Night Of Carols 2024

It started out with one, we decided to do this

for the very first time and I think the whole congregation sang for a half hour to 45 minutes and it about

killed us.

And so, after that we decided to do something a little bit different and this has developed over the years

and I'm so thankful for it.

You know music is a gift from God to mankind and it's

a wonderful, wonderful gift as we've already seen in the prelude here with the young

people or the children playing for us.

But we ought to use it as well for worship and so tonight we're going to worship God through music.

So I'm going to pray and then we will get started in our worship as we sing to

the Lord, as we hear others sing and bring the message to us.

So let's pray.

Father, we are so thankful that music is a part of the good gifts you've

given to all men.

And we're thankful that as your people we can take that good gift and use it to honor and

glorify you by singing to you, by hearing the word of God sung to us.

In all these things that we do here tonight we pray that you would be honored, that we would catch

again an understanding, a deeper understanding of what it means for the Lord Jesus to have

come to earth to bear our burdens, to become one of us so that we might live.

And so now Lord we commit this time to you and we thank you and pray that you would accept

our worship through Jesus as we sing together, as we listen,

and as we worship here in Jesus' name.

Amen.

The

people

who

walked

in

darkness

have

seen

a great light.

Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy.

They rejoice before you as with the joy of the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the

spoil.

For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his presser, you have broken

as on the day of Midian.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be

upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting

Father, Prince of Peace.

The increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end.

On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and with

righteousness from this time and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do

this.

Come, ye

ransomed, captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile

here, until the Son of

God appears.

Rejoice, rejoice,

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O

Israel.

O come, thou Lord of might,

who to thy tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times didst give

thou in majesty.

Rejoice, rejoice,

Emmanuel shall come to thee,

O Israel.

Rejoice, rejoice,

Emmanuel shall come to thee,

O Israel.

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall

come to thee, O

Israel.

Rejoice, rejoice,

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

And they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for

all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the

Lord.

And this will be a sign for you.

You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

Glory, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

When the angel went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem

and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told

them.

Listening

and cold feet lifelong,

living like outcasts,

longing for light, a

dazzling light.

The voice of an angel with

fear they fell, one like a

man, yet awesome and holy, a

face so fierce and yet strangely

calm.

Do not be afraid of

great joy, your Savior is come, he is

Christ, the Lord as a sign.

Will be well, asleep on

the high,

and all at once.

They're filled with angels

of holiness, they smell

God in the

heel of.

Do not be

afraid, your Savior is come.

There was a boy, went for a walk

down by the streams, picked out some rocks

and stepped out on the battlefield.

No shield or sword for him to wield,

the giant jeered and boasted loud.

Just held his cry, the stone

missed his sling

and slung it round singing glory to God.

A coward man was hiding low,

an angel called, told him to

go, the

burdens of their wicked foes.

His truth was small, two hundred men

to count like sand.

Still they

raised up their jars of light singing

glory to God.

In deserts were told to take

a fortress town.

No sea traps, bills, no

battering ram

plan.

Six days they marched, six sides,

the seventh day, the seventh time.

Save the

filthy rags,

the trough of clean.

The rock now strikes, the giant's face.

The jars now break, the light is missed.

Jericho's walls are tumbling down.

For Christ is born, the angels shout.

He would stand again, look on the screen with me as we sing Joy Has Dawned.

The music is my favorite part of Christmastime.

I've loved it since I was a child.

My favorite are those that speak of Jesus, not Santa or reindeer or the snowy wild.

Carol of the Bells is my all -time favorite, so far as Christmas carols do go.

But one that's played again and again asks Mary if her son, she really did know.

I've always found this carol somewhat ludicrous.

She was his mother after all.

The bond between a good parent and a child is one of the strongest to recall.

But yet, but yet, Mary was human.

And though again and again she was told, yet the human mind is a finite

mind.

And there are things it just cannot hold.

Mary was told plainly on that awesome night that the Son of God she would bear.

But I'm not sure she fully understood all that would mean for her.

And in the cave beside the inn, the pain -filled night of his birth, I'm not sure she fully

understood why the shepherds were told, peace on earth.

Then there was the mad rush to the temple, where she was told a sword would pierce her soul.

I've no doubt she chewed on this one for three decades, plus a few years more.

And then there were the magi, and then to Egypt they flew.

After that, things descended into simple chaos as her children grew.

And here is where it gets interesting, because again and again she was told,

yet the human mind is a finite mind, and there are just some things it cannot hold.

When Jesus was 12 and at the temple, she seems to have forgotten who he was.

All that comes out in that tale is the power of a mother's deep love.

Mary remembers at the wedding in Cana, but seems to forget later on.

For some reason, she thinks that madness has gripped her extraordinary son.

Mary is there at the foot of the cross, grieving as Jesus entrusts her to John.

But I still don't think she fully understands until the spirit comes to her later on.

So why this oddity?

Why does Mary sometimes know and sometimes not?

Can it be as simple as during the business of life, this important thing

was simply forgot?

Amazing as it sounds, I think the answer is yes.

Because though again and again she was told, Mary was human,

and a human's finite mind has some things it just cannot seem

to hold.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simon, Simeon.

And this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ.

And he came to the spirit and to the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him,

according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord,

now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word.

For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for the

revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel.

All

God's people said.

That was wonderful, wasn't it?

This is a great time of the year.

I'm going to pray and close this out in prayer in a moment, but I want to invite everyone here to enjoy food and drink and

fellowship in the back.

And so I'll pray over this night.

I'll pray over this food and the fellowship that we'll get to enjoy now together.

Let us pray.

Oh, Father, what kindness you have shown to your people.

What unthinkable mercies and grace when we consider our great sin,

when we consider Jesus Christ, who is our great Lord, our great King, our great Savior.

Our sin was great, but his grace was greater.

So, Lord, help us to be a happy people.

Let us be a joyful people.

Let us this Christmas season be so filled with joy that Jesus Christ has come,

true God, true God, taken on true flesh, true flesh, so that we

can be close and near to you.

So, Lord, let us worship him while we eat.

Let us worship him while we fellowship.

Let us worship him this Christmas season, for he is worthy of it all.

So we praise you and thank you.

Bless this food to our body and bless this evening that we have.

May our conversations glorify you and may our hearts lift up to you because you have done good things

for your people.

So we praise you and we thank you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

All right, you are dismissed.