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Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Multiple Illustrations for Christmas Eve/Day -- Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2011
Isaiah 9:2-7
In The House of the Dead, Dostoevsky, the great... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- Richard A. Hasler -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2011
In The House of the Dead, Dostoevsky, the great Russian writer describes a Christmas day in a
This account of the birth of Christ is so commonplace... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- Craig Kelly -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2011
This account of the birth of Christ is so commonplace this time of year that it can tend to be gloss
NULL -- Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2010
Isaiah 9:2-7
NULL -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- Craig Kelly -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2010
It is amazing to see how God works through people who don't even know or worship him to accomplish h
Shepherds experience the angels' message... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2008
Shepherds experience the angels' message at night.
Barbara Robinson's book, The Best... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2008
Barbara Robinson's book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, tells the story of the youth in a p
Tonight we find ourselves on... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2008
Tonight we find ourselves on the road to Bethlehem.
One Sunday morning in 1988... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
One Sunday morning in 1988, as Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide (later to become president
At the entrance to the... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
At the entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Holy Land, there is a
Christmas Eve is always a... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Christmas Eve is always a special time for Joe and Barbara as their adult children along
Kevin and Samantha were scheduled... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Kevin and Samantha were scheduled to move into their new home at the end of the
One Sunday morning in 1988... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
One Sunday morning in 1988, as Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide (later to become president of Haiti) wa
At the entrance to the... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
At the entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Holy Land, there is a large sign t
Christmas Eve is always a... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Christmas Eve is always a special time for Joe and Barbara as their adult children along with their
Kevin and Samantha were scheduled... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Kevin and Samantha were scheduled to move into their new home at the end of the month.
Just like today, in... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2003
Just like today, in biblical times, decrees of various types were written down for the record.
Movie makers are growing... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2003
Movie makers are growing in their boldness to depict God in frail human terms, often featuring
When my wife and... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2003
When my wife and I reminisce with our grown children, they often tell us about the things they
God made a stable cold... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 2001
God made a stable cold and bareThe symbol of God's love and care.
Once when Clement Attlee was... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 2001
Once when Clement Attlee was prime minister of England, the Shakespearean actor, Sir John Gielgud, w
There is a picture by... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 2001
There is a picture by Derick Baegert titled Luke Painting the Virgin and Child, which shows,
An old four-panel comic... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 2001
An old four-panel comic strip from cartoonist Tim Downs shows a man on Christmas Eve asking a little
In past Advent days one... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 1994
In past Advent days one heard Christmas carols everywhere.

The Immediate Word

The Prince Of Peace In A World Of Violence -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20), John 1:1-14, Isaiah 9:2-7 -- Stephen P. McCutchan, George Reed -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2005
(Originally published for December 24-25, 2005)

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Advent 3
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New & Featured This Week

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John Jamison
Object: A crèche, or manger scene. Any size and style is fine as long as it includes shepherds. Have the creche set up before you begin.

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StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” (vv. 13-14)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Bonnie Bates
Isaiah 62:6-12
Isaiah proclaims, “Look, your savior comes.” We celebrate on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day the coming of our savior into the world – not as one full of power, but as a babe, vulnerable and human, as one born among us. Yes, God has great things in store for this babe, great lessons to teach us and for us to absorb as we watch this babe become a child and then a man. But in this quiet moment, this moment in a stable, born of indigent, immigrant parents, we see our own vulnerability portrayed in the Christ child.
Wayne Brouwer
There is a powerful scene in Herman Melville’s great epic, Moby Dick, where Captain Ahab stands peg-legged on the deck of the Pequod during a violent storm (chapter 119). His obsession with the White Whale has carried the craft and crew to exotic and frightening locales, and now it seems as if divine providence might be unleashing furious anger against this ill-fated quest.

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For December 22, 2024:
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For December 22, 2024:

SermonStudio

Derl G. Keefer
I read an old legend about a Christmas party that Satan and his pack of demons were having in hell. As the demonic guests were departing, one laughed and grinned and sarcastically said to Satan, “Merry Christmas your majesty!” At that, Satan replied with a growl, “Yes, keep it merry. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble.”

Today the focus is all about the Messiah and we need to be serious about it. It is the birth of the baby Jesus, the Messiah. It is the coming of God…the doctrine of incarnation. It is the intervention of God’s presence among humanity.
Stephen P. McCutchan
... He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
-- Psalm 96:13

Gregory L. Tolle
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
James Evans
This psalm gives us the proper theme for a Christmas Day celebration: "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises" (v. 4).

Carlos Wilton
(Occurs in all three cycles of the lectionary; see Christmas Day, Cycle A; see also Easter 7, Cycle C, for an alternative approach.)

The lectionary includes two sets of readings for Christmas Day: those appointed for dawn services, and those appointed for services that take place later in the day. Psalm 97 is designated as one of these early-morning readings.

William Powell Tuck
Christmas is usually associated in our memory as a time of great joy. But for many it is also a time for cynicism. There are some people for whom Christmas is difficult. It is a time of struggle, depression, loneliness, and anxiety. There are more suicides during the holiday season than at any other time of the year. A comment by a woman in a nursing home indicates the feeling of some: "No one really cares. No one cares about me now.
Mark Wm. Radecke
Because Jesus was Mary's firstborn, there were four words that she and Joseph did not have to hear as they made the arduous trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Four words that make long journeys longer. Four words that strike terror in the hearts of parents of every time and every place. Four words from which even the youngest child seems to be able to craft a sentence: Are we there yet?

I am struck this year by the number of journeys the narratives of Jesus' birth and infancy entail:

* Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem;
Julia Ross Strope
Gathering music
Christmas medley

(Light the Christ candle.)

(Invite adults, children, and youth ahead of time to bring a favorite gift for a one-sentence show and tell.)

Greeting
Leader: Merry Christmas!

People: Merry Christmas!

Leader: Settle your Christmas gifts on the pew beside you and find the space within your minds and hearts to sing, pray, listen, and talk.
James R. Wilson


Call To Worship
Leader: Come, let us celebrate, for Christ our savior has been born!
People: Is our Messiah, the promised one, among us this day?
Leader: Surely I say unto you, Christ the Lord is with us even as we speak.
People: Are even sinners such as we welcome in Christ's kingdom?
Leader: Praise to the Lord God Almighty, for in Christ we are all welcome!
All: Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Collect

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
After baby Jesus grew up to be a man, he got into terrible trouble, and wicked people killed him. But a good man called Joseph of Arimathea laid Jesus's body gently in his own grave, which he'd made ready for when he should die. After that the wicked people searched for Joseph of Arimathea, and so he ran away from Jerusalem carrying with him a special cup like this one, which contained some of Jesus's holy blood.

Special Occasion

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