Christmas Worship led by Sue Clarke
I would like to tell you how it all began. Most stories today begin with “Once upon a time”- mine begins with 2000 years ago.
Into a world of pain and darkness (very much like today), the light of heaven came. In a manger so lowly and a stable so bare, the greatest gift was given. A baby was born and his name was Jesus, God’s own Son. This baby brought hope to the earth. This same baby is why we celebrate Christmas and, because of what God has done, we can look forward to peace on earth and humanity’s salvation just as much today as was the case 2000 years ago.
John 3 v16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Hin shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Into the darkness 821
We’re going to hear very familiar passages of scripture and carols we probably know the words of off by heart. I pray we might all be challenged by some new thoughts this Christmas.
Luke 2 v1-7
O Little town of Bethlehem 420
Luke 2 8-14
Long time ago- Mary’s boy child
Luke 2 v15-20
While shepherds watched 602
Matthew 2 v1-11
As with gladness 31
It’s that time of year again. December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. I love seeing the lights and decorations and deciding which presents to buy for family and friends. The other day I turned on the lights and Teigan’s face was a picture. She was fascinated by the sparkling lights and wanted to touch the baubles and the branches just to feel what they were like. How magical to share the innocence of children like that!
But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail (or via social media, as is so often the case nowadays). Is it the turkey dinners with family and friends, stockings hanging ready for Father Christmas to come, or the shouts of “Merry Christmas” to and from those we pass in the streets? Is this really Christmas?
Sketch – The true Spirit of Christmas
The true message of Christmas is that Eternal God came to earth in the form of a baby to save His own creation.
Because of what God has done-giving us the greatest gift, His Son, this is Christmas.
Christmas belongs to Christ.
C is for the choir
Twas the night before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, God glanced over the earth.
He looked to and fro, all over its girth.
They missed it again, He said with a sigh,
A heavy heart and a tear in his eye.
I gave them my son so they could be free.
My greatest gift, to them from me.
They traded me in for a man in red.
A little tree and horse drawn sled.
How do I save them and make them see.
My love is complete, My grace is free.
How do I help them when all they know
Is a talking snowman and a box with a bow.
Maybe next year they will stop and see
The biggest gift of Christmas is the little child from me.
Picture of wreath (as last week)
In order to understand this message we need to see the manger and the cross together. The small infant’s hands that were later nailed to a rugged cross and the hands that so often lovingly reach down and pick us up during the difficulties of life.
This year when you see a manger scene, think beyond the baby to His real reason for coming.
Jesus came to earth to bring “good news for all people”. This is the best gift you’ll ever get because:
It’s the costliest gift you’ll ever receive. No money could buy it. It cost Jesus His life.
It’s the only gift that lasts forever. How many years have there been tears on Christmas Day because a present has broken? How many of us still have presents that we were given perhaps 5 years ago, 10 or maybe longer. Not many I’m sure, because they’ve either lost their usefulness, we’ve outgrown them, or they’ve been replaced by a newer version?
It’s a gift you can enjoy for the rest of your life! It’s not age dependent or relies on ability.
Make the effort to remember the real message of Christmas and His undying love for you.
Joy to the world 314
Brian’s Talk
It’s easy to think of the Christmas story simply as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus nestled closely together in a crowded barn with shepherds and wise men gathering to worship the newly born King. And while this is a beautiful, and perhaps the most entertaining part of the story, it is not the complete story. The whole story of Christmas actually started long before Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, actually many generations earlier.
As we prepare for Christmas this year, I’d like us to take a brief look at part of Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. We’ve already had read to us the account of the visit of the Magi from the east in Chapter 2. When starting to read through the New Testament, the first part of chapter 1 of Matthew at first sight doesn’t make for great reading. So we tend to pass it over – a long list of names of people, some we can’t pronounce, and about which very little is known. So why does Matthew start his writings with this genealogy?
Boring though it may at first seem, I think it gives us a brief glimpse at the enormity of God’s salvation plan revealed through generations in the promise of Christ.
Genealogies can of course be most revealing and interesting. Some people today like to spend many hours searching through ancient records in churchyards and historic libraries to find out who their predecessors were, probably in the vain hope that they might discover they have at least some tenuous links to distinguished royal blood. More than likely they will find out some things they didn’t really want to know about their family history, so some names are likely soon become obliterated and hopefully forgotten.
I believe there are a number of important things we can learn from what Matthew himself describes as “the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
By tracing Jesus’ ancestry back through King David, Matthew most importantly connects Jesus with His royal heritage. The purpose is to show that the messianic promises made to David’s family are fulfilled in Jesus.
He goes back even further in describing Jesus as the son of Abraham. This was of course important to the Jews, to whom Matthew was writing his gospel. God had made certain promises to Abraham, and Matthew now sees these as being fulfilled in Jesus, the Christ, or the Messiah.
Back in the book of Genesis we read “Abraham was the father of Isaac; and Isaac was the father of Jacob; and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers;”
The promise of Jacob, in Genesis 49, was that the leadership of the 12 tribes would come through Judah.
And so we could go on – looking at the promises of God to men of the Old Testament, and we would see how these promises of God came to fulfilment in the birth of Christ.
Closer study of the details of those included in this genealogy, and comparing with what is known from other historical records, reveals that there are a number of gaps in the list that Matthew gives us. But that is not to say that there was anything wrong or suspicious about the people omitted. When it says “so and so was the father of…” it can equally mean “grandfather” or ”great-grandfather”, so the list would in fact be much longer if everyone was included. You can imagine generations of Jewish school-children reciting this genealogy parrot-fashion, much as we did our 2-times table.
It is interesting to see some of the people included in Matthew’s list. It notably includes some women – quite something for the Jews to swallow – and some of these were of what we might call “questionable” character. They include mention of Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba .
Tamar was not the godliest of women. She deceived Judah into laying with her.
We know Rahab was a harlot.
We know Ruth was from the despised tribe of Moab.
David of course messed up his life in his affair with Bathsheba - David was far from perfect.
I love the fact that some very imperfect people are listed as part of the genealogy of Jesus. The fact is that these people were all accepted by God -not on the basis of their imperfect lives, but because of their faith. That should encourage us all when we feel we are failing the Lord.
It is interesting to note that it was apparently not customary to list the names of women in a genealogy. Therefore, the inclusion of these names was a very deliberate action on the part of the author.
The genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew is that of Joseph, Jesus’ legal father. We could if we had time also read the genealogy in chapter 3 of Luke’s gospel, which is that of Mary, Jesus’ mother, showing Jesus’ line back to Adam.
But Matthew’s genealogy concludes with these words in v16:
“And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
Note how the wording carefully avoids giving the impression that Joseph was the natural father of Jesus. As the husband of Mary, he was Jesus’ legal father and the one through whom He had a right to David’s throne. Every emphasis of the text at this point reinforces the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ.
It is of course all very well to have this family tree – to read for ourselves the background to the birth of Jesus. But what does it mean for us? Is it just an interesting piece of history? Or does it reinforce our confidence in what we know about Jesus Christ?
The Jews of Jesus’ day had the opportunity, as have generations since, to make up their minds – was Jesus the Son of God, the Messiah he claimed to be?
The sad thing is, as John records for us in his gospel account, that although Jesus came firstly to his own people, the Jews, they did not, for the most part receive Him. They rejected his claims, and chose to turn their backs on him, despite the love he showed to them throughout his earthly life.
But John goes on to record one of the most wonderful promises we have in the New Testament.
John 1: 12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Who is the promise for? “ALL WHO BELIEVE”
That’s what faith is.
There’s a chorus we occasionally sing which begins with the words “I believe in Jesus – I believe He is the Son of God”
Each of us can become part of God’s eternal family – simply by faith in Jesus.
May be this Christmas time we will re-affirm our confidence and trust in Jesus – making him truly Lord of our lives.
Notices
- The funeral for Stephanie Inkpen will be at the Surrey & Sussex Crematorium on Thursday 21st December at 11.45am, followed by refreshments at Lee Street Church.
- Thursday at 6.00pm – Churches for Horley carols at Waitrose.
- Next Sunday at 10.15am – informal worship and breaking of bread service.
- Christmas Day at 10.30am – celebration.
Closing Song
Hark the herald 155