Christmas Readings and Hymns
Bethany Lutheran Church
Christmas Eve Service, 7 PM Central Time, 2017.
Springdale, Arkansas
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Hymn #81 O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is
The First Gospel
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
KJV Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
The Place of Jesus’ Birth
KJV Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Hymn# 102 O Come All Ye Faithful
KJV Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Virgin Birth
KJV Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Incarnation
KJV Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Hymn#109 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
KJV Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Sermon – Promises of God and Faith
Everything that is good comes from God. We have plenty of opportunities to mess up what God gives us, but He still generously and patiently provides for us.
Most people will attribute various blessings to God. They see the wonders of Creation and also the special blessings of human life. God has provided and arranged an intricate combination of dependencies, which are worth dwelling on, because each depends on the other. Our medicines came mostly from herbs until WWII. Those herbs provide medical properties on one hand (foxglove for the heart) and generally favor poor soil. Some herbs will not grow in good soil.
My favorite butterfly plant is not butterfly bush or butterfly weed, but Joe Pye Weed, which attracts them better than anything else - and JPW was discovered and used as a medicinal herb by... Joe Pye.
Our miracle drug penicillin is bread mold, used by my kin, French peasants, for infections. It was not discovered by Fleming so much as re-discovered when the mold spores killed bacteria in his messy lab. How many lives have been saved since? Scientists took note and began sifting through molds and soils to find additional antibiotics.
Faith, Which Is Good, Comes from God
Faith is a universal quality, which changes thoughts and actions based upon the object of that faith. Some have faith in magic and the occult. Others have faith in science alone. Still others believe in a tyrannical government like Stalinism. It is said that more Communists live in California than all of Russia.
When Christians use the term faith, they mean faith in the Holy Trinity, especially faith in Christ - the human face and voice of God.
This faith does not come from intellectual pursuits or from making a decision. Those who imagine this are bound to fall into all kinds of errors. Anyone who thinks of faith in a distorted way with have a distorted faith. That distortion is why people promote the idea of selling people on Christianity or telling them they have to make a decision.
The Promises and Blessings of God are the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word to plant faith in our hearts and to strengthen and nurture that faith.
Anyone who disparages faith in Christ is simply attacking the work of God in the Word. That is how Jesus identified His mission so many times in John's Gospel - the work of God. So the disciples asked, "What is our work?" And Jesus said, "To believe in Me."
Just as Creation shows us an infinite number of dependencies, so the Scriptures show us an infinity of passages that relate to many other passages. In fact, they are all linked as one, but we need to study and remember them to see how vast this relationship is.
Hundreds of Promises in the Old Testament show us fulfillment, but also many other relationships, such as among the 500 references to shepherds and shepherding, sheep, lambs, and so forth. How can we not think about the the binding of Isaac and the ram substituted for him. A male sheep substituted for the first-born son. And then later, the blood of the lamb was put on the doorposts, and the spotless lamb was sacrificed for each Passover meal.
So people do not need more persuasion or more incentives (like popcorn and soda during church) but more Promises and Blessings of God.
That is why the Easter Vigil service struck me as so powerful in years gone by. Most of that service consists of readings from the Old Testament leading up to the resurrection of Christ. The readings alone provided the awe, majesty, and power of Jesus rising from the dead.
Likewise, great hymns put these thoughts into condensed form that we can appreciate as we sing them to ourselves or remember them during the week.
We should remember that when we hear the word Gospel. The Book of Concord authors liked to say the Promises of God when they referred to the Gospel. God promises -
A Savior, God becoming man, having both natures, human and divine.
Forgiveness of sin through faith in Him.
In parables, various blessings from remaining in the Means of Grace - fruits of the Spirit, bearing fruit, growth in those Gospel attributes: Galatians 5, John 15, Matthew 13.
Eternal life with the blessed Trinity and fellow believers.
Joy and peace on earth from the power of the Gospel in our lives.
Hymn # 646 Silent Night
Heavenly Host
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
The Prayers and Benediction
Hymns # 87 Joy to the World
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
