) and candles for our send off.
We’ll start by listening and reflecting on this first song. The lyrics are below for you to think over.
Listen
Was it a frantic beauty
Or a calculated mess
When the Formless darkness your spirit sorted
Out of hiding
Architect and builder same
Light then life came
All is right and beautiful
‘Let’s make man the pinnacle, let’s make man the pinnacle’
Men couldn’t find his stride
Try and try but wipe the slate
Then Abraham with perfect promise, perfect promise
Armed your people with your faithfulness
Split red oceans at your wishes
Walked your chosen into life
Zion land and prophets countless
None could answer the question quite right
What Christmas is all about
Let’s watch this next video from the BibleProject about the story of the Bible so that we can better understand Christmas.
Advent
Advent is not just a title for the four weeks before Christmas. It has been an opportunity for us to meditate on the strange and unexpected way that God sent the Messiah to His people after thousands of years of waiting.
The Israelites were persecuted, enslaved, oppressed, attacked, displaced, and ultimately they were unfulfilled in their desire to see God’s glory.
Today, we are on the other side of history. We get to appreciate Jesus Christ in the fullness of His glory as we await his return. And we can see that the story of redemption played out in the Old Testament is being repeated, but this time around all people are invited into God’s family.
7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened.
15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.
17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.
—Romans 11:7, 15-17
There are four characteristics of lives that are grafted into Abraham’s tree. We see how the Israelites embodied these in the Old Testament, and now today we also have an opportunity to live lives embodying these traits rather than the frantic anxiety of the world.
Hope
Even in enslavement to foreign rulers, the Israelites placed their hope in the promise of redemption. It is what fueled the few holy roots to keep trusting in God when all odds were against them.
Ask yourself…
Where does redemption feel impossible in your life?
What does Jesus have to say to you about that right now?
Peace
Even in war with strong enemies, the faith of the Israelites brought deep peace that God would make good on His promises.
Just think…
For the mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done.
—John Piper, Good News of Great Joy
Joy
Even in exile to foreign lands, the Israelites regularly reflected on how God had delivered them in the past and they trusted in His promise to send a Savior to redeem them once and for all.
Ask yourself…
What is one thing you became thankful for this year that you previously didn’t appreciate?
Love
Even when God sent calamity as a wakeup call, the Israelites undeniably knew that no matter how far they fell, God faithfully loved them.
Just think…
15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
1 John 4:15-19
Restoration came in Jesus
Let’s take a minute to reflect on this poem from Lo the Poet.
The coming of Christ
Jesus Christ entered into complete brokenness. He was born to a woman who the law would condemned to death because of her extramarital conception. He descended from a long line of people who famously broke every one of the 10 commandments: idolatry, taking the Lord’s name in vain, abusing the Sabbath, dishonoring their parents, murder, adultery, theft and scams, habitual lying, and coveting. He came into a society of Roman oppression and dogmatic religious leadership who couldn’t have been further from God. He came to a people who were persecuted, enslaved, oppressed, attacked, and displaced. And he, in the most antithetical way possible—through His own humiliation—made true reconciliation possible for not only the Israelites, but all people.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
—Ephesians 2:14-5, 4-16
Let’s listen to the genealogy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and celebrate that he truly came as a human.
Communion
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
—Luke 2:1-19
Let’s take a moment to light the Christ candle and then take communion while we listen to this next song.
Listen
Take, Eat by Josh Garrels and Latifah Alattas
Take, eat
This is My body
Broken for your healing
This is My blood
Shed for remission
And forgiveness of your sin
Do this to remember what I've done for you
Do this to remember Me
Take, eat
This is My body
Broken for your healing
This is My blood
Shed for remission
And forgiveness of your sin
Do this to remember what I've done for you
Do this to remember Me
Jesus came and will return
To conclude our evening, let’s spend time listening to or singing Silent Night together. Go ahead and light your candles after the first verse has concluded.
Listen
Silent Night by Lauren Daigle
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
[Light your candles]
Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake, at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia
Christ the Savior is born
Christ our Savior is born
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
Merry Christmas!
Go in peace.