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Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!
The god-man has come!
Come as one of us,
born of a virgin, flesh and bone,
wholly God, yet wholly man!
What great mystery is this!
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!
He is the light of the world and the bread of life.
All things that were made were made through Him
and by Him all things hold together.
Yet the shepherds found Him just as the angels said,
lying in a manger and they went away praising God.
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!
Oh come! Let us adore Him, Christ the everlasting Lord.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
Verse 1
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 angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King.”
Verse 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 men to dwell,
Jesus our Immanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King.”
Verse 3
Hail the heav’n born 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 man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King.”
Words by Charles Wesley, Music by Felix Medelssohn
Public Domain
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Holy and righteous God, we confess that like Isaiah,
we are a people of unclean lips. But it is not only unclean lips we possess. We are people with unclean hands and unclean hearts. We have broken your law times without number, and are guilty of pride, unbelief, self-centeredness and idolatry.
Affect our hearts with the severity of our sin and the glory of your righteousness as we acknowledge our sins in Your holy presence.
Lord, have mercy;
Christ have mercy;
Lord, have mercy, have mercy, Lord.
We have had other gods before you. We have worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator. We have sought satisfaction in this world’s pleasure rather than in You. We have loved to praise our own glory more than yours.
We have taken Your name in vain. We have prayed religious prayers to impress others. We have uttered Your name countless times without reverence or love. We have listened to others use Your name in vain without grieving.
Lord, have mercy;
Christ have mercy;
Lord, have mercy, have mercy, Lord.
We have murdered in our hearts. We have often destroyed our neighbor with our tongues. We have been quick to uncharitably judge others. We have considered revenge when we were sinned against.
We have committed adultery with our eyes. We have loved temptation rather than fighting it. We have lusted after unlawful and immoral pleasures. We have justified our lusts by using the world as our standard.
Lord, have mercy;
Christ have mercy;
Lord, have mercy, have mercy, Lord.
We have stolen what is not ours and coveted what belongs to others. Our lives overflow with discontent, ungratefulness, and envy. We have complained in the midst of Your abundant provision. We have sought to exalt ourselves through owning more.
We have lied to You and others. We have told distorted truths, half-truths and untruths. We have despised the truth to make ourselves look better. Even in our confession, we look for ways to hide our guilt.
O God, we have sinned against your mercy times
without number.
We are ashamed to lift up our faces before You,
for our iniquities have gone over our heads.
If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities who could
stand?
How shall we answer You?
We lay our hands on our mouths.
We have no answer to Your righteous wrath and
just judgement.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
What Child is This?
Verse 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!
Verse 2
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear, shall pierce Him through.
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Verse 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!
Words by William Dix, Music Traditional English Melody
Public Domain
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Adapted from Robert Murry McCheyne
Church, where sin abounds, grace much more abounds!
Christ’s righteousness is infinitely vast and glorious!
For your unholy life, here is His divinely holy life to cover you.
Here are His holy thoughts to cover your unholy thoughts.
Here are His holy words to cover your unholy words.
Here are His holy actions to cover your unholy actions.
We are an underserving people, but praise be to God,
we stand here cleansed by His blood
and covered in His righteousness.
Lord, You are the glory and the lifter of our heads!
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
In Christ Alone
Verse 1
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.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
Verse 2
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.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For every sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.
Verse 3
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.
Verse 4
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;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
©2001 Thankyou Music
Thanksgiving and Petition
We Give Thanks in Prayer and Offer Petitions to God
We express our gratitude to God our Father for Christ’s work on the cross for us and bring our requests before him. In bringing our requests, we confess that we believe God truly is a good father, who cares about our needs and gives us what he knows is best.
We Give Thanks by Giving
We give financial offerings to support the work of the church because of our gratitude to God. By giving we confess we are trusting in God’s provision for us as well.
On the first Sunday of each month we have two offerings—one for the general fund and a second one for the benevolence ministry of our church.
You may give electronically at gabcames.org/giving/ or place your offering in the boxes at the back of the sanctuary or send a check in the mail.
Scripture Reading
Luke 2:8-14 (CSB)
8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Sermon
Sermon Series: A Christmas Carol
Sermon Title: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Pastor Eric Schumacher
Sermon Discipleship Questions
1. What encouraged you?
2. What convicted you?
3. Is there anything in your life that needs to change?
Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in spoken word.
Blessing
As the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all the things that they had heard and seen,
may you go out joyously,
as a witness to Christ the Lord this week.