THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS - Amazon S3



ADVENT cONSPIRACY:

Can Christmas Still Change the World?

Advent Worship Series – Week 1

November 28, 2010

Worship Fully…because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus!

|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 and Offering

Call to Worship:

Worship fully….spend less….give more….love all. This is the Advent Conspiracy. It’s not a four-point checklist for how to do Christmas. It’s choosing to make Christmas what it should be—a joyous celebration of Jesus’ birth that enriches our hearts and the world around us.

Worship Fully…because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus!

Spend Less…and free your resources for things that truly matter.

Give More…of your presence: Your hands, your words, your time, your heart.

Love All…the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, the sick, in ways that make a difference.

Christmas can still change the world when you, like Jesus, give what matters most—your presence.

(Advent conspiracy, adapted from back cover)

|HC#270 – Hark! the herald angels sing SB#108 – Hark! the herald |HC-270 |HCD25-T20 |

|angels sing |TB-270 – Hark! The Herald Angels |HTD4-T5 (3 vs.) |

| |Sing | |

| Additional Optional Songs |

|HC#140 – O Come, All Ye Faithful |TB-496 – Adeste Fideles |HCD12-T20 |

|SB#116 – O come, all ye faithful | |HTD3 –T1 (3 vs.) |

| | | |

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

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

| |Sq.) | |

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

|SB#104 – Come, Thou long expected Jesus, |TB-370 – Hyfrydol |HTD1-T14 (3 vs.) |

|CF#17 – Angels we have heard on high |CF-17 |No CD |

Advent Candle Lighting:

Leader: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

Solo 1: An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Solo 2: But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Leader: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Solo 1: This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Solo 2 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Solo 1 & 2: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2: 8-14)

[Lighting of Advent candle]

|Drama: An Angel’s Tale |

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

|Additional Optional Songs |

|SB#111 – It came upon the midnight clear |TB-133 – same |HTD9-T7 |

|HC#72 – Emmanuel |HC-72 |HCD6-T12 |

|HC#82 – Jesus, Name Above All Names |HC-82 |HCD7-T12 |

|SB#82 – Jesus, name above all names |TB-714 - same | |

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

Message Part 1:

(This is narrative from the book, which would set up the ‘real’ sermon)

The fastest-growing religion in the world is not Islam or Christianity; the symbol of this rising faith is not the star and crescent or the cross, but a dollar sign. Many American Christians have decided they can, to put it bluntly, love both God and money.

Our hearts are formed by what we worship. Excitement, anticipation, hope—each of these emotions swells around the object of our dearest affection. We spend our time and energy on what matters most to us.

What do we worship during Advent? “Jesus” is the right answer, of course, but is it the truthful answer? Does the way we spend our time, money and energy testify that we worship God incarnate?

Looking honestly at the desires of our hearts is scarier than simply saying what people expect or demand. Kids don’t suffer from this fear. Ask a child what she is excited about at Christmas, and it’s doubtful she’ll exclaim with passion, “Jesus’ birthday! Before she’s been indoctrinated with the proper religious mantra, she’ll tell you about that shiny blue bike that she can’t wait to ride on Christmas morning.

The things we desire are the things we worship. During Advent—a time of conspicuous consumption—we need to look closely at what we desire. Let’s think beyond the well-rehearsed responses and strive to discover what is really in our hearts.

We spend billions of dollars during the holiday season, hoping—whether we admit it to ourselves or not—that the latest and greatest gift will fulfill us and those we give gifts to. We sprint through store after store, trying to find the perfect gift to express our love because we crave to be loved in return. We long for peace in place of the annual holiday family soap opera. We shop ‘til we drop so we can finally rest. We go into debt and assume we’re entitled to whatever we want.

The heart of what we’re truly searching for—hope, peace, love, rest, worship—is in Christ, but each time we try to meet our desire for fulfillment at the mall, we take another step away from the nativity.

(Advent conspiracy, pages 32-34)

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

|Additional Optional Songs |

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

|SB#376 – King of kings, majesty |TB-732 – same | |

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

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

Responsive Scripture:

Leader: Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

All: Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?"

Leader: Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

All: And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

Leader: "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

Leader: "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

All: "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Leader: Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

All: Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Leader: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

All: "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

Leader: And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Leader: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

All: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:13-34)

Pastoral Prayer

Message Part 2 – Worship Fully

|SB#118 – O little town of Bethlehem |TB-136 – same |HTD3-T5 (3 vs.) |

| | |Bethlehem |

|Additional Optional Songs |

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

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

|SB#439 – There is a message |TB-879 | |

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

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

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

|SB#376 – King of kings, majesty |TB-732 – same | |

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

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

Benediction

|HC#198 – In Jesus’ Name |HC-198 |HCD18-T18 |

|Vocal Benediction Options |

|HC#180 – It was on a starry night |HC-280 |HCD16-T20 |

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

|HC#260 – Go, tell it on the mountain SB#106 – Go, tell it on the |HC-260 |HCD24-T20 |

|mountain, |TB-631 – same |HTD11-T4 (2 vs., start with |

| | |chorus) |

|Week #1 |

|DRAMA |

|An Angel’s Tale |

|By Martyn Scott Thomas |

|© Copyright 2009 by Martyn Scott Thomas. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |

|Topic: |Christmas |

|Scripture: |Luke 2:8-14 |

|Synopsis: |An Angel recounts the first Christmas. |

|Characters: |Angel |

|Props/Costumes: |Casual or traditional angel outfit. |

|Setting: |Bare stage. |

|Running time: |2 minutes |

Angel: What gift did I bring to the manger? I brought my song.

It started out in the fields with a single voice to the shepherds, “Fear not.” Followed by “good news of great joy for all the people.” “A Savior has been born – lying in a manger.”

Then other angelic voices – a heavenly host – burst on the scene. Never could we have imagined this occasion, God becoming flesh. Never could we have predicted our audience, the shepherds out in the field. But we praised God the only way we could:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Our song, my song, resonated through the countryside taking the shepherds from scared to prepared. Although frightened by the sight of one angel, they were comforted and encouraged by the song of many angels. After we left, they were determined to travel into the town and see this baby king. But our night was far from over.

We also wanted to see this wonder that God had sent, so we too traveled to the manger in Bethlehem. Though hidden from sight, we gazed in wonder at God made flesh, lying in a feeding trough. Once again we lifted our voices in song. And though none of those gathered around the manger could hear us, the baby in the manger could. And it was to him that we sang.

“Glory to God in the highest. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Worthy is the Lamb.” The words just flowed from us in one endless song of praise. Never before had we seen – never could we have imagined – the greatness of God in the form of a baby. This gift was for the world, but it’s wonder was not lost on us.

As we left, our song did not end. And though it was unheard by human ears, I saw the baby smile at us as our Lord took pleasure in our gift – my gift – a song.

[Blackout]

ADVENT cONSPIRACY:

Can Christmas Still Change the World?

Advent Sermon – Week 1

November 28, 2010

Worship Fully…because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus!

Text: Colossians 1:15-23

Introduction: How many Christmases have you celebrated in your lifetime? How many Christmas celebrations have you missed? How many times have you wished for a truly memorable and remarkable Christmas, but year after year the joy and peace you sing about seems completely elusive and unattainable? What keeps you from fully entering into Christmas? So many of us begin Advent with such good intentions only to realize on December 26 that another Christmas season has passed and the only significant indication that Christmas happened at all is a depleted checking account, a bulging waistline and a sack of gifts sitting in a corner of the bedroom we don’t need.

We celebrate Christmas in the same way year after year, and yet we always expect to end up with a different experience. Over the next four weeks we’re going to identify ways we might create a new Christmas experience for ourselves and our families. We’re going to challenge our own traditions and value systems, as we seek to enter into a unique Advent experience – a celebration as real and honest as what happened long ago in a stable in Bethlehem.

Today we mark the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a holy season for the Christian church – a period of expectant waiting, preparation and discovery in celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. We celebrate Christ’s incarnation – the Savior of the world was born on an actual date in history. During advent we also celebrate his incarnate presence in our daily lives and celebrate with anticipation the future and Christ’s second coming. Advent reminds us that we are called to live as if Christ were coming back today.

Think about how you begin your celebration of Christmas. Does it start with a Christmas tree? Or is it the day you discover the first Christmas card in your mailbox? Maybe it starts for you the day after Thanksgiving when you blitz the mall in search of Christmas bargains. I’d like to suggest we begin at what should be the most natural place to begin. Let’s draw close to the nativity and begin with Jesus – let’s start by worshipping Jesus. Christmas begins and ends with Jesus. He is the proclamation, the reason, the mystery and the story of Christmas!

Please look at Colossians 1:15-23 with me as it is read.

The ‘Basis’ of Worship: Christmas is where the gospel story begins. On the day Jesus was born a miracle happened. Since the beginning of time God had a plan to reach out and reveal himself to his creation in a new way. He had communicated with man before – he used prophets and laws to help us understand what it means to have a relationship with him – he even showed himself to a handful of his people. But nothing seemed to make any long-term difference in the lives of humans, so he did something unbelievable, unimaginable and utterly selfless. The one true God, the creator of the universe, decides to give himself skin and bones, human emotions and limitations and come into our world in the most basic and understandable way. The Supreme Being, the one worthy of all worship and adoration, decides to become one of us. In humility, he turns everything on its head – he does the one thing no one would ever expect – he chooses to prove how much he loves us and how much he wants to be present with us by being born as a wrinkled, wailing newborn baby to a poor, teenage girl in a dirty stable, filled with noisy, smelly animals. He comes to sinful people who don’t really care. On that night, in that moment, Christmas began and almost everyone missed it!

Understanding the mystery of the first Christmas is vital if we are to change anything about how we experience Christmas this year. We all know in our heads that Christmas is all about Jesus, but if this knowledge doesn’t sink deep into our hearts, into the depths of our being, if we don’t encounter and embrace the fact that Jesus is God-in-the-flesh, then we will never learn to respond to Christmas in the same way as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and wise men. These characters in the Christmas story teach us that beyond anything else, Christmas is a time of worship. Because it is a celebration of the Holy, anything and everything associated with our Christmas must come from a heart of worship. For our lives to be transformed, Christmas needs to be an outpouring of hearts filled with praise, gratitude and awe. Anything less and Christmas becomes a shallow, selfish, secular celebration.

It’s been said that “our hearts are formed by what we worship.” We get excited and filled with emotion when we think about the thing or person we love the most. We spend the majority of our time and energies on what matters most in our lives. Some of us are hesitant to admit the truth, but if we use this description as a means of measurement it becomes obvious that many of us are worshippers of family, of sport, of travel, of celebrity or of building our retirement account. Our culture blasts us with reasons why these things are worthy of our worship. TV commercials, magazine ads, celebrity endorsements, radio announcements, even our friends and family members encourage us to worship selfishly.

The ‘Why’ of Worship: Today, even though I’m not backed by a million-dollar ad campaign or even a theological degree from a reputable seminary, I’d like to offer reasons why Jesus is worthy of our worship. I’d like to draw you back to the nativity to see for yourself why Christ alone is far beyond anything or anyone else we might deem worthy. Our scripture reading from Colossians 1:15-23 tells us all about the supremacy of Christ – why he is exceptional, extraordinary – far beyond anything we might expect.

‘Nearly every character who encounters the infant King in the advent story has the same response: worship’ (pg 35). Why? What did they see, what did they experience or encounter that was unique? Verse 15 tells us something so mysterious and profound about this baby that, on hearing it, we should be brought to our knees. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Up until the time of the nativity, to the average person God seemed very distant.

People knew many things about God, but very few really knew him. Suddenly in the incarnation, God was within their grasp. This helpless baby, the child who visited the temple, the man who taught, healed and suffered showed them who God is. Jesus is the exact likeness of God – like the image on a coin or a reflection in a mirror – we see God when we look at Jesus. The very nature, character and being of God is revealed in Jesus.

Verse 19 explains that Jesus wasn’t just an emissary or ambassador – he didn’t come as God’s representative. No, whatever God has and is, he conferred on Jesus. When Jesus came to earth he came with the whole treasure of God within himself. God invested himself in Jesus. The baby Jesus reveals deity in bodily form. Don’t ask me how it happened. I can’t explain the mystery of the incarnation. This is one of the reasons I want to worship – it’s too amazing for me to figure out. I’m humbled by what God did. If I could explain it, perhaps in some way I would demean the rare and magnificent truth of what happened on that night in Bethlehem!

Not everyone who worshipped Jesus on that night was able to tell the whole story. Few could put into words the wonder of what was unfolding – most didn’t even know or understand. Jesus Christ came in the flesh in order to reconcile and redeem us. Verses 21-23 tell us that this baby was born to die. Not just a normal death, but he would die with a unique and holy purpose. Talk about love! Can you imagine? This is the wonder of grace! Is he worthy of worship? How can you not be amazed and in awe?

Does our Christmas experience suffer because we’ve lost the wonder of Jesus’ birth? Do we take his incarnation for granted? What happens when we catch a glimpse of the worthiness of Christ? We know the Christmas story. We make the events sugary-sweet and heart-warming – more palatable. So sometimes we forget the sacrifice – the selflessness of God in sending Jesus. What happened to God on the night of Jesus’ birth? He sent angels to sing of peace and proclaim the good news. He sent a bright star to guide and announce hope to the world. He did everything he could to offer us a second chance – knowing it would cost him dearly.

The ‘How To’ of Worship: When we think about worship – real worship – nothing depicts worship more clearly than the story of the wise men. Nothing demonstrates the tragedy of missing Christmas like the story of the wise men and their journey. Their story is a story of comparison – a story of two kings (idea adapted from The Big King and the Little King, by RC Sproul). One king is an old man – an evil man, who is rich and powerful. He lives in an opulent palace and calls himself “Herod, the Great.” The other king is an infant – a pure newborn boy child – birthed in a crude and well-used animal stall to a young peasant girl and her fiancé, a humble carpenter.

Wise men, probably astrologers from Persia, follow a star which leads them to Palestine. They read ancient texts about a coming King – the King of the Jews – and decide to make the long and arduous journey of worship and discovery. These men discover that there is a reigning king in the area and they are granted an audience with Herod. Was he the king worthy of their worship?

Herod’s power came from Rome and he ruled with military might, violent acts, political alliances and bribery. When the wise men meet him we don’t read about them falling to their knees in worship. They aren’t in awe of his wealth and power. They don’t seek his attention or ask to serve him. No, these clever men recognize this is not the ‘one true King’ and the only thing they ask Herod for is directions so they can find the real King.

Herod is furious and seeks to destroy the new king. But the wise men risk their very lives and travel on. Finally they come to the place where they discover Jesus and his parents and here they catch a glimpse of the worthiness of the Christ child. They recognize a true King and offer him rare and costly gifts.

The big king, Herod, proved not to be so great. He died and is remembered as a weak and little man. The little King proved to be more than anyone expected. Jesus is King of all Kings and the Lord of Lords.

This Advent season will you miss out on Christmas again? What if instead you choose to worship like the Wise Men? Will you allow yourself to be trapped by the demands and trappings of the world just as in past years, or will you decide this year that you’ll truly step into the reality of God’s story?

Will you worship at the mall again this year – hoping the momentary “high” shopping gives will bring you contentment? Will you try to gain the love of a family member by doing anything you can to gift them with a present more amazing than last year’s forgotten treasure? Or will you choose to sing carols, study God’s word, participate in the kettle campaign, pray, purchase an angel tree gift, invite a non-believer to church, bring your family to the Christmas Eve service and seek as many ways as possible to share the joyful message of Christmas as your act of worship?

Christmas changed the world the day Jesus was born. When Jesus came he changed hearts and minds. Christmas can continue to change our world, because God is still in the business of transforming lives. Will you worship fully this year? Like the wise men, will you identify and confront anything that stands in the way of your worship?

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