Christmas Welcome Call to Worship Call To Worship

Christmas Welcome

Call to Worship Call To Worship Come, let us worship the LORD, our Maker! Give Him glory and honour for He created all things, and by His will they existed and were created. Let us worship the Lord Jesus, our Saviour. Give Him glory and honour , for He was slain for us, and by His blood He redeemed us form our sins. Let us give thanks to the only One True God, Father, Son and the Spirit, for the Lord is good; His loving kindness is

Our heavenly Father, how can ever we thank you enough for the greatest of all your gifts to us, the gift of your Son, to become our redeemer, our sacrifice, our substitute, our saviour?

We celebrate your love, which reaches down to us, which meets us at our point of need, which comes to us in our sinfulness and despair. We celebrate your love, which seeks and saves lost people.

We were lost, but now we are found. This is all because you sent your Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to come looking for us and to rescue us. How we celebrate your love!

We remember Lord, while we rejected you, while we turned our backs on you, while we had no love for you, You continued to love us, You never gave up on us, You were determined to find us and save us and bring us home once again.

We praise you, Father that you delight to show mercy. We praise you that there is no black, no past so dark, no life so lost as to be beyond your love and care. Today, we celebrate your love. Accept our worship O Lord with its imperfect expressions of thankfulness and gratitude for all that you have done for us your people, in name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

491 - O come, all you faithful, Joyful and triumphant! O come now, to Bethlehem; Come and behold him Born the king of angels: O, come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

True God of True God light of light Eternal He who abhors not the virgin's womb; Son of the Father Begotten not created: O come let us adore him Christ the Lord.

Sing like the angels sing in exultation Sing with the citizens of heaven above; Glory to God glory in the highest: O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Yes, Lord, we greet you, born for our salvation; Jesus, to You be glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing: O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Bible Reading Matthew 1: 1 -17 1: 18 -24

47 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in your tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with You there.

Let us bring our offering to the Lord

God rest ye merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan's power When we were gone astray O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our Heavenly Father A blessed Angel came; And unto certain Shepherds Brought tidings of the same: How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by Name. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds at those tidings Rejoiced much in mind, And left their flocks a-feeding In tempest, storm and wind: And went to Bethlehem straightway The Son of God to find. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy

And when they came to Bethlehem Where our dear Saviour lay, They found Him in a manger, Where oxen feed on hay; His Mother Mary kneeling down, Unto the Lord did pray. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy

Our Prayer time Prayer of Thanksgiving Confession Intercession Petition Lord’s Prayer

It identifies Jesus as the promised the long awaiting Messiah, the Saviour of mankind, God promised Adam and Eve, Abraham and David that the Saviour would come from their Seed (Gen 3: 15; 22: 18; 2 Sam 7: 12) Jesus family tree illustrates the wonderful story of God’s Grace and His plan of salvation for us.

3 Stages of Christ’s Family Tree 3 Facts of Christ’s Family Tree 5 Women in Christ’s Family T

m o r f s n o i t a r e n e g n e e e h t t r l u l o f e So a r a d i v a • From Abraham e D h t o t l i t m n a u h d a i r v b a A D m o r n f To David e , e s t r n u o i o t f a r e a n gen o l y b a B e n i h t y t i m o r f • F rom David to d captiv n a , s n o e i t h t a l r i e t n u gen n Exile of Babylon o l y b a B s n n i o i y t t i a r e n e g captiv n e e t r u o f • From th e Exile e r a t s i Chr (1: 17) to Christ

From Abraham to David The promises of blessing Gal 3: 16

From Abraham to David The promises of blessing “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds, ” meaning many people, but “and to your seed, ” meaning one person, who is Christ” (Gal 3: 16)

From David To The Babylonian Captivity Sin and its punishment

From David To The Babylonian Captivity Sin and its punishment “The LORD Almighty says this: Because you have not listened to my words. I will summon my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring the Babylonian against this land its inhabitants. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and you will serve the king of Babylon seventy years” Jer 25: 8 -11

From Babylonian Captivity To Christ Fulfilment of the promises and the Saviour came to finish the work of His salvation for us

From Babylonian Captivity To Christ Fulfilment of the promises and the Saviour has come Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, ” which is translated, “God with us. ”

Jesus is the Saviour of the World (2) Jesus is the Saviour of Man and Woman (3) Salvation is by Grace to those who believe (1) Jews & Gentiles Good & Bad Poor & Rich Men & Women Gal 3: 26 -29

l The Bible says in Galatians 3: 26 -29: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according, to the promise”

Five Women in Christ’s Family Tree ! Tree Tamar, Rahab, Ruth Bathsheba , Mary One a Jew (Mary) 4 Gentiles (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba)

Tamar reminds us of sin of man Rahab reminds us of Faith we need Ruth reminds us of Perseverance of Faith Bathsheba reminds us of God’s Mercy and Grace in spite of our failures Mary reminds us of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises for our salvation

Tamar reminds us of sin of man In Gen 38: 26, Judah said “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah”, a recognition not only of Tamar innocence, and loyalty to Judah’s family but also of his wrongdoing in not doing to her his duty according to the law. Judah and his sons, were the sinners in this story! They were supposed to raise up children by Tamar for their dead son and brother, but they refused and God was not please with them. Tamar in Jesus family tree reminds us of the sinfulness of man and his disobedient to God’s commandments.

Rahab reminds us of Faith we need Her confession of faith is what we need in order to be saved. She said to the two Jewish men "The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" (Joshua 2: 11). Her story affirmed the power of God to transform a life from both ignorance of God and a sinful lifestyle to a woman who was beloved by God and praised for her action of faith.

Ruth reminds us of Perseverance of Faith Ruth's story is a beautiful one of loyalty and great faith. Her vow to her mother in law Naomi "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God" (Ruth 1: 16), showed her perseverance of Faith in the God in spite of the sad circumstances that were surrounded her.

Bathsheba reminds us of God’s Mercy and His Grace of forgiveness in spite of our failures Bathsheba who was forced by the sinful deeds of King David to be his wife. David arranged for her husband Uriah to be killed in battle to cover up his shameful sins. God sent his prophet who scolded David of his sins. David repented with tears before the Lord and the Lord showed mercy, grace and forgiveness to David (2 Sam 11: 26).

Mary reminds us of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises for our salvation Mary was extremely poor and engaged to Joseph a very poor carpenter who is described as a good man. Joseph did not want to bring disgrace or death on her, but believed Mary after an angel appears to him in a dream and confirms God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises for our salvation.

When you read the stories of these five women and of the men on the list of Jesus’ family tree, you aren’t supposed to focus on the sin, but on the grace of God. The hero of this story is God. He called himself “the friend of sinners. ” He is the God of all grace.

In these forgotten names of Jesus’ family tree, God turns the spotlight of his wonderful grace on fallen men and women and through their lives, we see what the grace of God can do. .

God is able to take those who appear insignificant and unlikely to succeed and transform them into important witnesses to his mercy and grace. l No matter what your past, looks like, or your present feels like, no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, God can give you a fresh start. Jesus is your saviour. The same grace that Rahab experienced is now available to you.

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. . . for the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing o’er the plains, And the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! X 2

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? What the gladsome tidings be Which inspire your heav’nly song? Gloria, in excelsis Deo! X 2

Come to Bethlehem and see Christ Whose birth the angels sing Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King Gloria, in excelsis Deo! X 2

See Him in a manger laid, Whom the choirs of angels praise; Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, While our hearts in love we raise. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! X 2

Benediction Now unto Him who is able to keep Able to keep us from falling And present us faultless Before the presence of His glory With exceeding joy To the only wise God Our Saviour Be glory and Majesty dominion and power Both now and forever, Amen.