December 25, 2020 - Light & Life - Christmas Day
“Tested by families, for families (and others too). Church at Home is an interactive, weekly worship service to be held from the safety of your own home. Each service will be centered around one theme and will have 3 songs, readings, and prayers, a short (4-5 min) message for children, and a longer (10 min) message for the whole family.”
Thank you for joining us for our Church at Home service!
Directly below in English and here in Spanish is an at-home worship service to be held with the family or as an individual or small group. Included are links to songs and pastoral messages (English, Spanish, Bilingual, and children's message) which will be made available every Saturday on Youtube. The head of the household can lead (L) and others can respond (C) or everyone can take turns. Use the links for the songs and messages at the appropriate time. Please do not feel pressured to go through the whole thing in one sitting. Rather, use each element of this service so that it serves as a blessing to you and your family.
If you have any prayer requests, or if you worship in this way this weekend, please use or fill out our online connect card, or linked below in the service. Comment to let us know how it went and any suggestions you may have!
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Finally, for this week’s news update or more information about our church, click here.
May God bless your Church at Home worship service this week and Merry Christmas!
Pastor William Dunn
Life & Light
Christmas Day
December 21st will be the longest night of the year. Maybe 2020 feels like the longest year in recent history. Darkness, despair, and death seem to be taking over. But wait! December 24th is Christmas Eve. The days will get longer. The darkness will flee. The Light of the World has come to bring Life and Light. This Christmas season, we will preach on the Gospel lessons, focusing on the Life and Light that Jesus brings. On Christmas Eve, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth (Luke 2:14)!” The glory of the Lord would shine on the world as he came to bring light to a world that was dark and doomed. On Christmas Day, we’ll marvel at how the one whose word created light at the beginning had returned to the world to scatter the darkness. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world (John 1:9).” Finally, we will celebrate Epiphany, when God placed a star in the sky and led the wise men to the Christ-child. The light of Jesus shines, and the nations will praise him. Merry Christmas. We pray that God blesses you with Life and Light this Christmas Season!
"But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." On this Christmas day, we meditate on the mystery of the Nativity just like Mary: Christ was born to live, die, and rise for us! The Word became flesh! Through faith, we see him in his glory. Glory to God in the highest!
Opening Meditation - What Child is This? An Animation
Opening Song - Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful
Invocation
L. In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen.
Confession and Absolution
We begin the service by recognizing how we have fallen short of God’s will and desire for our lives, and we receive the good news that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ.
L. 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.
L. 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 just as he proclaimed to the paralytic: "Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” Let us take this forgiveness to heart and proclaim it to each other in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Song - Once in Royal David’s City
Prayer of the Day
L. Almighty God, grant that the birth of your one and only Son in the flesh may set us free from our old bondage under the yoke of sin; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C. Amen.
First Lesson - Isaiah 52:7-10
The good news of the Christmas message is found in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The LORD is comforting his people. He is redeeming Jerusalem." This is the good news that Jesus Christ was born to bring salvation to humanity.
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of a herald, who proclaims peace and preaches good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God is king!”
8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voices. Together they shout for joy, because with both eyes they will see it when the LORD returns to Zion.
9 Break out, shout for joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, because the LORD is comforting his people. He is redeeming Jerusalem.
10 The LORD lays bare his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation from our God.
Second Lesson - Hebrews 1:1-9
Jesus is "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of the divine nature." This baby that Mary carried in her arms is the almighty Son of God, who sustains all things with the word of his power. In the person of Jesus Christ, God reveals himself and reveals his will for us. God wants us to be saved and sent his Son to effect "purification for sins."
1 In the past, God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets at many times and in many ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of the divine nature. He sustains all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
4 The Son became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my Son. Today I have begotten you? And again: I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.
6 And again, when he brought his firstborn into the world, he said: Let all God’s angels worship him.
7 About the angels he says: He makes his messengers winds and his ministers flaming fire.
8 But about the Son he says: God, your throne is forever and ever, and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy beyond your companions.
Gospel - John 1:1-14
Christ, the eternal Word, became flesh to dwell among us. This Word reveals to us the love and grace of God and brings us eternal life.
1 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 everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5 The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as an eyewitness to testify about the light so that everyone would believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
9 The real light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Children's Message
Song - Of the Father’s Love Begotten
English Sermon -or- Bilingual Sermon
Confession of Faith - The Apostles' Creed
We speak the truths of the faith that have united the church for thousands of years.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Offering - Facebook or PayPal
Out of thanksgiving for God’s message of grace and forgiveness, if you would like to support our ministry with a financial gift you may do so with zero fees through our Facebook page or with a small fee included through Paypal. We thank you for your gracious support.
Online Connection Card
Please use the link to connect with us online! Let us know that you worshiped with us or submit a prayer request.
Song - Angels from the Realms of Glory
General Prayer
Use this time to pray to God about anything that is on your heart and mind. Remember who God is and how he describes himself in the Bible. Focus on his eternal perspective. Consider not only your own life, but also the lives of others. Finally, pray with confidence knowing that God hears you, and pray in the name of your savior, Jesus Christ.
The Lord's Prayer
Pray the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.
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.
The Blessing
Just as God told Aaron to bless his people in this way, we ask God’s blessing on us as we go forth in our lives.
L. The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us.
The Lord look on us with favor and ☩ give us peace.
C. Amen