[0:00] at Merry Almost Christmas it's almost here amen amen if you've got any any little kiddos who are age three to third grade if you would like them to participate in our junior church program this evening you're welcome to take them down Pete Wasayowicz is right there waving his hand and he will direct you where you need to go to get them to get them signed in for that and I'll be heading down later on to be giving them a message and doing some things with them so if you have any a child on three years old to third grade you want to head around a junior church feel free the children will be coming back in time for communion and to light candles for silent night so they won't be missing that part of it but they will be having a really good program down in the junior church area this is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it this is the day this is the day that the Lord has made that the Lord has made let us rejoice let us rejoice and be glad in it and be glad in it this is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it this is the day this is the day that the Lord has made will you pray with me heavenly father we are here this evening to worship you to glorify your name to celebrate the birth of your son that you came into this world to set us free from our sins
[2:02] Lord we are so grateful to be able to be here to celebrate that with you we are so grateful that you have come to be with us this evening help us Lord in our worship be with us in Jesus name amen now would you stand as you are able and join in our opening hymn the carol angels we have heard on high angels we have heard on high sweetly singing sweetly singing o'er the plains at the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains glory glory glory in excelsis day shepherds joy why why why your joyous strains pro-long
[3:49] Let the gladsome tidings be Which inspire your heavenly song Glow Glow Glow Glow In excelsis Deo Glow Glow Glow Gloria In excelsis Deo Come to Bethlehem and see Christ whose birth the angels sing Come on your unbended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King Glow Gloria
[4:53] Gloria In excelsis Deo Glow Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria In excelsis Deo See Him in a major lane Glow In excelsis Deo Glow Gloria In excelsis Deo Glow Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria In excelsis Deo Glow Gloria Gloria
[5:55] Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria Gloria The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[6:38] He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made. Without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
[6:54] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
[7:08] He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light.
[7:22] The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
[7:36] He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet, to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
[7:57] Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God.
[8:09] 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.
[8:24] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. And I know we have some joys to share this evening, don't we?
[8:41] I mean, we are here on this Christmas Eve, celebrating all that God has done for us in sending Jesus Christ. What a blessing this is. What joys do you have to share this evening?
[8:54] I know you must have some. Irene has a joy. It is.
[9:05] It is. Isn't Christmas Eve, it's a wonderful service to look forward to, and I am blessed and joyful. We've been praying for Irene for some time, and she's here with us this evening. Praise God.
[9:16] We continue to keep you in our prayers, Irene. Do you have other joys to share this evening? A joy of the Lord is your strength. Aha! I knew we'd have one.
[9:30] Jackie is here too. Yes, it is a wonder to have all of the folks from our families, people who love us and people who we love, come together and gather with us in church.
[9:41] How many of you have folks, family in from out of town, or, yeah, family in from out of town, or family from across town that you're going to be gathering with tomorrow to celebrate Christmas? Isn't it a wonder and a joy to have all of our families around us, all of those people to share the love of God, and to celebrate that love?
[10:01] God fills us to overflowing, and that overflowing love and joy just spills out with all that God has blessed us with. Let's return back some of that blessing to the Lord in the form of our gifts, our tithes, and our offerings.
[10:20] Let's re-wEEP THE C Jelly Baby, I am a major Slumbering so sweetly What you gonna be?
[10:58] Baby, all the world is watching All the world awaits to see What will you be?
[11:16] Baby, sleeping in a stable Underneath the heaven What you gonna say?
[11:31] Baby, did you bring a goose? Did you come to ride our way?
[11:45] Baby, gazing at the cattle Looking at the shepherds What you gonna do?
[12:00] Baby, will you be the master? Will you bring a kingdom too?
[12:11] Oh, baby Hope of all the people What you come to do here What you gonna say?
[12:29] Baby, can you be the Savior? Come to save the world someday?
[12:44] Baby, little baby By a little angel Will you save the world someday?
[12:55] zeered Black!
[13:12] Amen. Dear Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks and praise for this evening, for all of the blessings that you've poured out into our lives.
[13:55] We just offer them all to you, Lord, not just the gifts of our finances, but the gifts that you have given us of things that we're able to do and understanding that we're able to have that we can share with others.
[14:09] Lord, we lift all of it up to you, knowing that you will take it and use it for the furtherance of your kingdom. We trust that you will give us wisdom to know how to best use every single thing that you have blessed us with.
[14:25] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Well, we know that God hears and answers our prayers, so whether you join me from your seat or at the rail, let's turn to the Lord.
[14:39] In prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to pray.
[14:56] Thank you that even though you know what we need before we even ask, that you want us to join with you, to feel your heart of compassion for those concerns that are in our hearts and to know that you care about them as well.
[15:14] Lord, we come before you now trusting that as you sent your Son to bring peace to us, peace on earth, that you want to bring peace to us in all aspects of our lives.
[15:29] We thank you, Lord God, for the possibility of healing that you can send down an anointing for healing and touch us and heal us in our spirits, in our souls, and in our bodies.
[15:43] So we pray for those people this day, Lord God, who are sick and infirm. We pray for those who are dealing with cancers of all kinds, who are being healed from surgeries, Lord God, and who have surgeries coming up to attend to health issues that are problems in their lives.
[16:05] We just pray that you would touch them and all people, Lord God, who are in our hearts, whether there are troubles in their spirits, their souls, or their bodies, Lord God, that you would bring healing.
[16:20] Give wisdom to the medical professionals who are working with them and compassion to their family members and other caregivers. We just pray in Jesus' name that you would pour out your healing upon them.
[16:39] We pray also, Lord, for those who are grieving losses at this time. The holidays, it's so noticeable when someone isn't there.
[16:52] We just ask in Jesus' name for you to bring comfort by your spirit to those people who are missing loved ones. We pray in Jesus' name that you would touch them, that you would let them know that you're right there, that you would draw them to yourself and give them in their hearts, birth in them, the hope of eternal life.
[17:23] We pray, Father God, also for all of those situations and circumstances in the world. where there is not peace, where there is trouble.
[17:36] We pray in Jesus' name, Father, for your peace to come to them, for them to somehow, in some way, see the light of Christ and respond to you.
[17:50] We pray that you would birth in our hearts anew the light of Christ that has come into the world so that wherever we go, we can shine for you.
[18:03] We can be bringers of peace in the midst of difficult situations. We pray, Father God, now that you would bless us as we worship you, that we would be transformed as we sing songs of praise and pray prayers, as we hear your word spoken, as your word is expounded on.
[18:32] We pray that you would just change us so that we can shine for you. And Lord, there are many things in our hearts that we have not spoken out loud, but that are there, that you hear, and we're just going to offer them up to you right now, Lord, in the silence of our hearts.
[18:50] Hear our prayers. Lord, Lord, be with us and bless us as we worship you.
[19:10] Make our worship to be a blessing to you. Bless Pastor Sherry as she brings the message that you have put on her heart for us this night. Make all of our worship to be a joy to you, even as your Son is a joy to us.
[19:30] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Shall we hear from the word of the Lord? Merry Christmas, brothers and sisters.
[20:00] Merry Christmas. So tonight I'm going to be reading from the book of Luke. It's chapter 2, verses 1 through 7. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
[20:17] This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register. 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.
[20:41] He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
[20:58] She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
[21:09] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:26] Amen. Amen.
[21:42] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[22:44] Amen. Amen.
[23:44] Amen. Merry Christmas to everyone.
[24:27] Merry Christmas. And our second reading is a continuation from the book of Luke, the second chapter. This will be verses 8 through 20.
[24:38] And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
[24:53] But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you.
[25:05] He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
[25:28] 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. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in a manger.
[25:44] When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what he had been told them about this child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
[25:55] But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
[26:08] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Good evening, everyone.
[26:27] Good evening. I am Pastor Sherry Mehar, and I am one of the associate pastors here at Pendleton Center United Methodist Church. Do you ever have anything unexpected happen?
[26:42] Yeah. Something unplanned. Not quite the way you would have it go. My husband and I, DJ is his name, my husband DJ and I had this plan that this morning we were going to get up and have coffee together and wrap presents together.
[27:02] We were going to do the last minute cooking together, bake some more cookies, you know, do all the cleaning and stuff like that just to finish, you know, finish tidying up and such. And it was all going to go great.
[27:13] Perfect. Everything's wonderful. Right? Anybody ever have plans that just go perfectly? And how many of us have experienced plans that don't quite work out that way? Well, got up in the morning, got coffee, and just soon after that, he got sick.
[27:31] He's really sick. He's got, we're hoping it's food related. I don't know, but he ended up having to go back to bed. And I was doing everything by myself for a while.
[27:45] God bless my son Joshua, who after the presents were wrapped, since some of them were for him, he got up and started helping with all of the chores and such. You know, it's garbage day for goodness sakes.
[27:57] And we've got all these things that have to be done and we're just rushing around. And it just wasn't the way I had it planned. It wasn't supposed to work that way. And then as we're rushing around doing all these things and trying to make the rest of the food and clean up after and finish everything.
[28:13] And in the middle of the day, I start getting text messages from Pastor Jackie. That's Pastor Tom's wife. Saying, well, Pastor Tom's not feeling well. Okay. Well, we're going back and forth with that for a while.
[28:26] And after a while, she said, oh, you know, he says he's feeling better now. You know, and he's working on his sermon. So it's all going to be great. It was just a few minutes before four o'clock when I got a call from Pastor Tom that he was sick and he was not coming.
[28:44] He's got some kind of bug. Now, just to put this in perspective, we have a service at five. All right. So I had been doing all this cooking and cleaning and I had just been done scouring the sink and such when I get this call.
[29:04] I'm still in my jeans and my t-shirt because my plan is to go upstairs and finish getting ready. Right? You know. And we get this call that he's sick and he's not coming.
[29:15] I was like, okay, guess what? It's unexpected again. And it's not going as planned and this isn't the way it's supposed to happen. We have it all set out the way that things are supposed to happen, the perfect way that things are supposed to go.
[29:31] And so often it doesn't happen that way. It makes me think about when the angel said to both Mary and Joseph, don't be afraid.
[29:42] Don't be afraid. Why? Because God is with you. You see, Mary, I expect that Mary had a plan for her life. A plan that did not include being the mother of the Son of God.
[29:57] Mary was a young woman who was betrothed to Joseph and Mary was going to get married and have a family and live a wonderful life. And that's the plan.
[30:07] And then the unexpected happens. And then Joseph, he would have a plan too. He is going to get married to Mary and then they're going to have a life together.
[30:22] They're going to have children. He's going to have a great career. And instead this unexpected thing happens. And now he's going to be the person talked about for the rest of his life. And it's going to be difficult trying to raise God's son.
[30:33] Where is God in all of this? God said, don't be afraid. Because even though it doesn't seem like it, I am with you.
[30:45] And then just when they just got a handle on the fact, okay, we're going to have this baby. They get the census thing going and they have to go all the way to Bethlehem.
[30:56] Nine months pregnant and they have to go all the way out to Bethlehem. Definitely not expected. It's like, God, where are you in all of this? You know, can't you make this easy for us?
[31:09] Where are you? And then they get to Bethlehem and there's no room? I mean, seriously? I mean, you would think that they would have like the royal suite reserved because this is God's son after all.
[31:20] And instead they have a stable. A stable. Ew. That's really gross actually. I mean, that's a place where all the animals are and it's dirty and it's nasty.
[31:35] This is not going as planned. This is not expected. How do we get through this? You know, there are times when we just start to get frustrated and upset and where is God in all of this?
[31:49] And God just continually says, don't be afraid. I'm here. I'm with you. I'm with you. Through the whole thing. But you know, in the Christmas story and even in our own story, we can experience this.
[32:07] You know, Christmas season. And honestly, it's supposed to be Advent season, which means it's the time of expectation leading up to Christmas. And then we do Christmas, you know, that 12 days of Christmas thing.
[32:20] That's afterwards. But instead, our culture has kind of decided that Christmas should start about, what, Halloween? Right? And the preparation starts.
[32:30] And we get some busy, busy, busy, busy, busy. And we're doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing. And it seems like in the midst of all of it, first of all, we have all these, like, plans of the way things are supposed to be.
[32:42] The way things should be. You know, the Martha Stewart. Everything's perfect. Picture. You know, everything. And has anybody ever had a perfect anything yet?
[32:53] You know? You try. You try. And you just kind of go with it, knowing that God is there through it. But, you know, we do all these things for Christmas.
[33:09] And, you know, I don't know if it's just me. Maybe it's, I suspect it may be some of you as well. But in the busyness of getting ready for Christmas, sometimes we forget why we're doing it all in the first place.
[33:27] We miss the entire point as we rush around in frenetic energy trying to get all these tasks done. And trying to make sure that everything is just so.
[33:38] And we miss God with us. I mean, the whole story says God with us. Emmanuel means God with us.
[33:50] And God is with us. So, shopping. I mean, I know they make jokes all the time about how women like to shop. I am one of the women that I do not like to shop.
[34:03] Honestly, the idea of trying to get through Niagara Falls Boulevard. Just trying to get to store while everybody's driving like they forgot how to drive.
[34:14] And trying to go through crazy stores and stuff everywhere. And trying to get through the lines. And just trying to find the perfect gift. And it's just, it's not my thing.
[34:25] And in the midst of trying to do all that, I have sometimes forgotten that the whole reason I'm going is because I want to get something special. Because God has given me something special.
[34:39] I want to share my love because God has loved me. And that's the point of the gift. That's the whole point of the gift. And the same thing with wrapping.
[34:52] We wrap these presents because it's going to be something unexpected. It's going to be wonderful. They're going to be surprised by it. Well, my mother-in-law is a wonderful gift wrapper.
[35:03] We get these presents. And honestly, it's got the bows just, I mean, it's beautiful. And this morning, I'm wrapping presents. And I am wrapping impaired. Honestly, things were cut wrong.
[35:15] It's like, oh, it's too short. Well, we'll stick another one in here, some more tape. And I still don't have any bows on it. And this year, sorry guys, my kids are here. There's going to be a few bows, but they're going to be the stick-on kind.
[35:26] Because that's what I can do. And cooking, you know, you're cooking and you're cooking. But again, the reason why we're doing any of these things is because of the love of God within us.
[35:39] And as we're doing it, we actually have to take the time to be aware of God with us. Because otherwise, they're just busy tasks and keeping us busy.
[35:53] And that's not the point of the entire thing. The whole reason we have the celebration is because God is with us. And we celebrate it.
[36:03] And so everything around us points to God with us. We see the lights on the trees putting light into the darkness. God shining through the darkness of life and into our lives.
[36:17] We do all these things. We need to start taking the time. The time to recognize God in our midst. You know, we have in the chaos of Christmas so many opportunities to experience God.
[36:39] And honestly, in every day, in every moment, that's a prayer of mine. That we all get to the point that we understand that Christmas is not just a single day. But Christmas is something that inspires the rest of our life.
[36:51] That God was born to us and we have God with us at every moment. Even when things are happening that are unexpected, unplanned.
[37:02] Not the way they should be in our minds. But God is with us through it all. God is with us through everything. This, a couple weeks ago, DJ and I went and fed the homeless out in Buffalo with our group here.
[37:21] And we were blessed. As the people were coming up that were homeless and they were coming up for food. And I was trying to say to them, you know, God bless you.
[37:33] And say a prayer with them. And they would in turn say, I am blessed. God bless you. These are people that are homeless. But they recognize that they're blessed.
[37:44] And on Sunday, I went with a group of people after church. And we went Christmas caroling to people who can't make it to church because they're either in the hospital or they're elderly.
[37:58] And we sang Christmas carols to them. And what a blessing. They just shined and they hummed along with us as they were able.
[38:10] And they said, oh, we are blessed. We are blessed. And those of us who went singing, we were blessed as well.
[38:21] God was definitely there with us. You know, I know we have Thanksgiving. And Thanksgiving is a time when we say thank you. We recognize that all God has done for us.
[38:33] And we say thank you. And of course we're thankful to God. We're grateful to God. But really, Christmas is just so much more than that. So much more than that.
[38:44] It's recognizing the blessing of God within every area of our life. Throughout our entire life. You know, I did go shopping.
[38:56] And I was with some friends. So it made it a lot better. And I got this thing for DJ. And I can say this because he's not here. Because he's sick in bed. But we have, it's like, it's just a little trivet thing.
[39:10] And it's glass and it's etched on it. We are blessed. Because as we go through our daily activities, in our kitchen, just doing stuff.
[39:22] We want to be always remembering we are blessed. And it's not just by stuff. It's not just by experiences. It's by the very presence of God within our lives. And so often, we can get so busy, so focused, so off track from thinking about what it is that we should be doing.
[39:45] All this should stuff. We should be doing this. And it's not going this way. And all this stuff. And we forget the entire reason that we celebrate this. We're here tonight for the very reason that we celebrate this.
[40:00] And that is to worship God Almighty. Jesus incarnate. God with us. God with us. God with us.
[40:38] Forgive me. I've been distracted. I've not seen you. I've not always been faithful. I've not always been loving.
[40:53] Thank you for forgiving me and giving me your Son, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray.
[41:06] Amen. Amen. Amen. We hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, and this proves God's love for you and for me. So in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
[41:22] Glory to God. Amen. Now that's the point. The point. God with us, that means we have hope. God with us, that means we have joy. God with us, that means we have peace.
[41:35] God with us, that means God loves you. Each and every one of you. And I know we just say, oh, God loves you, and it's like, it almost feels like it doesn't mean anything anymore, but you really have to let it sink in.
[41:52] The God of the universe loves you. Wow. Wow. I mean, we're in this sermon series that says, what does the story of Christmas tell us about who God is?
[42:08] God is love. It's revealed through Jesus Christ in the manger. Jesus born humble, vulnerable, in a stable.
[42:19] And later on, as Jesus grew, he died on a cross for you and for me. Jesus, the greatest gift given in love, because God is love.
[42:34] God loves you. And so, when we're doing all these things for Christmas, we have to remember that's the whole point.
[42:46] The whole point is that God is love. God is with us. And so we take the time to see God, recognize God, worship God, love God.
[42:59] Just be with God. So I pray, I pray that tomorrow, when you're doing your festivities, or even tonight, later on, that you'll take some time to recognize God in your midst.
[43:12] That you'll take some time to say a prayer. That as you're wrapping the gift, or unwrapping the gifts, you know, as you're unwrapping the gifts, you know, with kids, it's kind of fun. You know, but take the time to recognize that this gift is given to you with love, because God's love is in and given through.
[43:36] And that's the point. It's not a, I present and you present. Love throughout the whole thing. You know, so as we're even doing the mundane tasks, God is with us.
[43:47] So as we're doing all the cooking tomorrow, as we're doing all the cleanup tomorrow, as we're unwrapping the gifts, as we're sharing around the table, as we're playing games, whatever it is we're doing, take the time to recognize God with you.
[44:03] God with all of us. Because that's the greatest gift of all. That's the whole reason we're doing all of this, isn't it?
[44:15] Are you blessed? Are you? Are you blessed? Yes, amen. We are blessed. We are blessed because God has blessed us through Jesus Christ.
[44:27] And so, Emmanuel, God with us. And we say, Lord, reveal yourself to me. Here with me, you are. Here with me.
[44:38] God with me. I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together. Here with me. Here with me. Here with me. Here with me. Here with me. Here with me.
[44:49] Here with me.
[45:19] To meet you in this place. And see you face to face. Will you show me.
[45:30] Will you show me? Reveal yourself to me. Because of you. Because of you. I fall down on my knees.
[45:42] I fall down on my knees. And I can feel your presence here with me. And I can feel your presence here with me. Certainly I'm lost within your beauty.
[45:56] Caught in the wonder of you. Caught in the wonder of your touch. Here in the wonder of you. So many times. I surrender to your love. Your love.
[46:08] You're everywhere I go. You're everywhere I go. I am not alone. You hold me as your own. You hold me as your own. To know you and me.
[46:20] You are holy. You are holy. You hold me as your own. You hold me as your own. To know you and me, Lord. You are holy.
[46:32] You are holy. You are holy. And I fall down on my knees. And I can feel your presence here with me.
[46:46] Suddenly I'm lost within your beauty. Caught in the wonder of your touch. Here in this moment.
[46:57] I surrender to your love. And I surrender to your grace.
[47:12] And I surrender to the one who took my place. And I can feel your presence here with me.
[47:26] And I can feel your presence here with me. And I'm lost within your beauty. Caught in the wonder of your touch. Here in this moment. I surrender to your love.
[47:42] I surrender to the love of God through Jesus Christ.
[47:55] And we become the children of God. And as a faithful family, children of God, preparing for the table of grace, let's greet one another with the peace of the Holy Spirit.
[48:07] Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
[48:34] Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
[49:34] Look down where he lay. The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
[49:48] Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay. Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
[50:02] Bless all the dear children in thy tender care. And bid us forever to live with thee there.
[50:17] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[50:28] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[50:39] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled Joyful of ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies We angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Christ by highest heaven adored Christ the everlasting Lord Late in time behold him come Offspring of a virgin's womb
[51:43] Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate deity Pleased with us in flesh to dwell On Jesus our Emmanuel Hail the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Hail the fed-born Prince of Peace Hail the Son of Righteousness Light and life to all he brings Risen 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
[52:44] Born to give them second birth Born to give them second birth And the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King We do sing glory to the newborn King Because he is born not just 2000 years ago in a manger somewhere where we remember him But he has also promised to come back to return to his people and take us all home with him In between where we are right now we can trust that Christ can be born in our hearts every single day That's what we celebrate here at the table We celebrate what God has done for us through his incredible and amazing love So that we can be saved from our sins
[53:45] Come to the table if you love God Repent of your sin and seek to live in peace as a disciple of Jesus Christ Come to the table because Christ invites you God has called us all to come into his presence To come and be saved Come to the table because we are all to come We trust that God will meet each and every one of us here As we step out in faith and receive the bread and the juice Representing the body and blood of Christ Knowing that in some amazing way God is present with us As we all partake in communion together So we have the baby in the manger We have the promise of Christ to come And we have the promise that God will be born in our hearts every single day If we just seek him
[54:47] Come to the table You don't have to be a member of this church You don't have to be a member of any church If you realize that God is calling you That God is drawing you into this place And into his presence You are welcome at the table The Lord be with you And also with you Lift up your hearts Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right to hear our thanks and praise It is right It is right And a good and joyful thing always and everywhere To give thanks to you, Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth You formed us in your image And breathed into us the breath of life When we turned away and our love failed Your love remained steadfast You delivered us from captivity Made covenant to be our sovereign God And spoke to us through your prophets
[55:48] In the fullness of time You gave your only Son, Jesus Christ To be our Savior And at his birth The angels sang glory to you in the highest And peace to your people on earth And so with your people on earth And all the company of heaven We praise your name And join their unending hymn Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Holy are you And blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ As Mary and Joseph went from Galilee to Bethlehem And there found no room So Jesus went from Galilee to Jerusalem And was despised and rejected As in the poverty of a stable
[56:49] Jesus was born So by the baptism of his suffering Death and resurrection You gave birth to your church Delivered us from slavery to sin and death And made with us a new covenant By water and the Spirit As your word became flesh Born of woman On that night long ago So on that night in which he gave himself up for us He took bread He gave thanks to you He broke the bread And gave it to his disciples He said take and eat This is my body Which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me And when the supper was over
[57:52] He took the cup Again he gave you thanks and praise And gave it to his disciples He said drink from this all of you This is the cup of my blood The blood of the new covenant Poured out for you Poured out for many For the forgiveness of sin Do this as often as you drink it In remembrance of me And so in remembrance of these Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving As a holy and living sacrifice In union with Christ's offering for us As we proclaim the mystery of faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again Pour out your Holy Spirit On us gathered here And on these gifts of bread and wine
[58:53] Make them be for us The body and blood of Christ That we may be for the world The body of Christ redeemed by his blood By your Spirit Make us one with Christ One with each other And one in ministry to all the world Until Christ comes in final victory And we feast at his heavenly banquet Through your Son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit And your Holy Church All honor and blessing are yours And glory is yours Lord Almighty God and Father Now and forever Amen Shall we pray together now With the confidence of children of God The prayer Jesus taught us Our Father Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses
[59:54] As 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 and ever Amen Will those who are serving this evening Please come forward Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen inputs inputs inputs Amen.
[61:09] Amen. Amen.
[62:09] Amen. Amen.
[63:09] Amen. Amen.
[64:09] Amen. Amen.
[65:09] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[65:20] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Pray with me. Amen. Our gracious God, you have fed us in our spirits.
[65:34] You have fed us in our souls. You have fed us in our bodies. We are yours and we are grateful for all that you have provided for us. Thank you, Lord, for Holy Communion.
[65:46] Thank you for the bread and the juice. Thank you that we can come to you in this way and trust that you are present, that you touch us, that you want to be with us and keep us.
[66:00] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. We're about to sing that wonderful and amazing song, Silent Night, and we've all got candles, right? So here's the instruction video.
[66:12] This is your demonstration. Please, when the lit candle comes to you, and it will come, take your unlit candle and tip it into the candle that's lit because it's easier to light and you won't get wax all over everything, right?
[66:35] When you're all done, at the end, you want to blow it out really carefully, again, so the wax doesn't get all over everything, especially not all over you, okay?
[66:45] Please take care with the open flame with children around, and I pray that you are blessed in this time. Amen.
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[68:41] Amen. Amen.
[69:41] Amen. Amen.
[70:41] Christ the Savior is born. Christ the Savior is born.
[70:55] Christ the Savior is born. If you accept Jesus Christ born to you this day and always. And so as you go through the Christmas festivities take the time to recognize God in your midst.
[71:12] God with you. And take that throughout every day. Moment by moment recognizing God with you. May God bless your gatherings with his peace and his love and his grace.
[71:25] May God continue to fill you to abundant joy. And may you continue to follow in Jesus' path. Christ our Savior born to us this day.
[71:37] Amen. Amen.
[72:07] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[72:18] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[72:57] Amen.