God is Faithful! Let’s Celebrate!

Song

“The Lord Be with You” Rienstra, LUYH 535

Call to Worship

Let us praise our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia! Jesus is coming!

At Christmas Jesus came as a baby.

Alleluia! Jesus is coming!

He came to be like us because he loves us.

Alleluia! Jesus is coming!

He came to save us from our sin.

Alleluia! Jesus is coming!

He died, rose from the dead, and lives in heaven.

He will come again because he loves us.

Alleluia! Jesus is coming!

We praise Jesus, who came as a baby

and will come again at the end of time.

Alleluia! Jesus is coming!

—Reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources (TWS D.1.2.13).

God’s Greeting and We Greet Each Other

Song

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Neale (trans.), LUYH 61, GtG 88, SSS 73

 

God’s Faithfulness

Abraham, Sarah, and Moses

Narrator 1: This is the season of Advent, a time we celebrate God’s story and a time we learn more about our story. This is a time of year when we take time to celebrate the mysterious gift of grace in Jesus Christ.

Narrator 2: Long, long ago, Abraham and Sarah received a promise.

Abraham: You see, when my name was Abram,

Sarah: and my name was Sarai,

Abraham: God made me a promise. He said that my children would be as numerous as the stars in the sky!

Sarah: That’s a lot of kids!

Abraham: But, you see, God didn’t give us kids until we were really old. Finally, after we had learned to wait, God was faithful and gave us a son. We named him Isaac. Through Isaac, God promised to give us many, many grandkids.

Sarah: And great-grandkids, and great-great-grandkids . . . I think you get the picture!

Abraham: But first God wanted to test me. So God instructed me to sacrifice my son Isaac as though he were a goat or sheep. I obeyed; however, right before I was going to kill my son, God stopped me. God was faithful again!

Sarah: This time, God saved our son. Some might call this bringing Isaac back from the dead!

Narrator 3: Wait! Isn’t this story very similar to the story of Jesus?

Narrator 1: I think I might know another Bible story that is similar to Jesus’ story!

Narrator 2: Really? I’d love to hear it!

Narrator 1: Okay! Not too long after Abraham, a man named Moses was born. Moses stood up for God and led God’s people through death to a brand-new life. Why don’t we have Moses tell us his story?

[Moses enters, waving like a celebrity.]

Moses: By faith my parents hid me for three months after I was born because they saw that I was no ordinary kid. They were afraid of the mean ruler, Pharaoh, who wanted to kill all Jewish babies like me. Yet one day Pharaoh’s daughter found me and took me home with her. I grew up in the palace as her son. When I got older, I chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the comfy but sinful life in Pharaoh’s palace. I left Egypt, but I did not fear the Pharaoh’s anger. I knew that God would be with me. After a lot of tries, by faith the Israelites and I finally escaped Egypt. We walked through the Red Sea on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned (paraphrase of Hebrews 11:23–29).

Narrator 2: These people and many more were part of God’s covenant, and so are we: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39–40, NIV).

Song

“We’ve Come This Far by Faith” Goodson, LUYH 341, GtG 656, SSS 58

 

God’s Faithfulness

Isaiah the Prophet

Narrator 3: Isaiah was a prophet who predicted that something better was coming: a Messiah who would be a bright light in a dark and scary world.

Isaiah: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).

Narrator 1: All of these people came long, long before Jesus. Their stories are told in the Bible so we can better understand God’s great faithfulness.

Song

Options

“The Steadfast Love of the Lord” McNeill, LUYH 347, GtG 59, PfAS105B

“Tu fidelidad / I Depend upon Your Faithfulness” Cassina, LUYH 371, GtG 831, SSS 40

 

God’s Faithfulness

The Big Secret

Narrator 2: Before we even remember Jesus’ birth, we must remember Mary and Joseph. God entrusted them with a big secret—I’m talking a big, huge secret! Are you ready? You see, the angel Gabriel came to Mary and Joseph and said:

Gabriel: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. . . . Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:28, 30–32, adapted from NIV).

Mary: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you said it would.” (Luke 1:38, NIrV)

Gabriel: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20–21, NIV).

Narrator 3: Now do you understand? This secret is the mystery of God’s great faithfulness! Mary’s son would come to save God’s people from their sins. The sacrifice of Jesus was predicted many years earlier when Abraham tried to sacrifice Isaac and when God spared Isaac; so too was Jesus’ saving power predicted in God’s saving the Israelites from the angry Egyptians. This is the huge secret of God’s faithfulness!

Litany

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

      make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;

      tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

      Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done,

      his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.

On this day, we remember with gratitude and joy God’s faithfulness:

      in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph,

      in the lives of Moses, Miriam, and Aaron,

      in the lives of Ruth and David, Isaiah and Jeremiah,

      in the lives of Mary and Martha, Peter and John,

      in the lives of Paul, Barnabas, and Lydia,

      in the lives of an Ethiopian eunuch and a Roman centurion,

      in our own congregational life.

      Truly, God is faithful.

For God remembered his holy promise.

God brought out his people with rejoicing,

his chosen ones with shouts of joy; . . .

that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Text: Psalm 105 © THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Litany: John D. Witvliet, 2011, © Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. “Recalling God’s Faithfulness.” Psalms for All Seasons 105A

Song

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” Chisholm, LUYH 348, GtG 39, SSS 48

Narrator 1: “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. [Mary and Joseph enter and walk to the manger.] He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:4–7, NIV).

Song

“Away in a Manger” Anon., LUYH 86 (vs. 1–2), GtG 114, SSS 79

 

God’s Faithfulness

Let’s Celebrate

Narrator 4: That first night was quite a celebration! In the fields nearby, a huge group of angels told some shepherds the secret. [Shepherds come forward and stand or kneel on steps.] It is written: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them:

Gabriel: “‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Narrator 5: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying [other angels join Gabriel at the microphone], ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!’” (Luke 2:8–14, NIV).

Song

“Angels We Have Heard on High” Anon., LUYH 82, GtG 113, SSS 93

Narrator 6: Although the shepherds had absolutely no idea what Jesus’ birth really meant, they knew it was something special. They knew that God was faithful and that God was good—all the time! So these shepherds were eager to see whatever surprise God had in store for them that special night. [Shepherds and sheep move to the manger and put on party hats.]

Narrator 4: Luke 2 says the shepherds “hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:16–20, NIV).

Offering

Suggestion: Have a children’s choir sing these songs during the offering:

“Come On, Ring Those Bells” Culverwell, SWM 92

“Tell It!” Berry, SWM 104 God’s

 

Faithfulness

Come to the Party

Narrator 5: Others also knew that Jesus’ birth was really special. The Magi were very smart people. [Magi come forward carrying stacks of books.] They had studied all different kinds of things and knew that the star in the East was pointing to a special gift: the promised Messiah, the same Messiah that prophets such as Isaiah had talked about so long before. (The following narration and dialogue is adapted from Matthew 2:1–12, NIV.) So the Magi traveled to the city of Jerusalem and inquired,

Magi: Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

Narrator 6: When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. [King Herod comes forward, looking stressed.] He called together all the chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. [King Herod signals chief priests to come forward.]

Chief priests and teachers of the law: The Christ will be born in Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Narrator 4: Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

Herod: [Looks at Magi and points far into the distance] Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.

Narrator 5: After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Narrator 6: Everyone who came before pointed to the promised one—Jesus Christ! They were part of the covenant in which God demonstrated his faithfulness. We too are part of this covenant. Can our lives tell the story of God’s faithfulness?

Narrator 4: The shepherds and Magi went to see Jesus to celebrate God’s remarkable gift. They went even though they could not fully understand the depth of God’s goodness. Can our stories reflect God’s goodness and grace?

Narrator 5: For God has something good planned for all of us. God is faithful, and he calls us to celebrate his goodness every day!

Song

“Joy to the World” Watts, LUYH 92, GtG 134, SSS 95

Closing Prayer

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

our hearts are filled with gratitude

that we have been grafted into your people

through our union with your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We bless you as the one who blesses and builds up,

the one who comforts and creates, the one who speaks and nourishes.

Strengthen our capacity to remember all your works and to take courage.

Help us to contemplate and savor how good you are.

How good it is to praise your name. Amen.

—“A Prayer of Praise.” Psalms for All Seasons 147F. John D. Witvliet, 2011, © Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.

Sung Benediction

“The Lord Be with You” Rienstra, LUYH 535

Benediction