ᗏᗆᗕᗕ ᗝᗆᗕᗕ
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is made especially for people who want to honor the special meaning of this season,
but may not feel so much like jingle bells and jolliness at this time of year.
Whether you're feeling just a little sad right now,
or a lot sad, we invite you to join us.
We'll be sharing in the Christmas message read from the Gospel of Luke in the Bible.
We'll be sharing some Christmas music played softly with an opportunity to sing along.
We'll be lighting some candles,
and as we do give you an opportunity to pray for what's on your mind and on your heart.
And you won't want to miss the story of Ooni,
the shepherd who also was feeling lost and lonely at Christmas time.
It's okay to shed some tears here if you want,
to let your mind wander,
or to pause and to come back and play this message again and again.
We believe that God is with us and honors our time here no matter how we do it.
Come now and let's worship together.
We light these candles for our time of difficulty.
We light one for loss,
one for courage,
one for memories,
and one for love.
This candle represents our loss,
the pain of losing those we love,
of plans that did not work out,
of hopes that ended in despair.
This candle represents our courage,
the courage to face our sadness,
to share our feelings with others,
and to dare to hope in the depths of our pain.
This candle represents our memories.
For the times we laughed or cried together,
for angry at or delighted in each other,
and for the times we comforted and cared for each other.
This candle represents our love,
love that is lost or unacknowledged,
love that is honored or dismissed,
love we have given and received,
and love that is shared.
In the center of this circle is the Christ candle.
We light it to remember that Jesus Christ
is always at the center of our lives.
He hears our weeping,
He knows our hearts,
and He offers us hope and healing
in the midst of our suffering.
Comforting God, wrap us in your presence,
be with us in our loss,
make us strong in our courage,
help us to hold on to our memories,
and empower us with your love.
Amen.
Hello.
Dean and I would like for you to join us
in singing this beautiful Christmas carol.
I'm sure you've heard Silent Night before.
Just join along with us.
We may not be able to hear you,
but God hears you,
and you are more than welcome to join us in the song.
Let's sing together.
Silent night,
holy night,
all is calm,
all is bright,
round yon virgin mother and child,
holy infant so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night,
holy night,
shepherds quake at the sight,
glory stream from heaven afar,
heavenly host in alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.
Silent night,
holy night,
son of God,
love's pure light,
radiant beams from my holy face,
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
Jesus Lord at thy birth,
I'm Pastor Russ Smith.
Will you join me in prayer now?
Most loving God,
in order to restore and redeem each of us,
you sent us your holy Son.
Through Jesus you have known what it is like to be human
and about human struggles to live by faith
in an often cold, unfeeling and ruthless world.
God of Christmas,
God of unspeakable grace,
please forgive and renew us all,
that our lives may declare the wonders of that holy love
that has called us out of darkness into glorious light.
Let Jesus did not come to rub our noses in our sin
but to liberate us from guilt and despair.
So lift up our hearts,
show us that we are remarkably loved and forgiven people,
guide us so that we can be set free,
to forgive one another
and to be agents of your peace and joy.
In the name of the Christ child Jesus,
who taught us to pray saying,
trainings,
and love,
请 help us,
if we take pride in each one of us,
and for us to be able to see
that other life needs him.
God pow'r,
grant us for our love,
...
In those days, a decree went out from Emperor Augustus
that all the world should be registered.
This was the first registration,
and was taken while Quireneus was Governor of Syria.
All went to their own towns to be registered.
Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea
to the city of David called Bethlehem,
because he was descended from the house of David.
He went to be registered with Mary to whom he was engaged
and who was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in bands of cloth
and laid him in a manger
because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region, there were shepherds living in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them
and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them,
Do not be afraid, for see,
I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.
To you is born this day in the city of David,
a savior who is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign for you.
You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth
and lying in a manger.
And suddenly, there rose with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host,
praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest heaven
and on earth peace among those whom he favors.
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
Let us go now to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph
and the child lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known what had been told them about this child
and all who heard it
were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured all these words
and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen
as it had been told them.
Hi, I'm Amy Grogan
and I'm the student pastor here at Disciples Net.
The night is dark and cold.
Most of the shepherds are close to the fire.
Others walk a circle around the sheep,
making sure that none of them stray.
Some of the shepherds are sleeping.
Others are on the night watch.
Talking has ceased
and all that you hear is the crackling of the fire.
But one of the shepherds stayed
in the night sky.
At the stars he knows so well.
Then he notices something strange.
Was there a new star in the sky?
No, this was too large to be a star.
And it was getting larger and larger
and brighter and brighter.
It was coming straight at them.
Look, look, he yells,
pointing at the sky.
The shepherds look up.
The sleeping ones start rousing.
Suddenly the night is lit up like the day
and an angel floats above them.
All of the shepherds are terrified.
Some of them are screaming.
Others bow to the ground
or shield their eyes.
Many are praying.
Then the angel spoke.
Be not afraid.
And somehow with these words
their terror turns into awe
and a supernatural calm.
But the message that the angel brings
is baffling.
The angel says there is good news
of great joy for all people.
How could this be so?
And why would God announce this good news
to shepherds?
On the social ladder,
shepherds were lower than the lowest rung.
People called them thieves
because they let the sheep graze on land
that they didn't own.
Some called them dishonorable because
instead of being at home protecting their families
they are out protecting sheep.
The Pharisees called them sinners
because their job keeps them from observing the Sabbath.
Some towns even have laws
to keep them from coming into the city.
Shepherds are outsiders
who are reminded they are outsiders
every day of their lives.
Surely the angels have come to the wrong place.
Shouldn't it be at the temple?
Why would God deliver this announcement of the Savior to them?
It had to be some kind of cosmic joke.
Like the Savior would be born in Bethlehem
and lying in a manger.
Sure.
All at once the sky fills with heavenly hosts
praising and giving glory to God
with a multitude of voices.
The shepherds are filled with wonder
and amazement.
But there is one among them
who is not impressed.
Unni.
In fact, nothing impresses him anymore.
Every day was the same as the last day
which will be the same as all of his tomorrows.
Watching these stinking sheep
and feeling hated by everyone.
Even the other shepherds looked down on him
because he didn't have a family.
His spirit had sunk so low
there was almost no life left in him.
And now he was supposed to believe
there was good news of great joy
for all people including him.
He didn't even remember what joy felt like
and he had given up on God long ago.
Despite the angels' unbelievable story
the shepherds know they have to go and see if it's true.
Who would dare to question God's messengers?
But they also know they can't leave the sheep alone.
That would be foolish.
The sheep are their livelihood
and the loss of one sheep would be awful.
So they decided that at least one of them
had to stay with the sheep
and everyone knew who it would be.
Go on then said Unni.
Only fools would believe that God
would remember ones who are so despised
and forgotten and deliver this grand message to them.
There will be no babe in a manger.
You will be lucky if you even make it into the city
without being turned back.
Unni does not even watch them go.
He sits staring at the fire
listening to their voices fade in the distance.
Then the night is silent.
He looks up at the vast sky above him.
He has never felt so small.
He has never felt so alone.
He has never felt so lost.
He has never felt so dejected.
His despair overwhelms him.
If there was ever someone who needed some good news,
the age of joy, it was him.
Haven't we all felt like Unni sometimes
or had our own version of misery?
Perhaps we are overwhelmed with heartbreak
or grief or regret.
Depressed with our circumstances
or overcome with worries or stress,
ashamed of what we've done,
alone in our misfortune
or afraid of what will come.
Yes, we have all spent time
in a spiritual wilderness
lost in fields of discontent,
staring up at the sky,
feeling isolated and empty.
I think some of you know how feeling this way
when others are celebrating
makes it even worse.
Christmas is such a time.
Everyone seems to be happy
and having fun.
When you're around them,
you have to pretend to be happy too
and it is exhausting.
Most of the time,
you would just rather stay at home.
But somewhere deep down inside,
underneath all of the hurt
and the pain is a desperate need
for good news.
And you know that it is somewhere.
You just can't find it right now
in shining lights on Christmas trees
or the radiant brightness
surrounding heavenly messengers.
Where can you find good news then?
Isn't it at the inn
where the babe is wrapped
in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger
that the fact that our Savior,
Christ the Lord,
was born just as vulnerable
as we are
in such poor and lowly circumstances
and whose birth was announced
to those who are so cast down,
the ones who really needed it.
No wonder the shepherds
joined with the angels
in praising God.
But what about Ooni,
the lone shepherd out in the field?
Well, one of his fellow shepherds
did not go about the town
telling everyone what they had seen
and what they had heard.
One of them ran straight to Ooni.
He couldn't wait to tell him the good news.
Now, I don't know Ooni's response
to the good news,
but I do know that God
had not given up on him.
If Ooni wasn't able to receive
the good news from angels
or from going to see the Christ child himself,
God figured out a different way
with the fellow shepherd.
Ooni didn't even have to go to Bethlehem
to receive the good news.
God brought the good news to him.
Now, I'm not a shepherd
and we're not in the field,
but I would like to share this with you.
I bring you good news of great joy.
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,
was born into this world
just the same as you and I,
a small and vulnerable babe.
His coming,
His great evidence of His love for us,
for you.
Like Jesus is a child of God,
you are a child of God,
and God will not abandon you
or leave you.
I pray that your heart
can open up
and receive this good news
at Christmastime
and all the time,
every day.
Amen.
The blessed shall be first
and the weak shall be strong
and God shall be afraid.
Pieces are in the circles,
the earth,
giving a promise
of safety and love.
And God is a child,
there's joy in our song.
The blood shall be first
and the weak shall be strong
and God shall be afraid.
Joy is a song
that welcomes the dawn,
telling the world
that the Savior is born
When God is a child,
there's joy in our song.
The blood shall be first
and the weak shall be strong
and God shall be afraid.
Love is a flame
that burns in our hearts.
Jesus does hope and will never depart.
When God is a child,
there's joy in our song.
The blood shall be first
and the weak shall be strong
and God shall be afraid.
We are now invited to Christ's table
in this special service today.
And I think it's appropriate to remember
when we come to the table
that this table is for all people
everywhere.
And today we might even suggest
more than everywhere.
It is not just here and there
and all over the world.
It is also today and tomorrow
and yesterday.
And in this special service,
some of us are giving special thought
and special memory
to people who are no longer part
of our earthly families.
It is not just to you
that when we come to the table today
that those folks are also
at the table with us.
The power of the body
and the blood of Christ
is not limited by space or time.
And we are at the table today
with our family,
with our loved ones,
who perhaps are already gone.
We are at the table today
for that matter.
And we are at the table today
with future generations of Christians.
I invite us to have those thoughts
in our minds today
as we come to the table
in this special service.
Let us pray.
God, we do thank you
that you have been,
that you are,
and that you always will be
the host at this table.
We ask that you would bless our time
of meditation today
as we remember those we love,
as we offer praise to you
for your eternal love,
and especially as we come to this table
where through the body and the blood
of our Savior,
your Holy Son, Jesus Christ,
the promises of eternal life
are made real and fulfilled.
We ask that you would bless us now
as we come to this feast.
Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
on the night he was betrayed, took bread.
When he had given thanks,
he broke it, saying,
this is my body which is broken for you.
Take and eat.
And in the same manner,
also he took the cup after supper,
saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.
All is in readiness now.
We invite you to come to this feast.
Lord Jesus Christ,
on the night he was betrayed, took bread.
When he had given thanks,
he broke it, saying,
this is my body which is broken for you.
Take and eat.
And in the same manner,
also he took the cup after supper,
saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Take and eat.
And in the same manner,
also he took the cup after supper,
saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
လဵေ ွဦြွေှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှ ှှှှှှှှှ ှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှှ.
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