Week beginning December 4th

 

The Holly and the Ivy,
Are dancing in a ring,
Round the berry-bright red candles,
and the white and shining King.

And One is for God's people,
In every age and day.
We are watching for His coming.

We believe and we obey.

And Two is for the Prophets,
And for the light they bring,
They are candles in the darkness.

All alight for Christ the king .

Song: Give to our God immortal praise;

Give To Our God Immortal Praise - YouTube

Prayer:

Father, we adore you; we worship you; we praise you. You are almighty, you reveal yourself through the wonders of creation. It is good to come together to praise you and celebrate your mighty acts.

We acknowledge that there are times when we are far from you; that we feel that there is no hope when this is the case.

We thank you for the salvation bestowed on us, something that we cannot do for ourselves.

We praise you that when we were lost in sin, you sent your one and only son from heaven. He lived and died to give us salvation.

We pray that we can reach out to our area, to people who have no thought for you. May the church be a beacon in its area.

Where there are people who don’t want to talk about you, we pray that you will use us to tell them about a saviour who loves them. May they hear the Word and turn to it.

We pray for the members of our fe3llowship who are not well. May they know your healing presence

We pray for ourselves; may we be encouraged and brought closer to you. Build us up, be with us and encourage us.

In Jesus’ name. Amen

Song: Thou art the everlasting Word,

Thou art the everlasting Word, Conder - YouTube

Reading: Paul’s letter to the Philippians; chapter 2, verses 5 to 11

Song: Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,

Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour - YouTube

As Christmas approaches, we recognise that for many it can be a difficult time. The world seems to go mad! The costs of cards, and postage can be frightening, not to mention the costs of presents. People fight over food in the shops, and often buy far more than they need. Others stress about how many people they can get into their dining room, and seated round the table.

If people are asked about the real meaning of the season, often they don’t have a clue. It can be easy to adopt the approach of Scrooge (a fictional character, created by Charles Dickens) and say “Bah. Humbug.”

WE have the Scriptures, and we don’t need to be confused.

The passage, written by Paul, that we have read tells of one who is God. The message of Christmas is that Jesus is God and Lord. How can this be?

Firstly, Jesus abandoned a sovereign position. His essential nature is God. His being is God. He possesses the nature of God. Matthew, in his gospel uses the word “Emmanuel” of Jesus. This means God is with us. John refers to “The Word”, who is God. Paul refers to “The image of the invisible God”.

In Jesus we are being transformed into the image of Christ. If we look into the mirror in the morning, we can ask the question “am I more like Jesus that yesterday?” If the answer is “no”, in the morning, then there is something wrong with our testimony.

Secondly, Jesus became a servant. He “Veiled his glory”, he emptied himself of his privileges, he gave up his omniscience. He came to earth and became a slave not a king. As prophesied, he came “In the midst of you as one who serves.”

Thirdly he gave his life. He was made in the likeness of men (v7) and was found in the appearance of men (v7) He became a real man, 100% human.

He was not God pretending to be a man. It wasn’t obvious, there was no halo, no Aura, no stainless robe, he didn’t float above the ground. He looked, walked and talked like a man, because he was a man.

He experienced Hunger and thirst, work and fatigue, grief and anger. Nonetheless. John had to point out that he was a man.

He did many things, he performed miracles with food, healing and storms, but people still did not believe that he was God.

Fourthly, his selflessness. He had infinite capacity for self sacrifice, always putting God’s will before his own. He humbled himself unto death, and was obedient and died for our sins.

Finally, he ascended as a supreme prince. He was raised from death as a sign of God’s satisfaction with him. The name above all names. He was called Jesus, because he will save his people. Now he has done that, he is called Lord. In his name Every knee shall bow.

Jesus loved us. Jesus loves us.

God has give us the opportunity to confess that Jesus is God. May we remember this through the Christmas season, and take the opportunities to tell others.

Song: At the name of Jesus,

At the Name of Jesus (Tune: Camberwell - 4vv) [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube