“Rejoice! The Savior Is Born. Heaven Stands Open!”
By James Wiese on December 24, 2024
Christmas Eve Candlelight Song Service December 24 2024
Text: Luke 2:10b-11 24:2479
Theme: “Rejoice! The Savior Is Born. Heaven Stands Open!”
In Christ Jesus, dear friends,
This is what Christmas means, and the only thing it truly means eternally to Christians everywhere this night.
A long time ago the will of our good God in heaven was that we should not wander helpless and alone in a dark world of sin and death. His will was to rescue us from the evil that fell upon us when sin entered our lives. So He planned to save us that we might again enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him, the holy angels, and all the blessed saints above – happy, joyful, rejoicing in the brightness of His grace, praising Him for all eternity. For that purpose and only that purpose, God created us, gave us immortal souls, and placed our first parents in the Garden of Eden.
But they were tempted to sin and fell. With that fall darkness and death covered us. We were banished from Paradise into a world of pain, fears, and tears. At the same time, we were banished from Him on earth. God’s face was closed to us as heaven’s gates banged shut. As, after the Fall, He once placed a cherub with a flaming sword to guard the entrance to Eden and the tree of life, so the sword of God’s holiness and perfect righteousness guarded the entrance to the eternal city. It excludes all sinners from heaven. What a state we were in – cast out, banished, excluded from citizenship with Him – without hope, without God – lost in dark eternity. Better would it have been that we had never been born and seen the light of day.
Who of us could reopen heaven’s door? God’s righteousness and holiness locks it to all unclean sinners. Who of us can persuade God to let us in and command heaven’s gates to open? As surely as He is God, just and holy and true, so surely He could not open the gates of His Holy City to those who are sinful and unclean lest in doing that He would cease to be God. Oh, what a state we were in until that night, long ago when Christ was born.
Hardly had Christ been born and laid in the manger when outside, on the fields of Bethlehem, the angel of God appeared, radiant in the glory of the Lord. He called to the terrified shepherds, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” And there was more! The bright heavens opened again and the whole multitude of heaven’s hosts sang to the amazed shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, (God’s) peace, (His) goodwill on men.”
From that there is no doubt that through Jesus’ birth, Heaven Stands Open again for you and all people. Rejoice! Even as heaven opened over those shepherds long ago, it is opened for the sake of Christ our Savior to all who believe the angels’ glorious message. The shepherds were not only the favored ones that night.
If you doubt that, then tell me, who is that newborn Child, lying in the manger? Is it not Christ the Lord, the Son of God, God Himself who became a child of man to save us from our dark fate for which we had no escape on our own? So promised the angel. And therein lies the great, divine mystery of Christmas.
Long ago God made the most blessed decision to do Himself what we could never do. He did it in a way that reveals His immeasurable love. He sent into our world His only begotten Son so that He might carry our disgrace with all our sins to the cross to make full satisfaction for them. Full satisfaction! And with that, the rock-hard lock of heaven’s gates was broken. What we see with the eyes of faith this night in Bethlehem is the carrying out of that plan. For as the Scriptures say, “When the fulness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption, the full rights of sons” (Ga.4:4).
This night, dear friends, Rejoice! The Savior Is Born. Heaven Stands Open. There is no sinner for whom He did not come “for God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Believe it. Let none of us remain hesitant. God grant that through His Holy Spirit we all Rejoice in faith this night; for Our Savior is Born. And the bright, Open gate of Heaven Stands before us. God grant it to us in faith for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Christmas Eve December 24, 2024
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:4.9.14
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Christ, the Light of the World Is Come!
The Call to Worship
Pastor: Lord, when we consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
Congr: Who are we that You are mindful of us? Who are we that You care for us.
Pastor: You are the Light of the world that no darkness can overcome.
Congr: Be our light and scatter the darkness.
Pastor: Darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples.
Congr: But the Lord rises upon us and his glory appears over us.
Pastor: Nations will come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of Your dawn.
Congr: The Lord has made His light shine upon us.
Pastor: Come, let us worship Him. Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
Congr: With boughs in hand, let us join in the festal procession.
Pastor: Let us pray….
The Opening Carol: O Come, Little Children
O come, little children, O come one and all,
To Bethlehem haste, to the manger so small.
God’s Son for a gift has been sent you this night
To be your Redeemer, your joy and delight.
He’s born in a stable for you and for me.
Draw near by the bright gleaming starlight to see,
In swaddling clothes lying so meek and so mild,
And purer than angels the heavenly Child.
Kneel down and adore Him with shepherds today.
Lift up little hands now and praise Him as they.
Rejoice that a Savior from sin you can boast,
And join in the song of the heavenly host.
The Light Prophesied in the Old Testament
Christmas and light! Ever since the brightness of heaven flooded the hills of Bethlehem and the twinkling of a star guided Eastern sages to the newborn King, Christmas and light have been inseparably intertwined in the minds of Christians.
Christmas is the time of light. But in many instances the fragile lights, which were meant to be only symbols of the true Light of Christmas, have come to be mistaken for the light itself. The symbol is substituted for the substance: and the people’s “light” is darkness. The same was true long ago in the Old Testament times. The land of Israel lay in spiritual darkness.
But our God reigns. He promised release from the captivity of sin and the darkness of unbelief.
The Lesson: Isaiah 9:1-7 – The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
The Hymn: Now Sing We, Now Rejoice #363
The Light Draws Near
Christ is the Light of Christmas. Christ is the Light of the world. Christ is the guiding Light of our lives. He is the Light of lights!
Remove from our hearts every influence which has come to us from the Savior – our Christian home, Christian parents, Christian training – erase from our memory every special providence, every comfort, every consolation, every hope-strengthening reassurance which has come to us as a gift of the Savior’s love – and behold what dismal darkness remains. Christ is our Light! With believers of old we rejoice as His coming draws near.
The Lesson: Luke 1:57-60, 67-79 – The Rising Sun will come to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death.
The Hymn: Away in a Manger #340
The Light Appears
When the Light of Life finally appeared, joy filled many hearts. But until His birth took place, only darkness filled Joseph’s life.
Afraid to take the expectant Mary as his wife, thinking that she had been unfaithful to him, Joseph tossed and turned in his mind and in his sleep about what he should do. That is, until the angel of the Lord broke through Joseph’s darkness and enlightened him with the news that the long-awaited Immanuel would soon appear. And when He was born, Joseph gave Him the name, as he was told.
The Lesson: Matthew 1:18-24 – Give Him the name, ‘Jesus,’ because He will save His people from their sins.
The Hymn: From Heaven Above to Earth I Come st. 1-5 331
The Light Shines for Us
The Christmas Eve Meditation: Luke 2:11
“Rejoice! The Savior Is Born; Heaven Stands Open”
The Hymn: Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful” #354
The Service of Light
(At this time the ushers will come forward to pass out the candles. The Christ Candle in the middle of the Advent Wreath will act as our source of light. As the ushers proceed down the center aisle, tip your unlit candle towards the lighted one and pass the flame to your neighbor, keeping your lighted candle held vertically at all times.
No offering will be taken during the service this evening so as to not diminish the focus on our Heavenly Father’s supreme Gift to us. An offering plate is found in the narthex where you may leave a gift in response to God’s gift of Himself.)
Luke 2
Congregational Carols by Candlelight
(Piano Introduction)
The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel…Noel…Noel…Noel, Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east, beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel…Noel…Noel…Noel, Born is the King of Israel.
(Piano Interlude)
Angels we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o’er the plains.
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyous strains.
Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo;
Glo-ri-a in excelsis De-o.
Come, to Bethlehem, and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the new-born King.
Glo-ri-a in excelsis Deo;
Glo-ri-a in excelsis De-o.
(Piano Interlude)
What Child is this, Who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap, is sleeping;
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King;
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe the Son of Mary!
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
Come, peasant, king, to own Him.
The King of kings Salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high;
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born, The babe, the Son of Mary!
(Piano Interlude)
Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heav’nly hosts sing: “Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!”
Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
The Christmas Eve Prayer
The Benediction
Closing Carol:
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, And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
Silent Prayer
You may extinguish your candle at this time. Upon leaving the church, please leave the candleholders in the basket in the back of the church.
As we enter the New Year, may Christ Jesus go before you to bless your life for He will continue on His way to the cross and the empty tomb. There we will again find much reason to sing for joy as the Light and Life of salvation fulfills what He came to do for us.