A SEASON OF WONDER - Amazon S3



A SEASON OF WONDER

Opening the Door to New Opportunities

Advent Worship Series - Week 5 (December 31, 2006)

|WORSHIP SERVICE OUTLINES |

|Each worship outline contains all elements needed for your worship service. The order of each service presented is only a |

|suggestion. No doubt changes will be needed to accommodate the flow and worship style of your corps. The outlines are flexible |

|and allow opportunities to “cut and paste” as needed. If you are blessed with instrumental or vocal music resources, you may find|

|there is more structured material here than needed. It is recommended that the headings of each section of the service be |

|included in the bulletin. |

Announcements & Offering

Movie Clip

Close to Jesus – The Stories of Those He Touched

Disc 2 – Joseph of Nazareth

(Distributed by Artisan Home Entertainment)

Scene 11 – Three Ambassadors

Length:

Start: 1:05:24 “Where is the King of the Jews?”..

End: 1:09:02 …“Prince, Priest, Prophet”

(Additional Optional Movie Clips)

Jesus of Nazareth (Distributed by Artisan Home Entertainment)

Scene 15 – Three Kings

Scene 21 – Gifts from the Wise Men

Length:

Start: 38:35 Hills

End: 49:42 …in Bethlehem

Clip continues:

Start: 59:18 Mary/Joseph walking over hill…”Don’t be afraid”…

End: 1:02:34 … Herod’s days are numbered”

Call to Worship:

The Magi saw a miraculous star and searched for the Child this sign proclaimed. But their journey didn’t end after they’d worshipped the newborn King; God sent them home by another route, which offered new opportunities to tell others about Jesus’ birth. In spite of any concerns we might have to face, the New Year holds tremendous potential. By opening our hearts to the opportunities he’s sure to bring, we can experience the wonder of Christ’s coming all year long.

(Mainstay Church Resource, Advent Implementation, page 8)

|SB#100 – Angels, from the realms of glory |TB-398 – Come and Worship (Regent|HTD4-T12 (4 vs.) |

| |Sq.) | |

| |HC-280 | |

|HC#280 – Angels from the realms of glory | |HCD26-T20 |

| Additional Optional Songs |

|SB#113 – Joy to the world! |TB-87 – Joy to the World! |HTD4-T9 (3 vs.) |

|SB#114 – Light of the world |TB-653 – Here I am to Worship | |

| |HC-146 | |

|HC#146 – Here I am to Worship | |HCD13-T16 |

|SB#107 – Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, |TB-87 – Joy to the World! |D4-T9 (3 vs.) |

|SB#115 – If I were a star then I would shine, shine, shine |TB-773- Noel |No CD |

|SB#116 – O come, all ye faithful |TB-496 – Adeste Fideles |HTD3 –T1 (3 vs.) |

| |HC-140 |HCD12-T20 |

|HC#140 – O Come, All Ye Faithful | | |

|SB#133 – Wonderful counselor |TB-859 – The Light Has Come |HCD1-T10 |

| |HC-10 | |

|HC#10 – The Light Has Come | | |

Scripture reading is from Matthew 2:1-12:

[An older man sits in a rocking chair at the front of the chapel, surrounded by several children. He reads as if he were a grandfather reading the story to his grandchildren. You will also need three wise men; these do not have speaking parts but will need to run through the reading once or twice before "performing." The offstage voices may be taped ahead of time. As Grandfather begins, three men in wise men costumes slowly parade down the aisle from the back of the sanctuary, each carrying a gift. They do not speak, nor do they come near the rocking chair.]

Grandfather: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked,

[The following is read offstage.]

Voice 1: "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

[At this point the Magi freeze in position while the Grandfather continues to read.]

Grandfather: When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

[Another offstage voice]

Voice 2: "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

Grandfather: After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

(Mainstay Church Resource, Advent Implementation, page C-220)

|SB#158 – Who is he in yonder stall |TB-287 – Who is he? |HTD10-T19 (6 vs.) |

| Additional Optional Songs |

|HC#72 – Emmanuel |HC-72 |HCD6-T12 |

|SB#114 – Light of the world |TB-653 – Here I am to Worship |No CD |

| |HC-146 | |

|HC#146 – Here I am to Worship | |HCD13-T16 |

|SB#77 – Fairest Lord Jesus |TB-206 – Ascalon |HTD5-T1 (3 vs.) |

|HC#151 – Fairest Lord Jesus |HC-151 |HCD14-T11 |

|HC#169 – Hallelujah |HC-169 |HCD15-T19 |

|HC#187 – Jesus, Messiah |HC-187 |HCD17-T17 |

|SB#376 – King of kings, majesty |TB-732 – same |No CD |

|HC#219 – King of Kings, Majesty |HC-219 |HCD20-T19 |

|HC#220 – Incarnate |HC-220 |HCD20-T20 |

|HC#226 – I Worship You |HC-226 |HCD21-T16 |

|SB#131 – When wise men came seeking for Jesus from far, |TB-507 – Normandy Carol |HTD11-T6 (3 vs.) |

| |TB-497 – Away in a Manger | |

| | |HTD6-T3 (3 vs.) |

Responsive Reading:

Reader 1: The God of new possibilities has come into our world.

Reader 2: The God of regeneration gave us a new beginning when we accepted Christ.

Reader 1: The God of new opportunities invites us to be a coworker with him.

Reader 2: The wise men of the East went searching for and found Christ and worshipped him. When God sent them home by another route, they experienced new opportunities and new possibilities.

Reader 1: May we, also, worship the Christ whom we have found because his grace has found us. Let our hearts be open to the comfort of his love, the joy of his salvation, and the blessedness of worshipping him.

Reader 2: “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Reader 1: Who is he, this King of glory?

Reader 2: The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:7, 10)

(Mainstay Church Resource, page 215)

|SB#77 – Fairest Lord Jesus |TB-206 – Ascalon |HTD5-T1 (3 vs.) |

|HC#151 – Fairest Lord Jesus |HC-151 |HCD14-T11 |

| Additional Optional Songs |

|SB#114 – Light of the world |TB-653 – Here I am to Worship |No CD |

| |HC-146 | |

|HC#146 – Here I am to Worship | |HCD13-T16 |

|HC#169 – Hallelujah |HC-169 |HCD15-T19 |

|HC#176 – Holy is the Lord |HC-176 |HCD16-T16 |

|HC#186 – When I look into your holiness |HC-186 |HCD17-T16 |

|HC#187 – Jesus, Messiah |HC-187 |HCD17-T17 |

|SB#376 – King of kings, majesty |TB-732 – same |No CD |

|HC#219 – King of Kings, Majesty |HC-219 |HCD20-T19 |

|HC#220 – Incarnate |HC-220 |HCD20-T20 |

|SB#117 – O come, O come, Immanuel |TB-444 – same |TD11-T8 (3 vs.) |

|SB#131 – When wise men came seeking for Jesus from far, |TB-507 – Normandy Carol |HTD11-T6 (3 vs.) |

| |TB-497 – Away in a Manger | |

| | |HTD6-T3 (3 vs.) |

Prayer:

Holy Lord, on this Sunday before a new year, we gather in worship, grateful for your faithfulness in the months and weeks just passed.

There were times we wondered how we would get through. We didn’t know what to do, yet there you were, just at the right time. What a God of wonder you are! Thank you for answers to prayer. Thanks for another year of growth.

We are also gathered together today in anticipation and apprehension, not knowing what lies ahead. We are on the brink of new beginnings and new opportunities, not to mention new challenges. We have cause for excitement and celebration. Yet, for some of us, there is cause for concern.

Would you please remind us that our lives and our future are in your hands—especially on those days when we forget your sovereignty and start to worry and doubt? Speak to us this morning from your Word as we continue to bask in the brilliance of Immanuel’s birth. It is his name, God with us, we pray. Amen.

(Mainstay Church Resource, Advent Implementation, page 237)

Message – Open Your Heart’s Door to New Opportunities

|HC#156 – Enter In |HC-156 |HCD14-T16 |

| Additional Optional Songs |

|HC#130 – Lead me, Lord |HC-130 |HCD11-T20 |

|HC#112 – The Potter’s Hand |HC-112 |HCD10-T12 |

|SB#492 – God will make a way |TB-639 |No CD |

|HC#65 – God Will Make a Way |HC-65 |HCD5-T15 |

|HC#120 – In the Manger |HC-120 |HCD10-T20 |

|HC#123 – Shine on Us |HC-123 |HCD11–T13 |

|SB#439 – There is a message |TB-879 |No CD |

|HC#139 – There is a Message |HC-139 |HCD12-T19 |

Benediction:

Timeless God, we are on the threshold of a new year. The options are endless, the

opportunities somewhat daunting.

Even as the Magi returned to their home country by another route, we desire to make our

way into an unblemished future, released from mindless routines and by-passing worn-

out paths. We want to be quick to see the open doors you place in front of us. We desire

to be courageous enough to walk through them, no matter how intimidating or frightening

a new direction might be.

Would you guide us? This we ask in the name of Jesus, the coming King. Amen.

(Mainstay Church Resource, Advent Implementation, page C-237)

Vocal Benediction:

|SB#116 – O come, all ye faithful |TB-496 – Adeste Fideles |HTD3 –T1 (3 vs.) |

| |HC-140 | |

|HC#140 – O Come, All Ye Faithful | |HCD12-T20 |

| Additional Optional Songs |

|HC#61 – Crown Him King of Kings |HC-61 |HCD5-T11 |

|SB#73 – All hail the power |TB-69 – Diadem |HTD6-T7 (4 vs.) |

|HC#141 – All Hail the Power |HC-141 |HCD13 –T11 |

|SB#861 – In Christ alone |TB-132 |No CD |

|HC#149 – In Christ Alone |HC-149 |HCD13-T19 |

|SB#77 – Fairest Lord Jesus |TB-206 – Ascalon |HTD5-T1 (3 vs.) |

|HC#151 – Fairest Lord Jesus |HC-151 |HCD14-T11 |

|SB#112 – It was on a starry night |TB-535 – same |HCD16-T20 |

|HC#180 – It was on a starry night |HC-280 |No CD |

|SB#106 – Go, tell it on the mountain, |TB-631 – same |HTD11-T4 (2 vs., start with |

| | |chorus) |

|HC#260 – Go, tell it on the mountain |HC-260 |HCD24-T20 |

A SEASON OF WONDER

Opening the Door to New Opportunities

Advent Worship Sermon - Week 5

Text: Matthew 2:1-12

Introduction:

Over the years, Amahl and the Night Visitors has become a beloved Christmas musical drama. Amahl is a boy with disabilities who lives in poverty. He is full of mischief and wonder and an overactive imagination, which greatly upsets his widowed mother.

One evening, three visitors knock on the mother and son’s door, seeking refreshment and warmth from their weary travels. The visitors are kings from the East with very expensive articles in their possession. They describe their mission as searching for a child born King of the Jews.

The mother graciously provides shelter and rest for the visitors, but can’t help thinking how she and Amahl could benefit from the gold brought by the strangers. During the night, she tries to steal it but is caught. Understanding her plight, the kings tell her to keep the gold, explaining that the child they seek is so princely he does not need it. As they describe the child’s sovereign rule, the mother’s heart begins to yearn for such a King, and she refuses to keep the gold.

Stirred by the conversation, Amahl asks the visitors to take his crutch to the child as a gift. At that moment, Amahl’s leg is healed. The kings consider the healing a sign from God. Amahl begs his mother to let him go with the kings to present the gift himself. The story closes with Amahl and the kings joyfully departing in search of the child.

Of course the play is fictional, but it illustrates our final week’s theme: Open Your Heart’s Door to New Opportunities. Both the kings (we shall call them Magi) and Amahl left the house through the door of new opportunity as they sought to find and worship the Christ Child.

As we face another year, we need to see it as a wonderful door to new opportunities for sharing the joy of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. Only the gospel writer Matthew mentions the Magi, in his second chapter. Let’s look at them in light of the new opportunities their experience wrought and see how we can unlock our heart’s door to the surprise of new opportunities this year. Three keys are necessary:

FACE EACH DAY EAGER TO WORSHIP (VV. 1-2, 11)

The Magi clearly stated their purpose: “We…have come to worship Him” (v. 2). Their whole journey was for that one purpose. When you think that these Magi had left their homes in the East, and traveled for nearly two years in search of the King, you will see that they were truly purpose-driven people, intent on worshipping him.

I remember when I was a child, my mother would take my brothers and me to the mall, give us some money, and allow us to go in search of gifts for our family. This search became a great part of Christmas for me, as I went in and out of stores searching for the perfect gift. More often than not, I did not know what I was looking for, but I knew when I saw it!

When they found the child, they worshipped in humility (they “bowed down”) and through gifts (v. 11). These very wise men knew they had found what they were searching for. They humbled themselves in the presence of the Child King. They gave costly gifts to him out of love and reverence.

Each day we can likewise humbly open the door by looking for ways to worship our Lord. Are you eager to worship Jesus each day? Do you honor him with your gifts?

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE “STAR” (VV. 2, 9-10)

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed (vv. 9-10).

It was the star that initially captured the Magi’s interest and opened the door of opportunity for study, travel and worship (v. 2). The Magi were thought to have been from Persia. They were also very educated—possibly in astrology, philosophy or magic. Upon seeing the unusual star that shone in the Bethlehem skies, they knew that something extraordinary had happened, and they didn’t want to miss out on it.

After their audience with Herod, they again looked to the star for guidance. What were they thinking about as they drew closer to the star? They must have thought it would lead them to a large, beautiful palace where a feast would be spread before them as they had an opportunity to meet the one they searched for.

Imagine how they must have been disappointed as they arrived in the tiny village of Bethlehem, wandering through the streets, only to discover that there were no royal fanfares or crowds gathering around the simple home of the King. But they found the right house because the star was directly above them as they came to the door.

It was the star that brought them the greatest joy of their lives when they found where the child was: “They rejoiced with exceeding great joy” is how the King James Version reads.

As we keep our eyes on the One who said, “I am…the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16), doors will open to new levels of rejoicing in our lives and in the lives of others as they catch the spirit.

LISTEN FOR HIS VOICE IN ALL OF LIFE (V. 12)

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route (v. 12).

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi (v. 16).

Because Herod had their number, the Magi received warning from God in a dream not to travel the same way home.

This alternate route home undoubtedly gave them new opportunity to share their story. Just think of how many people they were able to talk to about their visit with the Christ Child. All the way back to Persia they would recount the whole story. Their families would also hear about their journey of a lifetime.

That is really what this door of new beginnings is all about. Returning to the job another way. Going back to school with a different attitude. Heading home today with a new perspective. This year is the perfect year to replace bad habits with good ones.

The Spirit of God speaks to us through his Word, prayer, circumstances, our inner impressions, and the church. To miss his voice means missing new opportunities that can bless us and others.

Our ability to see each day as a gift to unwrap and enjoy is entirely based on an awareness of the Lord’s presence around us.

When we open our heart’s door to Jesus, we can’t help but to want to share the blessings he gives us with others. Being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit allows us to point others to the Star of Christmas, so that they, too, will experience the joy of the King of Kings.

CONCLUSION:

The small town of French Lick, Indiana, is a resort community that attracts thousands of tourists a year. French Lick is also the hometown of Boston Celtics great Larry Bird. Main Street in French Lick bears the name Larry Bird Boulevard!

One day, a couple was taking pictures of each other in front of the sign when Larry ran past. They didn’t see him. They were so captivated by the sign that they missed the real thing.

The royal visitors surprised Amahl and his mother. New opportunities came to them as they welcomed the strange sojourners into their home. What a pity if they had failed to extend hospitality; they would have missed so much. Likewise, it would be a pity if we were to keep the door of our hearts locked and as a result miss the surprise and blessings of new opportunities.

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