Saturday, December 5, 2009
THE "COMING" OF OUR SAVIOR THROUGH HIS WORD AND SACRAMENTS
(Excerpts from a Children's Christmas Eve Service)
Narration: Imagine the joy of the shepherds, arriving breathlessly at the stable, just seconds away from seeing, face to face, their newborn King, their Savior. Some two thousand years, two continents, and an ocean separate us from sharing that night with the shepherds. And yet our Savior continues to come through this wonderful retelling of the Gospel story. The words of the Apostle Paul remind us again that our Savior comes to us through His Word.
Child's Recitation: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17)
Narration: Just as those shepherds did that night, we worship and adore our King by taking every opportunity to rejoice and praise Him with fellow Christians as we gather in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each Sunday morning. For the Apostle Paul also encourages us when he writes:
Child's Recitation: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).
Narration: And finally, like those early disciples and apostles it is our life's ambition to share His saving message wherever and whenever and however the Lord gives the opportunity so that salvation may come to others through the Gospel message. It is our privilege to carry out the commission that our Savior gave to His Church before He ascended to His heavenly Throne. Our Savior now comes to others and us through His Word and Sacraments.
Child's Recitation: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Narration: Having spent this first week of the Advent season reviewing the familiar themes of Christmas Eve we begin this time of preparation with our hearts properly focused on Jesus! May the Lord bless our celebration of His birth!
