Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas Eve Welcome

Good Evening!

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

Why are we gathered here this evening?

You look so cheery in your reds and greens, standing close with your friends and family! We gather here in hope tonight. We gather in hope that tomorrow will bring laughter and delight, a tasty supper, and the comforts of home.

But we are also gathered tonight in a new kind of hope; a hope that shines from the stables of the Middle Eastern countryside, in Bethlehem.

Jesus Christ is coming to you. Your dear Heavenly Father loves you so much this night that He calls your attention to a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. This is the child that, as Martin Luther once said, is laid in the manger of the prophets of the Old Testament. The one coming of whom we sing and praise tonight is the promised baby born so that you do you not fear God’s presence in the world, but welcome Him with soft arms and gentle words.

God has come to place Himself in your hands, so that you will know love, and trust in Him above all things.

He comes so the dark places of your heart and the worries of this world will pass away and be no more.

The darkness has seen a great light!
Jesus Christ, Son of God, is born today for you!

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