WEBVTT

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 We're glad that you all are here to celebrate Christmas Eve with us.

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 As we get started, we are grateful for those of you who are visitors with us.

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 We'd love to get a record of your time with us.

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 You can do that the analog way with the visitor card on the seat back in front of you.

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 So do it the digital way.

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 If you look on the very back of your worship guide, you'll see our church website.

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 And if you go there, there's a banner at the top of every single page

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 with a link to our digital visitor card.

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 And that just helps us to connect with you and to connect with our community.

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 You'll also see on pages 9 and 10 what's happening in the life of our church.

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 And I do want to highlight on page 9,

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 the Ladies Come and Go Fellowship is not resuming on Friday, January the 5th.

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 So if you go on Friday, January the 5th,

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 you may be able to do a good ring doorbell recording.

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 With that, Paul and Molly Bishop are going to lead us

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 in the lighting of the Advent candle.

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 Thank you.

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 John 1, 10-14.

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 John 1, 10-14.

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 He was in the world, and the world was made through him,

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 yet the world did not know him.

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 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

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 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,

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 he gave the right to become children of God,

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 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,

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 nor of the will of man, but of God.

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 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us,

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 and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son,

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 from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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 Thank you.

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 To stand and to join me for our call to worship.

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 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

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 Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

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 on them has light shone.

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 You have multiplied the nation.

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 You have increased its joy.

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 They rejoice before you, as the joy at the harvest,

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 that they are glad when they cry before you.

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 For to us a child is born,

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 to us a son is given,

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 and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

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 and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,

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 Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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 Luke 1, 26-38

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 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God

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 to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

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 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph,

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 of the house of David.

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 And the virgin's name was Mary.

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 And he came to her, and he said,

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 Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you.

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 But she was greatly troubled,

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 and was saying, and trying to discern

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 what sort of greeting this might be.

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 And the angel said to her,

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 Do not be afraid, Mary,

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 for you have found favor with God.

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 And behold, you will conceive in your womb,

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 and bear a son,

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 and you shall call his name Jesus.

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 And he will be great,

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 and he will be called the Son of the Most High.

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 And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

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 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever,

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 and of his kingdom there will be no end.

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 And Mary said to the angel,

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 How will this be, since I am a virgin?

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 And the angel answered her,

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 The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

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 and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

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 Therefore, the child to be born will be called Holy,

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 the Son of God.

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 And behold, your relative Elizabeth,

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 in her old age,

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 has also conceived a son.

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 And this is the sixth month with her,

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 who is called barren.

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 For nothing will be impossible with God.

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 And Mary said,

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 Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.

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 Let it be to me according to your word.

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 And the angel departed from her.

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 You may be seated.

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 Now, the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.

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 When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,

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 before they came together,

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 she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

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 And her husband Joseph, being a just man,

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 and unwilling to put her to shame,

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 resolved to divorce her quietly.

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 But as he considered these things,

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 behold,

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 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,

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 saying,

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 Joseph,

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 son of David,

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 do not fear to take Mary as your wife.

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 For that which is conceived in her

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 is from the Holy Spirit.

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 She will bear a son,

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 and you shall call his name Jesus.

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 For he will save his people from their sins.

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 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.

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 Behold,

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 the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

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 and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

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 which means God with us.

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 When Joseph woke from sleep,

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 he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

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 He took his wife,

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 but knew her not,

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 until she had given birth to a son,

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 and he called his name Jesus.

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 Jesus.

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 Luke 2,

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 1 through 7.

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 In those days,

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 a decree went out from Caesar Augustus

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 that all the world should be registered.

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 This was the first registration

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 when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

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 And all went to be registered,

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 each to his own town.

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 And Joseph also went up from Galilee,

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 from the town of Nazareth,

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 to Judea,

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 to the city of David,

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 which is called Bethlehem,

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 because he was of the house and lineage of David,

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 to be registered with Mary,

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 his betrothed,

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 who was with child.

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 And while they were there,

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 the time came for her to give birth.

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 And she gave birth to her firstborn son,

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 and wrapped him in swaddling cloths,

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 and laid him in a manger,

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 because there was no place for them in the inn.

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 And in the same region,

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 there were shepherds out in the field,

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 keeping watch over their flock by night.

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 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them,

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 and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

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 And they were filled with great fear.

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 And the angel said to them,

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 Fear not,

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 for behold,

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 I bring you good news of great joy,

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 that you will be for all the people.

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 For you unto is a born,

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 this day,

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 in the city of David,

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 a savior,

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 wrapped in swaddling clothes,

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 cloths,

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 and lying in a manger.

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 And suddenly there was,

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 with an angel,

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 a multitude of heavenly hosts,

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 praising God and saying,

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 Glory to God in the highest,

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 and on earth peace among those

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 with whom he is pleased.

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 When the angels went away from them into heaven,

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 the shepherds said one to another,

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 Let us go to Bethlehem

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 and see this thing that has happened,

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 which the Lord has made known to us.

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 And they went with haste

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 and found Mary and Joseph

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 and the baby lying in a manger.

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 And when they saw it,

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 they made known the saying

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 that had been told to them

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 concerning this child.

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 And all who heard it wondered

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 at what the shepherds told them.

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 But Mary treasured up all these things

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 and pondered them in her heart.

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 And the shepherds returned,

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 glorifying and praising God

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 for all they had heard and seen

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 as it had been told to them.

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 Friday, that's the biggest shopping day,

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 but Christmas Eve.

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 And I certainly hope that's not true of you.

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 But we give gifts to one another

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 at Christmas.

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 And we do that as just a small token

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 of the greatest gift

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 that we've received from Christ,

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 a gift of our salvation.

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 And tonight we have another opportunity

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 to show Christ's love,

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 which is to take an offering

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 that goes to our Deacons Mercy Fund.

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 And this is a fund

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 that the deacons of our church

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 use to support those who are in need

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 in very tangible ways,

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 whether it's paying a utility bill

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 or helping out someone with rent.

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 And so we're going to celebrate that now

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 as a chance to bless others

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 as God has blessed us.

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 Good evening.

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 My name is Matthew Capone

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 and I'm the pastor

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 here at Shine Mountain Presbyterian Church.

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 And we're just delighted

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 that you've joined us

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 this evening for your Christmas Eve.

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 I always forget to mention something

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 at the beginning

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 and I forgot to mention, of course,

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 that on our last hymn,

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 we have our candles.

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 And the way to light these

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 is just to turn them clockwise.

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 Don't do it now.

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 I'm just doing that

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 for demonstration purposes, okay?

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 So we'll turn out the big lights

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 and we'll have little lights together.

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 And we'll talk about that in a minute.

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 The year that I turned,

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 nine years old,

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 I started violin lessons

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 and I was given this practice book

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 to make a way of checking off

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 if I practiced every single day of the week.

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 And on the front of the book,

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 there was this little illustration

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 of this pig sitting in front of a plate

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 and he had a knife and a fork.

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 And it said,

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 only practice on the days you eat.

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 Then I became a teacher

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 and I gave my students

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 sort of a similar sheet for their homework.

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 And at the top,

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 it had this Latin phrase

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 that meant repetition is the mother of memory.

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 And the point is practice is ongoing, right?

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 It's something that has to be done

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 every week and every day.

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 We have sung songs tonight

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 that we sang last year.

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 We read all of the same readings

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 that we read last year on Christmas Eve.

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 And no one,

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 at least I hope none of you would say,

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 well, I don't understand

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 why we're singing Silent Night.

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 We sang that in 2022.

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 We've been there.

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 We've done that.

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 And repetition is the mother of memory.

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 It's not just the mother of memory

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 for students who need to learn their homework.

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 Repetition is what we do as Christians.

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 Memory is what we do as Christians.

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 We're a religion of remembering.

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 In the Old Testament,

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 God tells his people over and over and over,

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 remember what I did for you.

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 Remember I brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

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 That's how the Ten Commandments start.

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 I'm the Lord your God

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 who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

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 out of the house of slavery.

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 And the New Testament is a book of remembering,

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 telling us over and over,

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 remember Christ's death and his resurrection.

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 Remember what God's done for you in the past.

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 Remember what that means for you now.

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 So why do we have Christmas every December?

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 I mean, we could treat it like a leap year, you know?

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 We could have it just every few years.

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 And the reason is that same simple reason.

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 We are doing it to remember.

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 Remember, we come back year after year

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 to remind ourselves of the story.

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 And what is it that we're remembering?

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 Well, we're remembering a lot of things.

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 One of them is what Paul and Molly read for us

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 at the very beginning from John chapter one.

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 There is real darkness in the world.

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 And there is also real light.

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 It's the same thing we saw in our call to worship

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 in Isaiah chapter nine.

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 The people who walked in darkness

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 have seen a great light.

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 It's what we sang in,

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 Lo, how a rose, ear blooming.

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 It came, a flower it.

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 By the way, a flower it is a tiny flower, okay?

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 It came, a flower it bright, amid the cold of winter.

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 And that's why at the very end of this service,

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 in just a couple minutes,

00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:07.279
 we're gonna turn off the big lights

00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:09.180
 and we're gonna use our little lights

00:14:09.180 --> 00:14:15.180
 as another reminder that Christ is coming.

00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:20.840
 He has come as the light in the darkness.

00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:25.279
 He's the light of hope,

00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:31.199
 whether it's strained or broken relationships.

00:14:32.199 --> 00:14:35.220
 He's the light of hope for our anger

00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:37.740
 and our misunderstandings.

00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:40.919
 He's the light of hope for addiction

00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:47.360
 and war and famine and terrorism.

00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:51.759
 We are screwing on these lights

00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.159
 to turn them on as a small sign,

00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:55.940
 a small reminder

00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:58.980
 that the people who walked in darkness

00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.080
 have seen a great light.

00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:04.320
 Now our remembering,

00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:07.940
 it's not just darkness out there in the world.

00:15:08.580 --> 00:15:11.120
 Part of the remembering we do as Christians

00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:14.399
 is that there's real darkness in us as well.

00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.600
 The light of hope

00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:21.139
 is not simply for the world

00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:22.620
 outside the walls of the church.

00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:25.980
 The light of hope is also for the people

00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.299
 who are inside the walls of the church.

00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:31.799
 It's the light of hope for our own battles

00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:33.100
 against our own pride

00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:34.639
 and fear

00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:36.579
 and selfishness

00:15:36.579 --> 00:15:37.279
 and lies

00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:38.779
 and wounds

00:15:38.779 --> 00:15:40.419
 and pain

00:15:40.419 --> 00:15:42.120
 and abuse.

00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:46.019
 Jesus is

00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:47.439
 the light

00:15:47.439 --> 00:15:48.500
 of the world.

00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:51.059
 If you were here this morning,

00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:52.840
 we talked about Mary's song

00:15:52.840 --> 00:15:54.100
 from Luke chapter 1

00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:55.519
 and Mary tells us,

00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:56.100
 verse 50,

00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:56.959
 His mercy

00:15:56.959 --> 00:15:58.699
 is for those

00:15:58.699 --> 00:15:59.500
 who fear Him.

00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:02.639
 So this is not just some vague

00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:04.699
 feel-good light

00:16:04.699 --> 00:16:05.959
 about there being goodness

00:16:05.959 --> 00:16:06.740
 in the world.

00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:09.519
 No, this is a very specific,

00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:11.079
 direct hope

00:16:11.079 --> 00:16:13.340
 for a specific people.

00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:15.680
 the people who have faith

00:16:15.680 --> 00:16:17.440
 and trust in Jesus Christ,

00:16:17.540 --> 00:16:18.879
 the people who embrace Him

00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:20.440
 as the light of the world

00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:22.139
 and know that outside of Him

00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:23.800
 they have no hope.

00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:26.160
 Those are the people

00:16:26.160 --> 00:16:26.980
 who experience

00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:28.280
 the light.

00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:29.740
 Those are the people

00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:30.600
 who no longer

00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:31.820
 have to walk

00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:33.220
 in darkness.

00:16:34.180 --> 00:16:35.399
 It's those who confess

00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:36.300
 that they need the light

00:16:36.300 --> 00:16:39.120
 and that they cannot produce it

00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:40.300
 on their own.

00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:43.859
 In 2008,

00:16:44.339 --> 00:16:45.079
 Time magazine

00:16:45.079 --> 00:16:46.219
 had an interview

00:16:46.219 --> 00:16:48.799
 with then-presidential hopeful

00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.519
 John McCain

00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:51.699
 and they asked him

00:16:51.699 --> 00:16:52.439
 about his faith.

00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:54.740
 And he told them a story

00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:55.899
 about his time

00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:56.879
 as a prisoner

00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:58.019
 in a POW camp

00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:58.799
 during Vietnam.

00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:00.299
 There were times

00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:00.779
 at night

00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:02.099
 where they would tie him up

00:17:02.099 --> 00:17:02.620
 with ropes

00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:04.200
 into these very cruel positions

00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:05.079
 so that he'd be filled

00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:05.519
 with pain.

00:17:06.419 --> 00:17:07.319
 And he had a guard

00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:08.000
 at one point

00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:09.299
 who was the night guard

00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:10.680
 and this guard came along

00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:12.059
 one evening

00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:13.099
 and loosened his ropes

00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:14.619
 so that he could have

00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:15.139
 some relief.

00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:17.240
 And then later

00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:18.299
 as his watch ended

00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:19.039
 he came back

00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:20.259
 and tightened the ropes again

00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:21.440
 so that no one

00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:22.059
 would know

00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:22.579
 the mercy

00:17:22.579 --> 00:17:23.500
 that he had shown

00:17:23.500 --> 00:17:24.659
 Senator McCain.

00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:27.579
 McCain then goes on

00:17:27.579 --> 00:17:28.919
 to say a month or so later

00:17:28.919 --> 00:17:30.359
 it was Christmas Day.

00:17:31.899 --> 00:17:32.460
 He said,

00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:32.960
 I was standing

00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:33.779
 in the dirt courtyard

00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:34.440
 when I saw

00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:35.460
 that same guard

00:17:35.460 --> 00:17:36.159
 approach me.

00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:37.599
 He walked up

00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:38.379
 and stood silently

00:17:38.380 --> 00:17:39.020
 next to me

00:17:39.020 --> 00:17:39.700
 not looking

00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:40.900
 or smiling at me.

00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:42.720
 Then he used

00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:43.720
 his sandaled foot

00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:45.120
 to draw a cross

00:17:45.120 --> 00:17:46.080
 in the dirt.

00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:48.780
 We stood wordlessly

00:17:48.780 --> 00:17:50.000
 looking at the cross

00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.740
 remembering

00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:54.900
 the true light

00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:55.840
 of Christmas

00:17:55.840 --> 00:17:58.340
 even in the darkness

00:17:58.340 --> 00:18:00.760
 of a Vietnamese prison camp.

00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:04.080
 Brothers and sisters,

00:18:04.280 --> 00:18:04.920
 we are not

00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:05.800
 in a prison camp.

00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:07.720
 we do live

00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:09.240
 in a dark world.

00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:11.859
 And we come together

00:18:11.859 --> 00:18:13.740
 to sing

00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:15.099
 and to read

00:18:15.099 --> 00:18:16.279
 to remember

00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:17.240
 the light

00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:18.259
 that's true.

00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:20.359
 The true light

00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:20.899
 of Christmas

00:18:20.899 --> 00:18:22.200
 that shines

00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:23.139
 no matter how dark

00:18:23.139 --> 00:18:24.440
 things are

00:18:24.440 --> 00:18:25.440
 outside.

00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:28.079
 Let's pray.

00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:30.659
 Our Father in Heaven,

00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:32.059
 we thank you

00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:33.039
 and we praise you

00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:34.440
 for the light

00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:34.859
 that you have

00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:35.599
 brought into the world.

00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:36.980
 We thank you

00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:37.940
 that you give us

00:18:37.940 --> 00:18:39.519
 not an abstract

00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:40.680
 pie-in-the-sky hope

00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:41.339
 but you give us

00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:42.859
 a real flesh-and-blood hope

00:18:42.859 --> 00:18:43.440
 that you sent

00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:43.940
 your Son

00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:44.539
 and our Savior,

00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:46.059
 our Lord Jesus,

00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:48.119
 who lived the life

00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:49.519
 that we should have lived

00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.279
 and died the death

00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:51.079
 that we should have died.

00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:53.039
 That he obeyed

00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:53.619
 on our behalf

00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:54.319
 and he was punished

00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:54.980
 on our behalf

00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:55.700
 so that we could

00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:56.399
 walk in the light.

00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:57.759
 We ask all these things

00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:58.980
 in the mighty name

00:18:58.980 --> 00:18:59.819
 of Jesus Christ.

00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:00.579
 Amen.

00:19:01.220 --> 00:19:02.019
 You all have a very

00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:02.680
 Merry Christmas.