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- Good evening. Thank you all for coming out. So if you wouldn't mind,
- 06:11
- I ask you to please stand, take the hymnals and turn to page 216. Come thou long expected
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- Jesus. 216. You may be seated.
- 08:27
- So we'll pray and then we'll get started. Dear Lord, I thank you for letting us all be here tonight,
- 08:36
- Lord, that we can listen to the choir sing praises to you. Lord, I pray that the words from the songs that have been written tonight,
- 08:45
- Lord, that they would reach out and touch each of the hearts of the people here, Lord, that they would also give praise to you,
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- Lord, and that this would mean something, Lord. We pray these things in your son's name.
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- Amen. Join the angels as they sing and spread the news to all on earth.
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- Prepare ye the way for the King of Glory, once again proclaim a wondrous story.
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- God will send his own truth, so we know, we know.
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- During the reign of Herod the King, there lived a good priest who served in the temple. His name was
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- Zechariah. He was married to Elizabeth. They had no children. They were very old.
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- Zechariah was ministering in the temple when an angel appeared. He stood next to the altar and scared
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- Zechariah so much that he began to shake. But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid,
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- Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You will name him
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- John. Joy and gladness will come to you and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the
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- Lord. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God and he will go as a forerunner before the
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- Lord. But Zechariah didn't believe it. He said to the angel, How can
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- I be sure of this? For I am an old man and my wife is old as well. The angel answered him,
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- I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
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- And now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place.
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- The following year, Elizabeth had a son, and on the eighth day they took him to the temple to be circumcised.
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- All their friends and family thought they would name the boy after his father, but Elizabeth said no, he must be named
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- John. Zechariah agreed, but because he could not speak, he wrote on a tablet, His name is
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- John. And they were all amazed. Immediately, Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he spoke,
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- Benedictus, blessed is the Lord. Benedictus, Benedictus, blessed is our
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- Lord. Benedictus, Benedictus, welcome his income.
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- First among the priests to serve within the temple walls.
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- Zechariah stood in awe when he heard the angels.
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- Benedictus, blessed is our Lord. Benedictus, Benedictus.
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- Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, will come, and salvation's won.
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- God incarnate, born becometh, and a virgin shall be born.
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- Benedictus, Benedictus, blessed is our Lord. Benedictus, Benedictus, welcome his income.
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- Arise, you sins, abide.
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- Our days drift from our night. Saints and angels sing
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- God's praise. All the earth and heav 'ns recline.
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- Benedictus, Benedictus, blessed is our
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- Lord. Benedictus, Benedictus, welcome his income.
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- Benedictus, Benedictus, blessed is our
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- Lord. Benedictus, Benedictus, welcome his income.
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- In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
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- This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
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- And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called
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- Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
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- And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
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- Sing, sing, and sing, worshiping the newborn
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- King, who has come to change the world, joining songs of praise.
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- Who is the blessed one?
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- Have a feeling, who is your
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- God? The shepherds run, searching for God's precious
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- Son, kneeling at His manger bed, filled with love.
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- He will return, confessing now,
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- Jesus Christ is Lord of all, joining songs of praise.
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- Who is the blessed one?
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- The Jew of Bethlehem, Ephratah, who are too little to be mine, from you shall come forth for me, the one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
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- Sing, sing, and sing, worshiping the newborn
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- King, who has come to change the world, joining songs of praise.
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- Who is the blessed one? Have a feeling, who is your
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- God? The King of Zion, sing of His heaven.
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- All here may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where weak souls will receive
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- Him sent. The dear
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- God to us will return, each of the peace sent to us, we pray, as doubt, or sin, and enter in, before Him our servant.
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- We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell.
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- Hark, ye heavens!
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- This is the song of the first Noel.
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- It speaks first of angels and shepherds, then of magi who come from the east, following the star.
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- Finally, it calls us to worship our King and Savior, Jesus. To certain poor shepherds where they lay, in fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter's night that was so deep.
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- They who saw a star shining in the east, beyond them and so in front of them, sing praises to the
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- Lord. The true meaning of Christmas.
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- It's really quite simple. The Apostle Paul put it this way. For you know the grace of our
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- Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you, by His poverty, might become rich.
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- Though He was rich, yet for your sake
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- He became poor, so that you, by His poverty, might become rich, so that you, by His poverty might become rich, so that you, by His poverty might become rich, so that you, by His poverty might become rich, so that you, by His poverty
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- Well now this time of year we are always to a certain degree get in the
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- Christmas spirit as it were as we think about a baby in Bethlehem. And our hearts pour out for this poor couple who had to give birth to this baby in a stable and all of that is true and yet sometimes
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- I feel that we I fear that we forget again this most profound truth for you know the grace of our
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- Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich that's what it's all about isn't it the grace of the
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- Lord Jesus Christ though he was rich he had the splendors of heaven he had the worship of angels he had perfect communion with his father in heaven and with the
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- Spirit and he was rich and yet for our sake people who are rebellious against God people who every day shake their fist at God people who spit in the face of God if you will for our sake for the sake of people like that he became poor that is he took on our nature became one of us so that by his poverty we might become rich as he suffered the worst death possible for him as he suffered in shame as he went from the highest place in the universe to the absolute lowest he did that so that we would become rich that is we would have the grace and the mercy of God and we would have a life that is beyond telling in terms of its richness and so that's what
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- Christmas is all about it's about Jesus who was rich becoming poor so that we might become rich I hope that the gospel was clear today
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- I hope that you heard that message well we want to invite you to the back to spend some time together we can spend a little bit of time visiting with one another and fellowshipping so before we do that let's stand and we'll pray and when you get back there just get in line and go on through all right let's pray together father we thank you for your son who by your eternal plan as you and your son in the spirit together determined that Jesus would come he would become poor for our sakes that we might be rich we thank you for that message we pray father that as we think about this time of the year we would never forget that the fact that as the song says
