SHARE THE JOY CHRISTMAS EVE
Share the Joy! #4
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
(Luke 2:8–14, NLT) “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16, NLT) “Always be joyful.”
(John 3:29, ESV) “This joy of mine is now complete.”
1. Accept God’s will for my life even when it is difficult.
(Luke 1:29–30, NLT) “Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!”
(Luke 1:37–38, CEV) “Nothing is impossible for God!” Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her.”
(Psalm 119:143, GN) “I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy.”
(Luke 1:47, GW) “My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior, ”
2. Choose grace over resentment.
(Matthew 1:19–21, NLT) “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
(Titus 3:3, LB) “Our lives were full of resentment and envy. We hated others and they hated us.”
3. Follow Jesus, the Light of the World, one day at a time.
(Matthew 2:1–11, NLT) “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him. … The wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
(Psalm 43:3, NLT) “Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me.”
(1 John 1:5–7, CEV) “Jesus told us that God is light and doesn’t have any darkness in him. Now we are telling you. If we say that we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth. But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.”