The Sermon The Light of Christ by David McGee
Dec 24, 2012
The Light of Christ (27:26)
Referenced Scriptures: Luke 1:18-30; Luke 2:1-20; Isaiah 7:14; Zechariah 9
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Luke 1:18-30
18) Zacharias said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
19) The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
20) Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things will happen, because you didn‘t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."
21) The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled while he delayed in the temple.
22) When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.
23) It happened, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.
24) After these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,
25) "Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men."
26) Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27) to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin‘s name was Mary.
28) Having come in to her, the angel said, "Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!"
29) But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.
30) The angel said to her, "Don‘t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luke 2:1-20
1) Now it happened in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
2) This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3) All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city.
4) Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;
5) to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being great with child.
6) It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth.
7) She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8) There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.
9) Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10) The angel said to them, "Don‘t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
11) For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12) This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough."
13) Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14) "Glory to God in the highest, On earth peace, good will toward men."
15) It happened, when the angels went away from them into the sky, that the shepherds said one to another, "Let‘s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16) They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the feeding trough.
17) When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
18) All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.
19) But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
20) The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them.
Isaiah 7:14
14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Zechariah 9
1) The burden of the word of Yahweh on the land of Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] its resting-place (for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Yahweh);
2) and Hamath, also, which borders thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
3) Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
4) Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
5) Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained; and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6) A bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7) I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also shall be a remnant for our God; and he shall be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
8) I will encamp about my house against the army, that none pass through or return; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with my eyes.
9) Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your king comes to you; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt the foal of a donkey.
10) I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace to the nations: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11) As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.
12) Turn you to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double to you.
13) For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and will make you as the sword of a mighty man.
14) Yahweh shall be seen over them; and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south.
15) Yahweh of Hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.
16) Yahweh their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for [they shall be as] the stones of a crown, lifted on high over his land.
17) For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.
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This evening person going to read the Christmas story, but I was thinking of in the context of the song that perhaps we know very well. It's oh, coming menu well and it's number four twenty two I'm not going to saying so please those of you who know me you know I can sing so and you would think of that as a well anyhow you still want me to sing, but tonight as we look at the Christmas story. It's more than just the story. It's it's our life. It's the if the message of God coming to be with us, and there are many things that we have in our life that we take for granted and some of it is even you go back to our ancestors and to our to our to our roots and how far back do we. We go and we find where Christianity has influenced influenced our lives and influence how we govern ourselves how we set up our laws. How we set up our political system, and we have certainly fallen away from the intent of what God has put in front of us and sometimes it's hard for us to distinguish what is really what God wants us to do what is our political system. What is one of the things that have just been whitewashed and changed so as we come to this time of Christmas in front of this idea of what Jesus Christ has come to be in our life and what the Scriptures and intent was, we find that there's always this challenge of wanting to grow in wanting to become. It's the problem arises in our faith whenever we think we've arrived. Whenever we think we have it all figured out when a religious system has evolved everything in place and they're the only ones that are going to make it to heaven and God is the one who has put divinely favored their everybody else is excluded, and that really is very far from the truth. The truth is that Jesus doesn't turn away anyone who comes to him. Jesus doesn't turn away anyone who comes to him. It believes in him. He confesses their sin. The purpose of salvation. The purpose of forgiveness is bringing us back to her right relationship with God. If you go back to creation in which God created man, and you read in the book of Genesis we read how the dog walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the night and that was the intent the Godhead in creation was that we would walk with God. His friend with friend that we would walk with him and he would be our friend, and he would be someone that we could share our life with an it all coming in the end of the day in the share of the day 's experiences in walk with God, and he would be there to your talk things over decisions that have to be made and things like that but mankind fell. And in the fall in the disobedience we lost our life, our spiritual life. We broke our relationship with God. We allowed death to come into our life, and there are so they were separation from God. Spiritual dampens and physical death while in Jesus Christ came. And you know, if you go through the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and the and of the Jewish traditions, we find that there was a sacrificial system in which the land was sacrificed so that that lot of that land could be applied to the altar, and for the covering for the sins of the nation of Israel, and then we come to the New Testament and the arrival of Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There is this understanding then when Christ comes that he wasn't just as I said earlier, his one isn't as someone who shows up on the scene. He is someone who is prophesied about five years over thousands of years. There are bits of information to tell us that he's going to be born in the city of David. He's going to be born in Bethlehem is the Apple house and lineage of David, and to let you know something really inconceivable a virgin will conceive and have a child. And so there's all these things going on and where he was born the timeframe he would be born August things would be there. And Jesus arrives. Luke chapter one beginning in verse twenty six and we have what happens here in the conception of Jesus in the sixth month of the lives of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent an angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to be married to Amanda send it from payment. His name was Joseph, and the virgin 's name Mary, upon answering Gabriel greeted her good morning. You're beautiful, with God 's beauty. Beautiful inside and out, got been with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind the greeting like that but the Angel assured her. Mary is nothing to fear God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and called his name Jesus. He will be great in the call son of the highest, the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will rule Jacob 's house forever know in ever to his kingdom. Mary said to the angel, but how I've never slept with a man angel answered the Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of the highest hover over you. Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called holy son of God, and did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, her and her old age as old as she is, and everyone called her barren and this year she is six months). Nothing you see is impossible with God and Mary said yes I see it all now. I'm Lord made ready to serve. B with me, just as you say, and the angel left. Then in chapter two verses one beginning at verse one. About that time, Caesar Gustavus ordered a census to be taken throughout the empire. This was the first census when primate crime. Many of us was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judea, David's town for the senses as a descendent of David. He had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant to see Mary and Joseph were in the wrong place and here is a Roman leader King, who they said to create to collect taxes then rearranges and puts marriage ultimately exact place where they needed to be for the birth of Christ to come. According to the prophecy while they were there came a time for her to give birth, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the hospital. There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep and suddenly got Angel stood among them, and God 's glory blazed around them, they were terrified. The angel said to be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody worldwide a Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior, who is Messiah and master. This is what you look for a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger at once. The angel was joined by huge angelic choir singing God 's praises glory to God in the high heavenly heights. Peace to all men and women on earth to please him, as the angel choir withdrew to heaven, the shepherds talked it over. Let's go over to Bethlehem as we can see it can, and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us. They laughed running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger seeing was believing they told everyone they met what the angel said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed. Mary kept all these things to her self holding them gear in deep within herself. The shepherds returned, and let loose glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen it turned out exactly the way they had been told Billy as we look at the Scriptures, and we look at the songs in your we sing the songs about Christmas and the birth of Christ. Many of them are tunes that NMR ways to express what went on and what happened in the Scriptures, and when everything back to wildest this song four twenty two and there in your handles. Oh, come, Emmanuelle, we find that it was written down here somewhere in the ninth century and in the ninth century there was there was no other were not very many people who were able to read so what happened in the songs and what happened in the beach artwork was that people couldn't leave, but they would be able to sing songs and you know any agent in that you know the old cathedrals they have all these stained-glass windows in all of the artwork in it depicting different segments and what was going on is that people were not able to read, but they were able to be told about the stories that went along with each of the pictures in the and around the sanctuary and people were able then to relate to the stories that they had seen by looking at the pictures and so as we read over and goes through these heavens and look at them. We see how that the writers were actually teaching the people on doctrine and spirit truths that were written in the Scriptures. So in this this Psalm are this a song here on out, come, Emmanuelle, it was on the medieval church was that they would each night they would sing this song for seven days prior to the prior to Christmas. It was called the great antiphons and CIP adjoint S Graydon funds, and they were anthems sung in short versus and what happened was they would have two choirs, they would have one quire one-sided church. One fire and the other side of the sanctuary and the church and agent in the house fences that they would sing and the other one would have it in response, so they would have these these atoms that would speak up the wisdom of God, Dorothy the the leadership of God, and in some of them. We have an verse one Emmanuelle verse one oh, Connie Manuel, so you have the song over here singing out. Oh, oh, come, Emmanuelle meaning Lord Jesus, come, and this was an end response to the descriptors with Isaiah, chapter seven, verse fourteen, all Emmanuelle Emanuel can't be with us, and then you have the response from Exodus, chapter nineteen, which would say Lord of my Lord of all and that in the people, not side with sing it back and so you have these these choirs singing is aware of responding to each other, each singing Scriptures back and forth, and that's what the script up with the song was originally written for so as we raid on Robert O come O come, Emmanuelle and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile speaks about Israel and how that they were. They were young down the holy place. The holy seed of the holy nation for which Jesus came and they are now in exile there out of out of Israel and looking for a homeland engineer actually singing and having a prayer and then oh, Ron and Jesse nine all from Satan 's humanist free us from Satan 's tyranny. So here is a song in response about how the evil has come into our world and free us from the tyranny and associate you see this going on, you can perhaps picture or even imagine how that these songs would be sung especially when this one back in the yard and in the ninth century and these all churches in these all cathedrals and and how that requires would be singing people singing is aware almost in competition with each other about the glories of God, and how that they wanted God 's glory to come in, come and be with them. Then of course the Zechariah chapter nine verse nine. If you see your king comes to you and Revelation twenty two, twenty amen. Come Lord Jesus. And that is the foundation for the course. It was added sometime later in the course says rejoice, rejoice Emmanuelle shall come to see us or Israel. So he rejoice in the ghostwriting thing about. I could write if you have any other sing this for me so that this comment, and rejoice in what God has done and is leasing this we find that the end was to do it. It's a way of singing and praying it's a way of remembering the Scripture became made and they could read it so is the way of them putting allowing the Scripture to be part of their life and a vertebra. He says it, coming many while Emanuel, which means God with us. So, come, Emmanuelle, the virgin will conceive and give birth to God God becomes man dwells among us, and the season of Advent yelled that wherein did everybody get your shopping done. Still late. Just a frivolous things. Yes, that's an inside joke. My wife& don't buy me a frivolous jet gifts should I just like Acadia was when I was frivolous, Utah zero two by something yet and I'm just trying to figure out what gift that I give her that was frivolous. I don't know about so I was thinking maybe I should take them all back in on the flight back to the invited frivolous gifts and but if you haven't bought your gifts delete it is not Italian I I I I and if you were up with the proper graphs I I I have gone shopping on the business even times, and end it seems like there's about ninety percent of the mall is filled with men running from trying to find the last-minute gifts. I don't know if that's any any guys do that. Okay, I want to ask how I skipped my next week guide, you could tell me. I got out, so, but the evidence is the time we are. I think it's a few weeks ago, spoke about being fractured that there's so many things pulling our and our life from the holidays and that the gifts and trees in the decoration and family things and church things in business things in the neighborhoods. All this we have so many different parties and people to meet and cards the sand. It seems like there is this such a pulling, but the real focus is Jesus Christ and that we deposit in these moments and sing the songs of the ancient hymn writer refers to Jesus as Immanuel, while God with us. He implores Jesus do, and in the Christian 's separation from God. We are united with Christ, and that he has forgiven us of our sins, but the separation that we have been someday all of this is going to disappear and we have a home in heaven and that it's that place that the hymn writer saying God common in that separation. Jesus is also referred to as the dayspring, or the rising of the sun and is asked to remove the gloom of spiritual life in the shadows of death. So it came as we read this the song and we sing through the song. There are so many little things in the verses in so many things in these little sayings that try to jump out of the out at us as we sing them a big touch our hearts, another for the name of Jesus is the rod of Jesse, which is a term in the King James version and the Bible signifies Christ. Christ fight to free his people from Satan 's tyranny. And of course this hand, then, is one of the oldest found in any of the Christian handles it is a treasure and illustrates our great debt to our spiritual ancestors. Everything that we have is built upon the shoulders of those who gone before us everything that we have is built upon the shoulders of the people who've gone before us, whether it's in our faith, are in our families are in our work or wherever whereat we are all building on the foundation that someone else is late and art. Our goal in our service to Christ, is that we would lay a firm foundation for our life and for our families and for those who would fall what was so that our fee is a firm front is not based upon our own selfishness. The based upon our other gift things that God has gifted us with to make a difference in our life and the lives of those around us in Alaska says any, shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, and he will announce the resurrection of the dead and of the life in the world to come and sell this life is here for us. And so the ongoing efforts, and I think in our our society to to take Christ out of Christmas. The UL. I like it says commercialize sexualize and sanitized commercialize secularizing sanitize Christmas is that they want to remove Christ from Christmas to remove Jesus Christ and all that he is from Christmas and that's life. If you remove Christ from Christmas she does have an Xmas and it is lost. It's whole intent. The intent is, God has come to be with us. The prophet Isaiah wrote the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The people who love walked in darkness have seen a great light. The lights of the world continues to shine for all who choose to believe. So we take up our faith. We take up our cross and follow Christ and the light of Christ continues to shine on all who continue to believe they meant would like to Linda Mack, we have our candlelight service and I would like for us to focus on some of the things we've just said here about what Jesus Christ means to us and that Christmas is. It's about family Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts, Christmas is about all the things that we've made it ourselves and our families and our traditions, but the founding principle of our Chris of our Christmas is Jesus Christ and his birth, and that birth change the world that birth change the world. The changed how we perceive ourselves. I'll I'll I'll I go back to Isaiah and he says that while you are yet in your mother 's womb I knew you and I formed you, God knew us while we were in our mother 's womb. He has a plan and has a purpose for us and our relationship with Jesus Christ, is that which unleashes those talents and those gifts and those abilities to help us to become that person. The God intended us to be and we find in Christ that missing link that missing part of who we are in Christ comes and fills it, and he walks with us as he would have walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He walks with us through each day is never so far away is to be just narrows those who have seen the light, we have seen a great light and the light symbolizes that witches we were in darkness, but we have come to light. Jesus Christ, the light of the world cliff, would you shut the lights off in the back so we all stand does everyone have a candle. If you don't, so that some of the one thing I would suggest that whenever your candle is lit whenever your candle is lit. Those who are lighting the candle would approach the Litwin will stay straight in the one is getting lips will come to the side that we don't drip wax all over you and hope you all those other things at once. It's link to keep it straight and in the other person. Your pass it on all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one candle that is why the hope of Christ is the hope of God has grown from the birth of Christ through his life, his death, his resurrection. This changed the world because it lights up our life and makes a difference. So Clifford, you turn them off. This twenty one behind numerous sing silent night, but that using no. You can leave the light of the piano on mobilized to have that what we can awaken every guy that is using the dark weekend. One weekend saying no will will will will will will will will will erode in writing my life is going maintenance for the moon to a will him to know him him him him him and him and him to him as he him now will be for him him him him and him him and will him and he is a him him to whom saying in a man in the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the print in this world in our lives where do we need peace. Peace from ourselves. He's from our past piece from our failures. We ask for forgiveness, peace fraud world our government, our neighbors, our friends or family, someone who is ill. We pray that God 's peace be upon them. You see, Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace. He does not come to bring conflict becomes to bring peace, our father, we thank you for this night, in which the light of Jesus Christ shines in our hearts through your word in your spirit, we ask of God, that you talked us the very real way, we sung songs and leave listen to the speaker, but Lord, it is your presence that makes the difference. It is your love of God that touches us from the inside out. It is your piece, so draw that you give to us, not as the world gives. But God is a piece that comes to us from a right relationship with you and in eternal life that begins in us. Even now, bless our Lord. I pray each one this year. I pray your blessing upon the families and friends. I pray God that you go with us, and that this Christmas season. We are very special time which we celebrate our relationships with others, but most of all, we celebrate our relationship with you. We pray this to the Prince of peace Jesus Christ andThis evening person going to read the Christmas story, but I was thinking of in the context of the song that perhaps we know very well. It's oh, coming menu well and it's number four twenty two I'm not going to saying so please those of you who know me you know I can sing so and you would think of that as a well anyhow you still want me to sing, but tonight as we look at the Christmas story. It's more than just the story. It's it's our life. It's the if the message of God coming to be with us, and there are many things that we have in our life that we take for granted and some of it is even you go back to our ancestors and to our to our to our roots and how far back do we. We go and we find where Christianity has influenced influenced our lives and influence how we govern ourselves how we set up our laws. How we set up our political system, and we have certainly fallen away from the intent of what God has put in front of us and sometimes it's hard for us to distinguish what is really what God wants us to do what is our political system. What is one of the things that have just been whitewashed and changed so as we come to this time of Christmas in front of this idea of what Jesus Christ has come to be in our life and what the Scriptures and intent was, we find that there's always this challenge of wanting to grow in wanting to become. It's the problem arises in our faith whenever we think we've arrived. Whenever we think we have it all figured out when a religious system has evolved everything in place and they're the only ones that are going to make it to heaven and God is the one who has put divinely favored their everybody else is excluded, and that really is very far from the truth. The truth is that Jesus doesn't turn away anyone who comes to him. Jesus doesn't turn away anyone who comes to him. It believes in him. He confesses their sin. The purpose of salvation. The purpose of forgiveness is bringing us back to her right relationship with God. If you go back to creation in which God created man, and you read in the book of Genesis we read how the dog walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the night and that was the intent the Godhead in creation was that we would walk with God. His friend with friend that we would walk with him and he would be our friend, and he would be someone that we could share our life with an it all coming in the end of the day in the share of the day 's experiences in walk with God, and he would be there to your talk things over decisions that have to be made and things like that but mankind fell. And in the fall in the disobedience we lost our life, our spiritual life. We broke our relationship with God. We allowed death to come into our life, and there are so they were separation from God. Spiritual dampens and physical death while in Jesus Christ came. And you know, if you go through the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and the and of the Jewish traditions, we find that there was a sacrificial system in which the land was sacrificed so that that lot of that land could be applied to the altar, and for the covering for the sins of the nation of Israel, and then we come to the New Testament and the arrival of Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There is this understanding then when Christ comes that he wasn't just as I said earlier, his one isn't as someone who shows up on the scene. He is someone who is prophesied about five years over thousands of years. There are bits of information to tell us that he's going to be born in the city of David. He's going to be born in Bethlehem is the Apple house and lineage of David, and to let you know something really inconceivable a virgin will conceive and have a child. And so there's all these things going on and where he was born the timeframe he would be born August things would be there. And Jesus arrives. Luke chapter one beginning in verse twenty six and we have what happens here in the conception of Jesus in the sixth month of the lives of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent an angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to be married to Amanda send it from payment. His name was Joseph, and the virgin 's name Mary, upon answering Gabriel greeted her good morning. You're beautiful, with God 's beauty. Beautiful inside and out, got been with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind the greeting like that but the Angel assured her. Mary is nothing to fear God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and called his name Jesus. He will be great in the call son of the highest, the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will rule Jacob 's house forever know in ever to his kingdom. Mary said to the angel, but how I've never slept with a man angel answered the Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of the highest hover over you. Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called holy son of God, and did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, her and her old age as old as she is, and everyone called her barren and this year she is six months). Nothing you see is impossible with God and Mary said yes I see it all now. I'm Lord made ready to serve. B with me, just as you say, and the angel left. Then in chapter two verses one beginning at verse one. About that time, Caesar Gustavus ordered a census to be taken throughout the empire. This was the first census when primate crime. Many of us was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judea, David's town for the senses as a descendent of David. He had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant to see Mary and Joseph were in the wrong place and here is a Roman leader King, who they said to create to collect taxes then rearranges and puts marriage ultimately exact place where they needed to be for the birth of Christ to come. According to the prophecy while they were there came a time for her to give birth, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the hospital. There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep and suddenly got Angel stood among them, and God 's glory blazed around them, they were terrified. The angel said to be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody worldwide a Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior, who is Messiah and master. This is what you look for a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger at once. The angel was joined by huge angelic choir singing God 's praises glory to God in the high heavenly heights. Peace to all men and women on earth to please him, as the angel choir withdrew to heaven, the shepherds talked it over. Let's go over to Bethlehem as we can see it can, and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us. They laughed running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger seeing was believing they told everyone they met what the angel said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed. Mary kept all these things to her self holding them gear in deep within herself. The shepherds returned, and let loose glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen it turned out exactly the way they had been told Billy as we look at the Scriptures, and we look at the songs in your we sing the songs about Christmas and the birth of Christ. Many of them are tunes that NMR ways to express what went on and what happened in the Scriptures, and when everything back to wildest this song four twenty two and there in your handles. Oh, come, Emmanuelle, we find that it was written down here somewhere in the ninth century and in the ninth century there was there was no other were not very many people who were able to read so what happened in the songs and what happened in the beach artwork was that people couldn't leave, but they would be able to sing songs and you know any agent in that you know the old cathedrals they have all these stained-glass windows in all of the artwork in it depicting different segments and what was going on is that people were not able to read, but they were able to be told about the stories that went along with each of the pictures in the and around the sanctuary and people were able then to relate to the stories that they had seen by looking at the pictures and so as we read over and goes through these heavens and look at them. We see how that the writers were actually teaching the people on doctrine and spirit truths that were written in the Scriptures. So in this this Psalm are this a song here on out, come, Emmanuelle, it was on the medieval church was that they would each night they would sing this song for seven days prior to the prior to Christmas. It was called the great antiphons and CIP adjoint S Graydon funds, and they were anthems sung in short versus and what happened was they would have two choirs, they would have one quire one-sided church. One fire and the other side of the sanctuary and the church and agent in the house fences that they would sing and the other one would have it in response, so they would have these these atoms that would speak up the wisdom of God, Dorothy the the leadership of God, and in some of them. We have an verse one Emmanuelle verse one oh, Connie Manuel, so you have the song over here singing out. Oh, oh, come, Emmanuelle meaning Lord Jesus, come, and this was an end response to the descriptors with Isaiah, chapter seven, verse fourteen, all Emmanuelle Emanuel can't be with us, and then you have the response from Exodus, chapter nineteen, which would say Lord of my Lord of all and that in the people, not side with sing it back and so you have these these choirs singing is aware of responding to each other, each singing Scriptures back and forth, and that's what the script up with the song was originally written for so as we raid on Robert O come O come, Emmanuelle and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile speaks about Israel and how that they were. They were young down the holy place. The holy seed of the holy nation for which Jesus came and they are now in exile there out of out of Israel and looking for a homeland engineer actually singing and having a prayer and then oh, Ron and Jesse nine all from Satan 's humanist free us from Satan 's tyranny. So here is a song in response about how the evil has come into our world and free us from the tyranny and associate you see this going on, you can perhaps picture or even imagine how that these songs would be sung especially when this one back in the yard and in the ninth century and these all churches in these all cathedrals and and how that requires would be singing people singing is aware almost in competition with each other about the glories of God, and how that they wanted God 's glory to come in, come and be with them. Then of course the Zechariah chapter nine verse nine. If you see your king comes to you and Revelation twenty two, twenty amen. Come Lord Jesus. And that is the foundation for the course. It was added sometime later in the course says rejoice, rejoice Emmanuelle shall come to see us or Israel. So he rejoice in the ghostwriting thing about. I could write if you have any other sing this for me so that this comment, and rejoice in what God has done and is leasing this we find that the end was to do it. It's a way of singing and praying it's a way of remembering the Scripture became made and they could read it so is the way of them putting allowing the Scripture to be part of their life and a vertebra. He says it, coming many while Emanuel, which means God with us. So, come, Emmanuelle, the virgin will conceive and give birth to God God becomes man dwells among us, and the season of Advent yelled that wherein did everybody get your shopping done. Still late. Just a frivolous things. Yes, that's an inside joke. My wife& don't buy me a frivolous jet gifts should I just like Acadia was when I was frivolous, Utah zero two by something yet and I'm just trying to figure out what gift that I give her that was frivolous. I don't know about so I was thinking maybe I should take them all back in on the flight back to the invited frivolous gifts and but if you haven't bought your gifts delete it is not Italian I I I I and if you were up with the proper graphs I I I have gone shopping on the business even times, and end it seems like there's about ninety percent of the mall is filled with men running from trying to find the last-minute gifts. I don't know if that's any any guys do that. Okay, I want to ask how I skipped my next week guide, you could tell me. I got out, so, but the evidence is the time we are. I think it's a few weeks ago, spoke about being fractured that there's so many things pulling our and our life from the holidays and that the gifts and trees in the decoration and family things and church things in business things in the neighborhoods. All this we have so many different parties and people to meet and cards the sand. It seems like there is this such a pulling, but the real focus is Jesus Christ and that we deposit in these moments and sing the songs of the ancient hymn writer refers to Jesus as Immanuel, while God with us. He implores Jesus do, and in the Christian 's separation from God. We are united with Christ, and that he has forgiven us of our sins, but the separation that we have been someday all of this is going to disappear and we have a home in heaven and that it's that place that the hymn writer saying God common in that separation. Jesus is also referred to as the dayspring, or the rising of the sun and is asked to remove the gloom of spiritual life in the shadows of death. So it came as we read this the song and we sing through the song. There are so many little things in the verses in so many things in these little sayings that try to jump out of the out at us as we sing them a big touch our hearts, another for the name of Jesus is the rod of Jesse, which is a term in the King James version and the Bible signifies Christ. Christ fight to free his people from Satan 's tyranny. And of course this hand, then, is one of the oldest found in any of the Christian handles it is a treasure and illustrates our great debt to our spiritual ancestors. Everything that we have is built upon the shoulders of those who gone before us everything that we have is built upon the shoulders of the people who've gone before us, whether it's in our faith, are in our families are in our work or wherever whereat we are all building on the foundation that someone else is late and art. Our goal in our service to Christ, is that we would lay a firm foundation for our life and for our families and for those who would fall what was so that our fee is a firm front is not based upon our own selfishness. The based upon our other gift things that God has gifted us with to make a difference in our life and the lives of those around us in Alaska says any, shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, and he will announce the resurrection of the dead and of the life in the world to come and sell this life is here for us. And so the ongoing efforts, and I think in our our society to to take Christ out of Christmas. The UL. I like it says commercialize sexualize and sanitized commercialize secularizing sanitize Christmas is that they want to remove Christ from Christmas to remove Jesus Christ and all that he is from Christmas and that's life. If you remove Christ from Christmas she does have an Xmas and it is lost. It's whole intent. The intent is, God has come to be with us. The prophet Isaiah wrote the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The people who love walked in darkness have seen a great light. The lights of the world continues to shine for all who choose to believe. So we take up our faith. We take up our cross and follow Christ and the light of Christ continues to shine on all who continue to believe they meant would like to Linda Mack, we have our candlelight service and I would like for us to focus on some of the things we've just said here about what Jesus Christ means to us and that Christmas is. It's about family Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts, Christmas is about all the things that we've made it ourselves and our families and our traditions, but the founding principle of our Chris of our Christmas is Jesus Christ and his birth, and that birth change the world that birth change the world. The changed how we perceive ourselves. I'll I'll I'll I go back to Isaiah and he says that while you are yet in your mother 's womb I knew you and I formed you, God knew us while we were in our mother 's womb. He has a plan and has a purpose for us and our relationship with Jesus Christ, is that which unleashes those talents and those gifts and those abilities to help us to become that person. The God intended us to be and we find in Christ that missing link that missing part of who we are in Christ comes and fills it, and he walks with us as he would have walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He walks with us through each day is never so far away is to be just narrows those who have seen the light, we have seen a great light and the light symbolizes that witches we were in darkness, but we have come to light. Jesus Christ, the light of the world cliff, would you shut the lights off in the back so we all stand does everyone have a candle. If you don't, so that some of the one thing I would suggest that whenever your candle is lit whenever your candle is lit. Those who are lighting the candle would approach the Litwin will stay straight in the one is getting lips will come to the side that we don't drip wax all over you and hope you all those other things at once. It's link to keep it straight and in the other person. Your pass it on all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one candle that is why the hope of Christ is the hope of God has grown from the birth of Christ through his life, his death, his resurrection. This changed the world because it lights up our life and makes a difference. So Clifford, you turn them off. This twenty one behind numerous sing silent night, but that using no. You can leave the light of the piano on mobilized to have that what we can awaken every guy that is using the dark weekend. One weekend saying no will will will will will will will will will erode in writing my life is going maintenance for the moon to a will him to know him him him him him and him and him to him as he him now will be for him him him him and him him and will him and he is a him him to whom saying in a man in the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the print in this world in our lives where do we need peace. Peace from ourselves. He's from our past piece from our failures. We ask for forgiveness, peace fraud world our government, our neighbors, our friends or family, someone who is ill. We pray that God 's peace be upon them. You see, Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace. He does not come to bring conflict becomes to bring peace, our father, we thank you for this night, in which the light of Jesus Christ shines in our hearts through your word in your spirit, we ask of God, that you talked us the very real way, we sung songs and leave listen to the speaker, but Lord, it is your presence that makes the difference. It is your love of God that touches us from the inside out. It is your piece, so draw that you give to us, not as the world gives. But God is a piece that comes to us from a right relationship with you and in eternal life that begins in us. Even now, bless our Lord. I pray each one this year. I pray your blessing upon the families and friends. I pray God that you go with us, and that this Christmas season. We are very special time which we celebrate our relationships with others, but most of all, we celebrate our relationship with you. We pray this to the Prince of peace Jesus Christ and