Worship Service At Internet Church Of Christ For Week Of Sunday,
December 24, 2006 -- Christmas Week -- Featuring "Jesus Christ Is Born"
HTML page with nativity scene and more links at =>
http://www.InternetChurchOfChrist.org/worship122406.html
To see see previous worship services, please click =>
http://www.loveallpeople.org/recentworshipservices.html
Christmas pages at http://www.loveallpeople.org/christmaspages.html
Hello Beloved,
If you have the Holy Spirit of Jesus abiding within you, then you are
able to endure all trials, blessed with the peace which surpasses all
understanding. If not, you remain deprived of the many blessings the
Lord has waiting for you. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your
personal Lord and Saviour, you have the opportunity to do that right
now by clicking => HERE! -
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/jesusdirect.html
Welcome
Welcome to the online worship service at Internet Church Of Christ.
Here is a good place to worship our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You
are invited and are welcome at any time. Blessings to you in Him.
Opening Hymn
Opening Hymn
"Joy To The World"
Words by Isaac Watts, music by George Frederick Handel, arranged by
Lowell Mason (hymn tune ANTIOCH). MIDI file sequenced by Bill McGinnis
from a published Public Domain arrangement. Everything here is Public
Domain, free for all to use without restriction.
MIDI music file at http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/joytoc.mid
JOY TO THE WORLD - by Isaac Watts, 1719 - Public Domain
Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.
MIDI music file at http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/angelsa.mid
More like this at Christmusic.ws
For more Christmas carols, please go to
http://patriot.net/users/bmcgin/christmas_carols.html
Invocation
O Lord, we come together in Your name,
And as You promised, we know You are here.
AND SO WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS,
AND PRAY THAT YOU FIND PLEASURE HERE WITH US,
AS WE, YOUR LOVING CHILDREN WORSHIP YOU.
We now invite You to reveal Yourself,
And share with us Your presence, openly,
FOR YOU ARE EVERYTHING THAT WE DESIRE,
AND EVERYTHING WE HAVE, WE GIVE TO YOU.
In Jesus' holy name we pray, Amen.
If you are a new Christian, we invite you to visit our page at
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/newchristian.html
Declaration Of Faith
The Apostles' Creed
This historic affirmation of faith comes to us from the early
centuries of the Christian church.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost;
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven
And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The holy catholic church; *
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.
Amen.
* Note: "catholic church" here means the entire body of
believers in Christ, not just one particular church.
Reading Of The Scriptures
The Birth Of Jesus
(Luke 2:1-20)
MP3 Audio file at
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/thebirthofjesus-kjv.mp3
Public Domain
The Birth Of Jesus
as described in The King James Bible (KJV)
and The Revised Standard Version (RSV)
LUKE 2:1-20 (KJV)
1
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
taxed.
2
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was
governor
of Syria.)
3
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and
lineage
of David:)
5
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great
with
child.
6
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days
were
accomplished that she should be delivered.
7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him
in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn.
8
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were
sore afraid.
10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all
people.
11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the
babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will
toward men.
15
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from
them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let
us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which
is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph,
and
the babe lying in a manger.
17
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the
saying which was told them concerning this child.
18
And all they that heard it wondered at those things
which
were told them by the shepherds.
19
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her
heart.
20
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it
was
told unto them.
_____________________________________________________________
LUKE 2:1-20 (RSV)
1
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that
all the world should be enrolled.
2
This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was
governor of Syria.
3
And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
4
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of
Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is
called
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of
David,
5
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with
child.
6
And while they were there, the time came for her to be
delivered.
7
And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him
in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because
there was no place for them in the inn.
8
And in that region there were shepherds out in the
field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
9
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with
fear.
10
And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold,
I
bring you good news of a great joy which will come to
all
the people;
11
for to you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior,
who is Christ the Lord.
12
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe
wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
13
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying,
14
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among
men
with whom he is pleased!"
15
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to
Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which
the
Lord has made known to us."
16
And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and
the babe lying in a manger.
17
And when they saw it they made known the saying which
had
been told them concerning this child;
18
and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told
them.
19
But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her
heart.
20
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told
them.
_____________________________________________________________
May the Lord bless this presentation of His holy Word.
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NOTE: Please also see "The Virginal Conception of Jesus, and His
Birth," which is from Matthew 1:18-24, with excellent commentary from
the Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries, located at
http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/virginbirth.txt
See more Christmas pages at
http://www.loveallpeople.org/christmaspages.html
Guest Hymn From Another Website - "I Wonder As I Wander"
http://www.bethanyroberts.com/I_Wonder_As_I_Wander.htm
Exhortation - "Submit Yourself Completely To His Will"
Submit yourself completely to His will,
And hold back nothing from your gift to Him.
For He wants all of you, not merely part,
And He will be content with nothing less.
You must submit to something in this world:
If nothing else, you must submit to death,
So do not think you ever can prevail.
Then why not go as high as you can go?
Submit yourself to God, and you will find
A total joy that lasts forevermore.
by William McGinnis
Public Domain
Prayer For You - "Go Ahead And Give Yourself To Christ"
NOTE: When you read this prayer, try to imagine hearing my voice as I
speak it to you. In this way, the prayer is reactivated, and it
the same as if I were actually praying for you at that moment.
(Just like television prayers are reactivated when you watch
them, although the videotape may have been shot years before.)
Perhaps you are a Christian even now,
You go to church and try to do your best,
You try to put His teachings in your life,
But still you do not feel that He is yours.
You do not feel the closeness that you crave.
If this is you, then say this prayer with me:
* * *
O Lord, I want you closer in my life,
I want you more to be a part of me.
I want the best relationship with you,
That anyone on earth could ever have.
I know that, "as we give, we shall receive,"
And so I now do give myself to you,
In full completeness, holding nothing back.
I'm yours, so you may use me as you will,
And take whatever things you want from me.
And now that I did give myself to you,
I pray that you will give yourself to me,
As bridegroom gives himself to his new bride.
In Jesus' holy name I pray, Amen.
by William McGinnis
Public Domain
Holy Communion
A ceremony for Holy Communion is available to you HERE! -
http://patriot.net/~bmcgin/pearl-holycommunion.html
If you are alone, you will needed to be both "Leader" and "Assembly,"
as described in the ceremony.
How To Find A Real, Live Church
An online church is better than no church at all; but it is even better
for most Christians to actually belong to a real, live church, with
real, live people. Then, you can have your real church PLUS your online
church, so you gain the benefits of both. You can find a church for
yourself by clicking HERE! -
http://patriot.net/~bmcgin/findachurch.html
Closing Hymn - "Away In A Manger"
Words in verses 1 and 2 are by an unknown author, verse 3 by John
Thomas McFarland; Music by William J. Kirkpatrick - Public Domain. MIDI
file sequenced by Bill McGinnis from a published Public Domain
arrangement. Public Domain.
Click HERE to start the music =>
http://patriot.net/users/bmcgin/awayb.mid
AWAY IN A MANGER - Public Domain
Verses 1 and 2 are anonymously written. Verse 3 is by John Thomas
McFarland
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us to heaven, to live with Thee there.
Benediction
_____________________________________________________________
"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in
all ways. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:16 RSV)
_____________________________________________________________
This worship service is now completed. Go in peace.
* * *
Blessings to you in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - http://www.LoveAllPeople.org
All of our original content on all of our pages is in the Public
Domain. Webmasters: you may link to all of our pages by any means you
choose, including "framing."
Search our pages at http://www.loveallpeople.org/searchallpages.html
If You Are Searching For A Spiritual Home, You Are Invited To Visit And
Join http://internetchurchofchrist.org - Rev. Bill McGinnis, Pastor.
.
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