Christmas Eve Service 2023 - 4:30pm Service - John 8:12

In one paragraph

The Christmas Eve service at First Baptist Jackson centered on the nativity story read straight from scripture, woven together with congregational singing and candlelight. The message drew a line from the ancient prophecies through the birth narratives and out to the meaning of the gifts the Magi brought. The invitation at the close was simple: hear the story, receive the light, and carry it out....

Read together

1. John 3:16 read at the lighting of the candle of love, God's gift of His Son
2. John 8:12 read at the lighting of the Christ candle, Jesus as the light of the world
3. Isaiah 7:14 quoted from the prophets as a sign of the virgin bearing Emmanuel
4. Isaiah 9:6-7 quoted from Isaiah, the child born to us, names and eternal government
5. Micah 5:2 quoted from Micah, Bethlehem as the origin of the coming ruler
6. Matthew 1:18-25 the betrothal of Mary and Joseph and the angel's announcement to Joseph
7. Luke 2:1-20 the census, the birth in Bethlehem, the shepherds and the angels
8. Matthew 2:1-11 the Magi arriving from the East seeking the king of the Jews
9. Mark 15:23 wine mixed with myrrh offered to Jesus on the cross
10. John 1:5 the light shines in the darkness and darkness cannot extinguish it
11. Matthew 5:14-16 you are the light of the world, let your light shine before others

Talk about it

1. When Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds each heard the angel's message, they responded immediately. What makes it hard to act on a message you have heard more than once, and what would it look like to respond the way they did?
2. The preacher pointed out that the Magi were not Old Testament scholars but people from outside the community of God's people who followed the light they were given. What does that say about how God draws people to Himself?
3. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh each pointed to something true about who Jesus is and why He came. Which of those three aspects of Jesus, King, God, or the One who would suffer and die, feels most real or most challenging to you personally right now, and why?
4. The preacher described Jesus denying the pain-killing wine on the cross, choosing to fully bear the weight of sin. What does that choice tell you about what it cost God to send Jesus as the light of the world?
5. At the end of the service the candles were lit from the Christ candle and passed person to person, and the preacher connected that to Jesus saying 'you are the light of the world.' What does it practically look like for you to let that light shine in the place where you live and work?