Christmas Eve Candle Light Service 4:30 Service

In one paragraph

The Christmas Eve service at First Baptist Jackson centered on the question of why God sent Jesus, not just the what and when of the nativity. The preacher moved from the familiar birth narratives in Matthew and Luke into the deeper meta-narrative of John's gospel and Paul's letters, pressing toward a single point: God acted with purpose, and that purpose was directed at you. The invitation of the...

Read together

1. John 8:12 Jesus declares He is the light of the world, quoted at the advent candle lighting and again near the close
2. Isaiah 7:14 prophecy of the virgin bearing a son called Emmanuel, read as part of the prophetic prelude
3. Isaiah 9:6-7 child born to us, wonderful counselor, prince of peace, throne of David, read as part of the prophetic prelude
4. Micah 5:2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, ruler to come forth from it, read as part of the prophetic prelude and again in the Magi account
5. Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph's dream, angel's announcement, Mary found with child by the Holy Spirit
6. Luke 2:1-20 census decree, birth in Bethlehem, shepherds in the field, angels' announcement, shepherds finding the child
7. Matthew 2:1-11 Magi from the East arriving, Herod's inquiry, star leading them to the child, gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh
8. John 1:1-14 the Word was with God and was God, Word became flesh and dwelt among us, meta narrative of Christmas
9. Philippians 2:5-8 Christ did not grasp equality with God but emptied and humbled himself, taking the form of a bond servant
10. Galatians 4:4-5 fullness of time, God sent His Son born of a woman, so that we might receive adoption as sons
11. 2 Corinthians 8:9 though Christ was rich He became poor so that through His poverty we might be enriched
12. John 3:16 God loved the world and gave His Son so that whoever trusts in Him might not perish but have everlasting life

Talk about it

1. The preacher described the Magi as outsiders who had received a message from God and came to worship without being raised in the faith. Have you ever felt like an outsider when it comes to God, and what does it mean to you that God led people like that to Jesus?
2. John's Gospel steps back from the night-by-night account and places Jesus in eternity past as the Word who became flesh. How does that bigger picture change the way you think about what Christmas is actually celebrating?
3. Philippians 2 was read to show that Jesus emptied himself and humbled himself, leaving the glories of heaven. What do you think it cost him to do that, and why does the preacher say that fact alone is worth celebrating?
4. The preacher walked through several 'so that' purpose statements in the New Testament, arguing that God acted with clear intent but does not force himself on anyone, which is why the subjunctive 'might' appears in those verses. How do you personally sit with the idea that receiving what God offers depends on your own will aligning with his?
5. At the candle lighting, the preacher said we can blow out the physical candles but nothing can extinguish the true light of Christmas, and then quoted Jesus saying both 'I am the light of the world' and 'you are the light of the world.' What does it look like in your everyday life to carry that light after Christmas is over?