This is part of the worship series,
"Greater Glory”
Series Introduction
Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4
Christmas Eve/Day | Christmas 1
Christmas Eve/Day
Text: Haggai 2:5–9; Luke 2:1–20
Theme: I Will Fill This House with Glory
Key Idea: Jesus has come to reveal the fullness of God that satisfies our deepest desires.
Through Haggai, God promises that when “what the desired of all nations will come,” he “will fill this house with glory” (Haggai 2:7 NIV). With different translations, commentators disagree if Haggai 2:7 explicitly refers to the Messiah (“the Desired of Nations will come”) or to a material blessing (“what is treasured/desired by all nations will come”). It is possible for either interpretation to point to Jesus, whether as a direct title or as a type alluding to Christ’s blessings. Jesus is (or offers) the true treasure and desire of a longing world; when he enters human history, Jesus reveals God’s glory—the fullness of his radiance, splendor, and majesty. As Paul later writes, “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9 NIV).
That night in Bethlehem, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven” (Luke 2:14 NIV). In the sudden moments following his birth, Jesus fills another house—Bethlehem, “the house of bread”—with glory. At Christmas, our anticipation is satisfied, because the Desired of Nations “came down from heaven, for us and for our salvation” (Nicene Creed). Jesus fulfills all of God’s promises: to be with us, to grant peace, to bless us, and to choose us. Consider the small-d desires or small-t treasures for which your congregation longs. What leaves us dissatisfied in our attempts to fill these desires ourselves? Invite your congregation to welcome the Christ Child anew, to receive his glory that fills our hearts and satisfies our longings. May we join the company of the heavenly host, praising God for breaking into our dark night with the precious light of true life.
Depending on your context, you might choose to focus more or less on Haggai 2. You might choose to maintain contact with Haggai to complete the series, or if your Christmas congregation welcomes more visitors, you might choose to bring together the main ideas of the series without lengthy exposition.
Service Outline
God Gathers Us to Bethlehem
Call to Worship
Luke 2:1–7 with “O Come All Ye Faithful” (st. 1) Wade and Oakley
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
—Wade and Oakley, “O Come All Ye Faithful” (st. 1), Public Domain.
[Musician(s) can quietly vamp between singing, such as guitar strumming, synth pad, and/or piano underscore]
[Involve many people in sharing the Christmas story. These passages may be divided among any number of readers. You could also consider a children’s nativity in this section.]
[Opt Cue:]
Hear and remember the story of our Lord’s birth:
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
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. 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 2:1–7 NIV
Lighting of the Christ Candle & Confession of Faith
[light the center, white candle]
On Christmas Eve [Day], we light this candle,
a sign that God has come to be with us,
that God has come to give us peace,
that God has come to bless us,
that God has come to choose us.
On Christmas, we welcome Jesus Christ,
the Light of the World.
Together, we confess our faith:
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
—Nicene Creed, Translation © 1988, Faith Alive Christian Resources.
[see below for other creeds/confessions that could be used]
[Segue immediately into singing the next stanza:]
Call to Worship
Luke 2:8–20 with “O Come All Ye Faithful” (st. 2–4) Wade and Oakley
God of God, Light of Light eternal,
lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at 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, “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.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above:
“Glory to God, all glory in the highest!”
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
[Opt Cue:] Let us rise, in body or in spirit, and sing to the Newborn King:
*Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
So they 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 2:8–20 NIV
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
—Wade and Oakley, “O Come All Ye Faithful” (st. 2–4, ref.), Public Domain.
*God’s Greeting & Passing of the Peace
On this happy morning [evening/day],
it is our Lord who greets us first.
The One who has appeared in flesh,
the One who is worthy of our adoration,
the One who invites the faithful to come
offers his Spirit to gather us around Bethlehem’s manger.
He greets us with words spoken through the angels:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”
—Luke 2:14 NIV
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Let us greet one another with this peace.
*Song
“O Little Town of Bethlehem” Brooks
Prayer of Confession
Good and gracious Lord Jesus,
The hopes and fears of all the years
are met in you this night.
We gather around your manger
full of unmet hopes,
full of uncontained fears.
We have filled our hearts
with fading treasures
and empty desires.
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.
We pray, to the glory of your name: Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.
Christ is the head over every power and authority.
Friends, believe this good news:
Christ is born for us!
Thanks be to God!
—Colossians 2:9–10 NIV
*Song(s)
“Holy Forever” Johnson et al.
or
“King of Kings” (st. 1–2, ref.) Ligertwood et al.
“What a Beautiful Name” Ligertwood and Fielding
“Only a Holy God” Smith et al.
“What Child Is This” Dix
[Any song option could end with this acapella tag]:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
—Wade and Oakley, “O Come All Ye Faithful” (ref.), Public Domain.
Offering, Announcements, and/or Children’s Message
God Announces His Glory
Prayer of Illumination
God in the Highest,
We have come to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has happened,
which you have told us about.
As we hear your Word,
help us to see Jesus
in our darkest nights.
Shine your glory around us,
so that we might find the Savior
born to us in the town of David. Amen.
Scripture Reading
Haggai 2:5–9 and/or Luke 2:8–14
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Sermon
“I Will Fill This House with Glory”
God Prepares Us to Ponder These Things in Our Hearts
*Distribution of Candles/Passing of Light
[As you sing, distribute candles to symbolize the spreading light that Christ shares in his glory. Provide clear instructions on candle distribution, particularly to avoid dripping wax and fire hazards. Electronic candles are another option, although some view them as less authentic. Possible options for distribution of candles:
- Invite worshipers forward. They can pick up a candle in a basket, or an elder or other server can hand it to them.
- Worshipers can walk to the Christ Candle and then light their candle, or worshipers can come to a server who lights their candle (preferred for larger congregations).
- After lighting their candle, worshipers then return to their seat, or gather to sing in the round.
- If you do not want worshipers to come forward to receive a candle, servers can distribute candles to each row, light the candle at the end of each row, and have worshipers light their neighbor’s candle.]
*Song
“You Are My All In All” Jernigan
or
“God With Us” Ingram and Jordan
[Sing this song as people receive candles. Gradually dim the sanctuary lights and/or close window blinds.]
*Song
“Silent Night” Mohr, trans. Young
God Sends Us, Glorifying and Praising God
*Sending Sentences
[These sentences repeat each week’s Advent candle lighting. You could have four liturgists, one for each candle, carry the candles out of the sanctuary, representing Christ’s light spread into the world.]
When our world looks bleak, God’s hope is nearer.
[carry out a blue candle]
When our world feels unstable, God’s peace is wider.
[carry out a blue candle]
When our world grows weary, God’s joy is fuller.
[carry out the pink candle]
When our world is divided, God’s love is stronger.
[carry out a blue candle]
[lift up the white candle, but do not carry it out]
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
—John 1:5 NIV
*Benediction & Charge
May the light of Christ fill your homes.
May the glory of God fill your deepest desires.
Go, with the shepherds,
and tell everyone about this child.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
*Closing Song
“Away in a Manger” Luther
or
“Ere zij God” Schultz
“Go Tell It On the Mountain” adapt. Work
[Your selection might depend on the emotional contour you would like to shape at the end of the service: reflective like Mary, kerygmatic like the angels, or celebratory like the shepherds.]
