“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. ‘They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.’”

Malachi 3:16-17    

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?

What Child Is This?William Chatterton Dix

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christian, fear; for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh;

Come peasant king to own Him.

The King of Kings salvation brings;

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the Son of Mary.

(repeat)

“What Child Is This?” by William Chatterton DixPublic DomainCCLI License #503207

Leader: Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

People: Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

Responsive Call To WorshipPsalm 85

 

Leader: Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

People: Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

Responsive Call To Worship

Leader: Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

People: Faithfulness springs up from the ground,  and righteousness looks down from the sky. 

Responsive Call To Worship

Leader: Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.  Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Responsive Call To Worship

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, All Ye FaithfulC. Frederick Oakeley, John Francis Wade

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;

O 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.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning;

Jesus, to Thee be 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.

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” by C. Frederick Oakeley and John Francis WadePublic DomainCCLI License #503207

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say, rejoice!

Again I Say RejoiceIsrael Houghton

Come bless the Lord, come bless the Lord

Draw near to worship Christ the Lord

And bless His name, His holy name

Declaring He is good

O that men would praise Him,

O that men would praise Him…

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say, Rejoice!

Come bless the Lord, come bless the Lord

Draw near to worship Christ the Lord

And bless His name, His holy name

Declaring He is good

O that men would praise Him,

O that men would praise Him…

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say, Rejoice!

O that men would praise His name

Would praise His name

To the ends of the earth

(2x)

O that men would praise His name

Would praise His name

To the ends of the earth

O that men would praise His name

And again I say, again I say…

O that men would praise His name

Would praise His name

To the ends of the earth

(2x)

O that men would praise His name

Would praise His name

To the ends of the earth

O that men would praise His name

And again I say, again I say… (3x)

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say

Rejoice in the Lord always

And again I say, again I say…

(repeat)

Rejoice!

(repeat)

“Again I Say Rejoice” by Israel Houghton and Aaron Lindsey© 2004 Integrity's Praise! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)CCLI License #503207

Almighty God, we believe that you are coming again in power to judge the earth. But we confess that we have not lived as those who daily expect your kingdom. We have spoken harsh words, thought impure thoughts, and lived casual lives. We have not loved you with our whole hearts or our neighbors as ourselves.

Confession of Sin

Have mercy on us and forgive us for all our offenses. In your tender kindness, embrace us with your fatherly love, and fill our hearts with the joyful expectation of seeing you soon, face to face. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Silent time for personal confession

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

In Christ Alone

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled and strivings cease,

My Comforter, my all in all

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless Babe!

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save.

‘Til on that cross, as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied.

For ev’ry sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain;

Then, bursting forth in glorious day,

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory,

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;

For I am His and He is mine,

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the pow’r of Christ in me;

From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

‘Til He returns or calls me home,

Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!

(repeat)

“In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend© 2001 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)CCLI License #503207

Bring your completed Connection Cardto the Welcome Table in the Foyer for your

New Visitor Packet

Making the Story New:Jesus and the Kingdom in the Gospel of Luke

10:10 AM in the Parlor

This week:

“RSVP: Kingdom Choices”

Manifesting His Kingdom in Word and

DeedSoul Food Series in Nov. – Dec. as a follow-up to

the Helping Without Hurting Seminar

All Are Welcome

Common Ground Sunday School

High School Sunday School

Study Topic - Westminster Confession & Apologetic

Middle School Sunday School Study Topic - Characters of the New Testament

SUNDAY SCHOOL

K-2nd grade - Show Me Jesus3rd-5th - Kid’s Quest

Concert of Prayer 7pm, Friday, January 3, in the Parlor

Scripture ReadingLuke 1:8-17

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

Scripture ReadingLuke 1:8-17

12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord.

Scripture ReadingLuke 1:8-17

And he must not drink wine or strongdrink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

 

The Promised One

Malachi 41 ¶ “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.

4 ¶ “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

HEART

“You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

1) He is a messenger about turning the heart.

“And he will turn the hearts….” Vs 6

“Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

2) He is a messenger about turning the hearts of the fathers.

“ And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children…” vs 6

3) He is a messenger about turning the hearts of the children.

“And he will turn …….the hearts of children to their fathers,…” vs 6

4) He is a messenger about the grace of heart turning.

“And he will turn the hearts….” Vs 6

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Ezek 36: 26, 27

And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 11:18

“Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.”

J I Packer

Apps:

• Remember the law (Look Back)

• Behold the prophet (Look Forward)

• Behold the Lord’s coming (Look Up)

• Behold your heart (Look in)

“...and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 

Luke 1:17