The Festival of the Nativity of our Lord
A Christmas Celebration
of Nine Lessons and Carols
Period for Silent Prayer Pre-service music
We Praise Our God
The Greeting and Invitation to Worship
After which the Congregation will rise for
The Invocation –
We make our beginning on this Festival of the Nativity of our Lord….
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Psalm of Celebration Psalm 150
Pastor: Praise the Lord.
Congregation: Praise God in His sanctuary;
Men & boys: Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Women & girls: Praise Him for His acts of power;
Lectern Side: Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.
Pulpit Side: Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet,
Pastor: Praise Him with the harp and lyre.
Men & boys: Praise Him with tambourine and dancing,
Pastor: Praise Him with the strings and flute,
Women & girls: Praise Him with the clash of cymbals,
Pastor: Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Congregation: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Pastor: Praise the Lord.
The Christmas Day Prayer
Almighty God, in Your incomprehensible mercy, + You sent Your one and only Son to take upon Himself our human nature. + By virtue of Christ’s gracious coming + and His atoning work, + deliver us now from the oppression of our enemies: + Satan, + our sinful flesh, + and this evil world, + which relentlessly seek to turn us back toward spiritual darkness. + Transform us, we pray, + by the power of Your Holy Spirit + into living Lights for Christ, + that we might daily grow in faith, joy, and service to You. + This we seek in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, + Your Son, our Lord, + Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, + one God, now and forever. Amen.
After which the Congregation may be seated for
The Opening Hymn “O Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son”
To “O Tannenbaum” cwh Advent 2001
O Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, You came to earth from heaven,
Fulfilled the Prophets – every one – For us and our salvation.
The “Woman’s Seed,” and Abram’s Son,
Yet truly you’re th’ Eternal One,
The righteous Son of David, THE Messiah, long-awaited.
Lord Jesus, Sole Begotten Son, Be-lov-ed by the Father,
The miracles that You have done Affirmed You are none other
Than the True God in human form Spirit-conceived and Virgin born.
The perfect Keeper of the Law – To free us from its burden.
You stood before accusers, mute Rejected by Your nation
You bled and died, my Substitute You earned for me salvation.
O Lamb of God you took away
The whole world’s sin….Now hear me pray:
May peace and joy fill all this day – Who trust in You, dear Savior.
Oh Savior of the nations, Come, In majesty and glory
Attended by Your angel hosts Complete our earthly story.
As Judge of living and the dead, Forever You’re the Church’s Head.
By grace, through faith in You, ahead For us is Heav’nly glory.
The Nine Lessons and Carols of Christmas
The First Lesson In the wake of the Fall into Sin,
God Promises a Deliverer from Sin
to our First Parents and to Us
Genesis 3:14-15
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
The Hymn “Now Are the Days Fulfilled”
Hymn 99 (TLH), verse 1
Now are the days fulfilled, God’s Son is manifested,
Now His great majesty In human flesh is vested.
Behold the mighty God, By Whom all wrath is stilled,
The woman’s promised Seed — Now are the days fulfilled.
The Second Lesson God Promises to Jacob that in his Seed
All Nations of the earth will be blessed.
Genesis 28:10-17
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
The Hymn “Let Us All With Gladsome Voice”
Hymn 64, verses 1-3
Let us all with gladsome voice Praise the God of heaven,
Who, to bid our hearts rejoice, His own Son hath given.
To this vale of tears He comes, Here to serve in sadness,
That with him, in heaven’s fair homes We may reign in gladness.
We are rich for He was poor; Is not this a wonder?
Therefore, praise God evermore Here on earth and yonder.
The Third Lesson The Prophet Isaiah Foretells
the Coming of the Savior
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Hymn Hymn 62 “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come”
verses 1, 3 & 4
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.
No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love And wonders, wonders, of His love. Amen.
The Fourth Lesson Isaiah Prophesies The Peace
That Christ Will Bring
Isaiah 11:1-6
There shall come forth a Shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what His eyes see, or decide disputes by what His ears hear, 4 but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
The Hymn of the Prophets “Behold A Branch Is Growing”
Hymn 47 verses 1 & 2
Behold a Branch is growing of loveliest form and grace,
As prophets sung, foreknowing, It springs from Jesse’s race.
And bears one little flower.
In midst of coldest winter, at deepest midnight hour.
Isaiah hath foretold it, in words of promise sure,
And Mary’s arms enfold it, A virgin, meek and pure.
Through God’s eternal will.
The Child to her is given, at midnight, calm and still.
The Fifth Lesson The Angel Gabriel Salutes
the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Reading of Luke 1:26-33
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The Hymn Hymn 67 “What Child Is This?”
1 What child is this who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet With anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste to bring him laud, The babe, the Son of Mary!
2 Why lies he in such mean estate
Where oxen now are feeding?
Good Christians, fear; For sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through;
The cross he’ll bear for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The babe, the Son of Mary!
3 So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh;
Come, peasant, king, to own him.
The King of kings Salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone him.
Raise, raise the song on high;
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, The babe, the Son of Mary!
The Sixth Lesson The Birth of Jesus
The Reading of Luke 2:1-7
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Next Hymn Hymn 50 “Once in Royal David’s City”
1 Once in royal David’s city Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby In a manger for his bed;
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.
2 He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable, And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor and mean and lowly Lived on earth our Savior holy.
3 But our eyes at last shall see him Through his own redeeming love,
For that child, so dear and gentle, Is our Lord in heav’n above,
And he leads his children on To the place where he is gone.
4 Not in that poor, lowly stable With the oxen standing by
Shall we see him, but in heaven, Set at God’s right hand on high.
Then like stars his children crowned,
All in white, his praise will sound.
The Seventh Lesson The Angels Announce Christ’s
Birth to the Shepherds
The Reading of Luke 2:8-14
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The Hymn Hymn 61 “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
2 Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with us to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel!
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
3 Hail, the heav’nly Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings, Ris’n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by, Born that we no more may die,
Born to raise us from the earth, Born to give us second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
The Eighth Lesson The Shepherds Visit the Christ
Child and Return, Glorifying God
The Reading of Luke 2:15-20
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Today’s Sermon based on Luke 2:1-20
Our Way In The Manger
The Post-Sermon Hymn Hymn 68 “Away In A Manger”
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 on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes.
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till 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 thy tender care.
And take us to heaven to live with Thee there.
Our Offerings of Love to our Savior
Offerings will be received this morning through offering plates passed among those who have gathered here for worship.
However, for those viewing this service online, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) You can mail a check (no cash) to the church address
(415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
2) You can also donate on our website: www.gracelutherannwa.com
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Our Ninth Lesson St. John Unfolds the Great Mystery
of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ
The Reading of John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome It. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the Light. 9 The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
after which the Congregation will rise
We Offer our Prayers to the Lord
The Prayer for Christmas Day
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
The Benediction
Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
And the love of God the Father
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The Closing Hymn Hymn 54 “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt”
Where shepherds lately knelt and kept the angels’ word,
I come in half-belief, a pilgrim strangely stirred;
But there is room and welcome there for me,
But there is room and welcome there for me.
In that unlikely place I find Him as they said
Sweet newborn Babe, how frail! and in a manger bed,
A still, small voice to cry one day for me,
A still, small voice to cry one day for me.
How should I not have know Isaiah would be there,
His prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I stare:
A Child, a Son, the Prince of Peace for me,
A Child, a Son, the Prince of Peace for me.
Can I, will I forget how Love was born, and burned
Its way into my heart unasked, unforced, unearned,
To die, to live, and not alone for me,
To die, to live, and not alone for me.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH’S CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S BIRTH OVER 20 CENTURIES
When Was Jesus Born?
Most serious Bible students realize that Jesus was probably not
born on December 25th. The shepherds had their flocks in open fields, which implies a date prior to October. Furthermore, no competent Roman administrator would require registration involving travel during the period of the year when Judea was generally impassable due to the rainy season (late October into March).
If Jesus wasn’t born on December 25, just when was He born? Although the Bible doesn’t explicitly identify the birthday of our Lord, many scholars have developed diverse opinions as to the likely birthday of Jesus. (It reminds one of the rabbinical observation: “With two Jews, you are going to have three opinions!”) In truth, on “this side of heaven,” no one knows for sure on what day Jesus was born.
Then Why Do We Observe December 25th?
The early Christian church did not even celebrate Jesus’ birth, and therefore the exact date was not preserved in their writings or in connection with their festivals. (There is evidence that the origins of a primitive and isolated Christmas celebration can be traced back to 98 AD, but it was not embraced church-wide and was rather short-lived.) For early Christians the major Church festival of the year was Easter, with each new Sunday (the Lord’s Day) being a fresh reminder of Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week. In fact, church members who did consider formally commemorating Christ’s birth were afraid that by doing so, outsiders might come to think of Jesus as just another one of the many earthly rulers whose birthdays customarily were celebrated in those days.
Instead of being concerned with a December 25th Christmas, the ancient church was much more interested in January 6, the Festival of Epiphany, which directed people’s attention to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry: his baptism and first miracle. Today, of course, Epiphany lies in the shadow of Christmas and has even taken on something a Christmas theme. We now use Epiphany to relate, among other emphases, the final chapter of the Christmas story: the coming of the Wise Men.
It was during the fourth century that the spotlight began to shift from Epiphany to Christmas. One reason was a growing emphasis on the miraculous, yet human, birth of the Savior. The early Christians had to contend with a cult known as the Gnostics (“Knowers”). These heretics down-played Jesus’ humanity. To them it was unthinkable that the eternal Son of God should come into the world as a little baby. They taught that Jesus first became divine at the time of His baptism. Gnosticism posed a serious threat to the early churches, much like cults who are pulling thousands away from Christian churches today. It was only natural that discussions about Christ’s humanity would center on His birth. The only problem was, nobody knew when the Savior was born. The Bible gives no specific date. And if the first generation of Christians knew it, either they didn’t write it down, or it wasn’t preserved.
The first “official” statement for December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (A.D. 354), which assumed Jesus’ birth to be Friday, December 25th, A.D. in the year 1. Putting together what scant information they had, the theologians of that day sought to arrive at the “correct” date of His birth. Some attempted to establish the day when Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) served in the temple; they then combined it with the annunciation to Mary which took place “in the sixth month” following (Luke 1:26). Others tried to determine at what time of the year the shepherds might or might not have been in the fields of Bethlehem. Such calculations have led to a variety of possibilities: January 2 or 6, March 28 or 29, April 18, 19 or 20, September 29, December 25. The church father Hippolytus (about 170-235) is given credit for being the first person to set the date as December 25. He had concluded that the time of Christ’s life from his conception to his crucifixion was exactly 33 years. Having somehow determined (we now know his conclusions were erroneous) that both these events took place on March 25, it was simply a matter of adding nine months to get the day of Jesus’ birth, December 25.
About the same time that Christians were deciding Jesus’ birthday was important, another momentous event took place. The Roman Emperor Constantine (280-337) was converted to Christianity. He subsequently issued his “Edict of Toleration” in A.D. 313, which enabled the formerly persecuted Christians, figuratively-speaking, to exchange their rags of rejection for the silks of royal recognition. Suddenly Christianity had changed from being a persecuted religion to having the “status” of being the official state religion. Because of this, many people found it politically advantageous to become Christian. Needless to say, more than a few of those “conversions” were less than sincere. The predictable urgency to adopt/embrace cultural changes favoring Christianity inevitably forced many former pagan rituals to be adapted to Christianity with some new “Christian” trappings of their own.
The date of December 25th, which was officially proclaimed by the church fathers in A.D. 440 as the birth date of Jesus, was actually a remnant of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. The Saturnalia (December 17-24) was always observed near the winter solstice (December 21/22), which itself was among the many pagan traditions inherited from the earlier Babylonian priesthood. The Saturnalia always culminated in the celebration of the shortest day of the year and the birth of the “new sun” on December 25. These days were marked by processions, lighting candles and giving presents. This was also a time of merrymaking and overindulgence. Since the Romans were not inclined to give up their holiday, it seemed natural for the Christians to replace the birth of the sun with the birth of “the Sun of Righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). However, victory over paganism was not easy, nor was it total. In fact, to this day, since that first celebration of Christmas (historians believe it occurred in 336), Christians have been trying their best to keep Christ at the center of the Christmas celebration, often against rather formidable secular and materialistic competition.
The Christmas Tree, Wreaths and the Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath is a combination of two very common
symbols: light and the fir tree. From the early centuries of Christianity it has been the practice to represent Christ by a burning candle. The fir tree also has a long history of religious use. One of the most popular themes for the medieval “mystery plays” revolved around the telling of the story of Paradise. In those plays, the Garden of Eden was typically portrayed by a fir tree hung with apples. In the Eastern churches (Eastern/Greek Orthodox) December 24th was celebrated as the Feast Day of Adam and Eve. The custom of putting up a Paradise (eventually knows as a Christmas) tree in the home on December 24th, decorated with apples, came into Europe (and the Americas) by way of the East. In Germany there was also a custom of placing a lit Christmas candle on top of a wooden pyramid decorated with evergreen twigs. In time the wooden pyramid was replaced by the Paradise tree, decorated with apples and lighted candles. Undoubtedly the use of wreaths (and the Advent wreath, in particular) was developed in large part in connection with the Christmas tree. Advent wreaths, such as we employ in church, originated a few hundred years ago among the Lutheran Christians of eastern Germany. A wreath of evergreens, made of various sizes, was either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table. Four candles (called the prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherd and Angels candles) successively lit over the four Sundays of Advent were fastened to the wreath. The general symbolism of the Advent wreath lies in the growing light of the wreath, increasing each week as we approach the birthday of Jesus, Who is “the Light of the world.” That same symbolism is connected to the lights of the Christmas tree and the lights that adorn homes at this time of the year……even if that significance is lost to most people today.
Keeping Christ in Christmas
Christians today tend to fight the ongoing secularization of their
holidays. Some have gone so far as to reject anything to do with holidays like Christmas…..saying it/they are not Biblically ordained. We should point out that the New Testament doesn’t really ordain anything for the Church other than the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But it does not prohibit the observing of special days either (Romans 14:5,6), and under grace Christians are free to honor different days if they wish…..as long as the Lord is honored.
Those persons who want to keep Christ as the center of Christmas might find it easier to do by better understanding the various symbols that have been used to celebrate Christ’s birth through the ages and then using them to retain the uniqueness inherent in the mystery of the incarnation: the birth of the Son of God. For instance, at Christmas we remember the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh presented by the Magi. More than just a “precedent” for our Christmas gift-giving, these prophetic gifts celebrated Jesus’ deity, His priesthood, and His death.
Some additional thoughts…..the “season” of Christmas lasts only a few weeks on the “traditional” Church Calendar. Its exact length is determined by the number of Sundays between December 25 and January 6th. It is never longer than two Sundays, and is typically one Sunday in length (this year, as an example, it is only one Sunday long – December 31st). Also, in generations past December 25th was usually referred to as “First Christmas” (rather than Christmas Day), while December 26th came to be known as “Second Christmas.” On both days Christians considered it a privilege to publicly worship their Savior-King. Sadly that “good” custom of reinforcing in our hearts the good news of the Savior’s birth through “Second Christmas” fell into disuse years ago, and so has been all but lost to today’s average churchgoer.
The Advent Wreath and Candles
Central to our celebration of the Savior’s birth not only this morning , but throughout the pre-Christmas season of Advent has been the “Advent Wreath and Candles” which are found in the front of the sanctuary today. For the first time this year, the large white candle in the center, the “Christ Candle,” is lit, since this morning we are here to celebrate His birth. It symbolizes the fulfillment of Christmas prophesy — the nativity of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Light of the world. In addition, the four smaller candles (formerly 3 purple and one pink) have been replaced by four white candles. The color of white is used to symbolize the personal purity and righteousness of Christ our Savior, as well as to typify the status (of fully forgiven, heaven-bound saints) that Jesus’ substitutionary perfect life and sacrifice has secured for us. The significance of each of those four smaller candles is explained in what follows:
The First Candle (violet/white) is the Candle of Prophesy, symbolizing the Old Testament prophecies of the Advent, or coming, of the Savior.
The Second Advent Candle (violet/white) is the Bethlehem Candle. It symbolizes the Son of God’s coming to earth to be born of the Virgin Mary.
The Third Advent Candle (pink/white) is the Shepherd Candle. Through this candle’s symbolism we recall the coming of the Savior into our hearts and lives through the Means of Grace (the Gospel in Word and Sacrament).
The Fourth Candle (violet/white) is the Angel Candle. It represents the final coming of the Savior in glory with all His angels for the final judgement.
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