Christmas Eve Service 2024 - 6pm

In one paragraph

A Christmas message preached at First Baptist Jackson on December 25, 2024, worked through the birth narratives from Matthew and Luke alongside a few key New Testament verses to show why God entered the world in the way He did. The thread running through the whole evening was simple: messengers brought a message, and those who received it acted on it. The invitation to do the same was left open to...

Read together

1. Matthew 1:18-24 read aloud as part of the Christmas narrative, covering the angel's message to Joseph and the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy
2. Isaiah 7:14 quoted within the Matthew 1 passage as the prophecy fulfilled by the virgin birth
3. Luke 2:1-20 read aloud as part of the Christmas narrative, covering the census, the birth in Bethlehem, and the shepherds
4. Matthew 2:1-11 read aloud as part of the Christmas narrative, covering the Magi, Herod, and the visit to the Christ child
5. Micah 5:2 quoted by the chief priests to Herod as the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
6. Psalm 19 cited to support the idea that creation pours forth speech in every language, connecting to God reaching the Magi
7. Galatians 4:4-5 used as a big-picture summary of the Christmas message, emphasizing adoption as sons
8. 2 Corinthians 8:9 cited to show that Christ became poor so that we might become rich
9. Philippians 2 referenced to describe Christ humbling himself, taking on flesh, and dying on a cross
10. John 3:16 cited as another example of the same purpose-clause format: God gave his Son so that whoever believes might have everlasting life
11. John 8:12 quoted as Jesus declaring himself the light of the world and inviting followers out of darkness
12. John 1:5 quoted to assure that the light of Christ shines in darkness and can never be extinguished
13. Matthew 5:14-16 quoted as Jesus calling believers the light of the world and telling them to let their light shine before others

Talk about it

1. The preacher pointed out that Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and the Magi all received a message and acted on it immediately. What do you think made it possible for them to act, and what tends to stop us from doing the same?
2. The shepherds were ordinary working people out in a field at night, and the Magi were outsiders from far away. What does it say to you that God chose to announce the birth of Jesus to people like these?
3. The preacher walked through Galatians 4:4-5 and 2 Corinthians 8:9 and described the pattern: God did something specific, and then a purpose clause explains why he did it. In your own words, what was God's purpose in sending Jesus, and how does that land with you personally?
4. C. S. Lewis is quoted as saying that the Son of God became a son of man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God. What does it mean to you practically to be adopted into God's family with full rights as a child of God?
5. The service closed with the image of lighting candles from the Christ candle and passing the flame to one another, drawing on Jesus saying first 'I am the light of the world' and then 'you are the light of the world.' Where in your own life right now do you sense an opportunity to carry that light?