Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for December 10, 2023
Pre-service Song
How Beautiful the Mystery
How beautiful the mystery:
Th’Eternal Word comes down
To live and love and die and rise,
To claim His victor’s crown.
Content we find Him cradled there
Amongst the filth and beasts.
Who would believe that He will be
Our guide from death to peace!
Chorus
How beautiful the mystery:
Th’Eternal Word came down;
The Servant-King has set us free
To live for His renown.
By angry swords and dark decree
He’s driven from His land.
But still He humbly bows His head
To trust His Father’s hand.
The spotless Lamb lays down his life,
A curse upon a cross.
Then lives that He might guarantee
That no sheep will be lost. (Chorus)
How beautiful the mystery:
The Word shall come again
To raise His own to live with Him,
Set free from death and sin.
O! may our hearts grow ever fond
Of Mary’s precious boy:
Our Christ, our hope, our heart’s desire,
Our King and Sov’reign joy! (Chorus)
By Eric Schumacher, David L. Ward and Jeff Bourque
© 2010 Hymnicity
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Isaiah 9:2, 60:1-3, John 8:12 (CSB)
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness.
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness will cover the earth,
And total darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will shine over you,
And his glory will appear over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to your shining brightness.
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world.
Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness
but will have the light of life.”
We light these candles as a sign of the coming light of Christ.
Our Sung Call to Worship
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Chorus
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. (Chorus)
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And cause us in her ways to go. (Chorus)
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace. (Chorus)
Latin Hymn vs. 1 & 2 translated by John Mason Neal, vs. 3 & 4 translated by Henry Sloane Coffin
©Public Domain
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Lord, we confess that we so often do not look for Your coming.
Instead, we wander in the darkness of our own minds.
We bear our burdens alone.
We strive in our own strength.
We carry on as blind orphans.
Father, forgive us.
Jesus, save us.
Spirit, renew us.
We call on You as our last option,
Often in desperation when nothing else has rescued us.
And instead of withholding from us in punishment,
You come like a shepherd to his needy flock.
You gather us in Your arms.
You bring healing, comfort, and help.
Father, forgive us.
Jesus, save us.
Spirit, renew us.
Receive now our private confessions.
Hear our prayers of penitence.
Forgive us our sins.
Come and rescue us.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
What Child is This?
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.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, 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.
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 a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The babe, the Son of Mary.
Words by William C. 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
Titus 3:3-7 (CSB)
Remember the Gospel!
For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived,
enslaved by various passions and pleasures,
living in malice and envy,
hateful, detesting one another.
But when the kindness of God our Savior
and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—
not by works of righteousness that we had done,
but according to his mercy—
through the washing of regeneration
and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior so that,
having been justified by his grace,
we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
How Beautiful the Mystery (Distribution Song)
How beautiful the mystery:
Th’Eternal Word comes down
To live and love and die and rise,
To claim His victor’s crown.
Content we find Him cradled there
Amongst the filth and beasts.
Who would believe that He will be
Our guide from death to peace!
Chorus
How beautiful the mystery:
Th’Eternal Word came down;
The Servant-King has set us free
To live for His renown.
By angry swords and dark decree
He’s driven from His land.
But still He humbly bows His head
To trust His Father’s hand.
The spotless Lamb lays down his life,
A curse upon a cross.
Then lives that He might guarantee
That no sheep will be lost. (Chorus)
How beautiful the mystery:
The Word shall come again
To raise His own to live with Him,
Set free from death and sin.
O! may our hearts grow ever fond
Of Mary’s precious boy:
Our Christ, our hope, our heart’s desire,
Our King and Sov’reign joy! (Chorus)
By Eric Schumacher, David L. Ward and Jeff Bourque
© 2010 Hymnicity
Behold the Lamb of God
Behold the lamb of God
Who takes away our sin.
Behold the lamb of God
The life and light of men.
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again.
Behold the lamb of God
Who comes to take away our sin.
Chorus
Son of God (Emmanuel),
Son of man (we praise You),
Behold (behold) the Lamb,
The hope (the hope) of man,
Behold the lamb.
(Verse)
By Andrew Peterson
© 2005 Laura Stories; New Spring
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
King of Kings/Gloria in Excelsis Deo
In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope, without light,
Till from heaven You came running,
There was mercy in Your eyes.
To fulfill the law and prophets,
To a virgin came the Word,
From a throne of endless glory,
To a cradle in the dirt.
Chorus
Praise the Father,
Praise the Son,
Praise the Spirit, three in one.
God of Glory, Majesty,
Praise forever to the King of Kings
To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost,
To redeem the whole creation,
You did not despise the cross.
For even in Your suffering,
You saw to the other side.
Knowing this was our salvation,
Jesus, for our sake You died. (Chorus)
And the morning that You rose,
All of heaven held its breath,
Till that stone was moved for good,
For the Lamb had conquered death.
And the dead rose from their tombs,
And the angels stood in awe,
For the souls of all who’d come,
To the Father are restored.
And the Church of Christ was born,
Then the Spirit lit the flame.
Now this Gospel truth of old,
Shall not kneel, shall not faint.
By his blood and in His name,
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ,
Who has resurrected me.
Chorus
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Chorus
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, in excelsis Deo
By Brooke Ligertwood, Jason Ingram, and Scott Ligertwood, Gloria: Traditional French Carol
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia; Fellow Ships Music; So Essential Tunes
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 a Mission Moment to highlight the different missions giving
opportunities we have at Grand. Members are encouraged to give to GABC Missions to support these missions.
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 1:67-80 (CSB)
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times; 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us.
72 He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant— 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant that we, 74 having been rescued from the hand of our enemies, would serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion,the dawn from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Luke 1:67-80 – Christmas Light – Pastor Michael Felkins
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 both song and spoken word.
Sending Song
Christ is Mine Forevermore
Mine are the days that God has numbered;
I was made to walk with Him.
Yet I look for worldly treasure
and forsake the King of kings.
But mine is hope in my Redeemer—
though I fall His love is sure!
For Christ has paid for every failing;
I am His forevermore!
Mine are tears in times of sorrow,
darkness not yet understood.
Through the valley, I must travel
where I see no earthly good.
But mine is peace that flows from heaven
and the strength in times of need.
I know my pain will not be wasted—
Christ completes His work in me.
Mine are days here as a stranger,
pilgrim on a narrow way.
One with Christ, I will encounter
harm and hatred for His name.
But mine is armour for this battle,
strong enough to last the war.
And He has said He will deliver
safely to the golden shore.
And mine are keys to Zion city,
where beside the King, I walk.
For there, my heart has found its treasure—
Christ is mine forevermore.
Come rejoice now, O my soul,
for His love is my reward!
Fear is gone, and hope is sure—
Christ is mine forevermore. (Repeat)
And mine are keys to Zion city,
where beside the King, I walk.
For there, my heart has found its treasure—
Christ is mine forevermore.
By Jonny Robinson and Rich Thompson
© 2016 CityAlight Music
Blessing
Psalm 67:1-3 (CSB)
May God be gracious to us and bless us;
may he make his face shine upon us —
so that your way may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Luke 2:22-28