Christmas Eve Service - 6.00pm (2)

In one paragraph

This was the Christmas Eve service at First B Jackson, built around the reading of the nativity story from Scripture and the songs and candle lighting woven through it. The message kept returning to one central point: the birth of Jesus was a real event, rooted in history, and the invitation it carries is just as real and present tonight as it was then. Pastor Ray opened by noting the time markers...

Read together

1. John 8:12 Jesus declared 'I am the light of the world' when the Christ candle was lit
2. Isaiah 7:14 prophecy read as part of the nativity story: the virgin will conceive and call him Emmanuel
3. Isaiah 9:6-7 prophecy read: a child is born, called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
4. Micah 5:2 prophecy read: Bethlehem, a small village, from which a ruler of Israel will come
5. Matthew 1:18-25 the account of Joseph, Mary and the angel announcing Jesus would be born of the Holy Spirit
6. Luke 2:1-20 the census, the birth in Bethlehem, the shepherds and the angels
7. Matthew 2:1-11 the wise men from the East, Herod, the star, and the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh
8. John 3:16 quoted during the offering to explain why the church gives
9. John 8:12 quoted again as Jesus began his public ministry, inviting people to trust Christ as light of the world
10. John 1:5 the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it
11. Matthew 5 Jesus calls his followers the light of the world, a lamp on a stand that gives light to all

Talk about it

1. The pastor pointed out that the nativity story is full of time markers, real people and real places, and said 'this really happened in time and space.' What difference does it make to you personally that the Christmas story is rooted in history rather than being a legend or myth?
2. Mary said 'may it be to me just as you have said,' and Joseph woke up and did exactly what the angel commanded. The pastor noticed that each person who received a message from God acted on it immediately. Is there something God has made clear to you that you have been slow to act on?
3. The pastor described the shepherds and the wise men as very different kinds of people, yet both had the same response when they saw Jesus: they bowed down and worshiped him. What do you think it was about what they saw that produced that response, and what does worship look like for you today?
4. The pastor said, 'Simply put, Jesus came to earth so we could go to heaven,' and described the state we all start in as darkness and sin that leads to death. How would you explain that good news to someone who had never heard it before?
5. The service closed with Jesus saying in John 8:12 that he is the light of the world, and then in Matthew 5 that his followers are the light of the world. The pastor said that is possible only because Jesus lives through us. What does it look like practically, in your everyday life, to let that light shine rather than put it under a bowl?