 Everyone standing ready to worship? Merry Christmas. So glad you're here. Let's just go before the Lord right now Just asking him to you know, we sing these songs all the time these Christmas songs Sometimes he gets really familiar and we can just kind of go through the motions And I just feel like the Lord wants to remind us bring us back to the on-wonder of what he did incarnation what he did when he took on our frame and Became a man, so let's just go for him right now Lord we love you. We thank you. We worship you Lord. We stand all and wonder of you God Where we've grown familiar too familiar we're like, oh Yeah, we sung these songs before we've talked about that before Lord. Would you help us? Oh Lord, would you restore wonder and awe again to our hearts today Lord as we sing these songs as we look upon you as we gaze upon you We love you. We bless you. We worship you Jesus name Let's sing this together. Oh come let us adore him In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered This was the first registration when Corineas was governor of Syria and all went to be registered each to his own town and Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David Which is called Bethlehem? Because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed who was with child and While they were there the time came for her to give birth and She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger Because there was no place for them in the end and In the same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them And they were filled with great fear And the angel said to them fear not for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people For unto you is born this day in the city of David as saviour who is Christ the Lord and This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger and Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and Saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased He takes on our frame humblest Himself little man. So glad you're here to worship. Go ahead and have a seat. Well, Merry Christmas everyone So good to see on Christmas Eve with your families and everybody looks so nice and We got beautiful weather. How many we're praying for a little bit of snow though. Anybody praying for that? How many we're praying no snow? Well, we see whose faith Actually won out because it's it's as warm as Texas out there But we're glad to see you all tonight one of our traditions here at radiant on Christmas Eve is I read a children's Christmas book and Invite all the kids to get out of their seats and to come down here along the front with me So if you're a kid and you want to come come on down here and gather around here And we're gonna read a story together. Come on guys You all look so nice You guys excited about Christmas Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be here before you know it Does anybody get to open any presents tonight anybody? Oh you get okay? How many of you have to wait till morning do you have to wait till morning? Have you sent your alarm? For 545 right tomorrow or even earlier it could be earlier. Yeah, mom and dad will love you The earlier the more your mom and dad will love you. I promise I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It's gonna be a fun day with our families and opening presents This evening. I want to read to you guys a story called the Christmas promise And so it's gonna have pictures up here on the back here and you can follow along as I read the story you guys ready Okay, so this this is called a Christmas promise. It says a long long time ago So long that it's hard to imagine God promised a new king He wasn't any ordinary king like the ones that you see on TV or in books. He would be different He would be a new king a rescuing king a forever king And do you know what one precious night God kept his Christmas promise. Would you like to know how he did it? Okay, well the Christmas story starts with an angel Whoosh He came from God to see Mary you guys have to help me out tonight. Okay when I do this everybody look at my hand When I do this you say whoosh are you ready? So you got paid attention. Okay, here we go the Christmas story starts with an angel He came from God to see Mary and the angel had a special message Mary you're gonna have a baby. He will be a special baby and God promises that your baby is going to be a king Not for a little time, but forever and ever he will be the forever king Mary was going to marry Joseph and so God sent another angel He came to see Joseph and the angel had a special message Mary is going to have a special baby the angel said to Joseph her baby is going to be king and he will rescue his people He will be a rescuing king God had promised that his new king would be born in a little city called Bethlehem and that's where Mary and Joseph went But Bethlehem was very busy with lots and lots of people So when the baby was born he had to sleep in a manger instead of a bed All the other majors in Bethlehem held food for hungry animals to munch on but this manger held a tiny baby The shepherds in the field had such a surprise it was quiet and dark and the sheep were snoozing when Good job An angel popped into the sky now the sky was bright and the shepherds were so so scared But the angel had a special message for them Don't be afraid. I have wonderful good news for you the angel said God's chosen king has been born tonight He's going to rescue his people just as God promised and he will be the rescuing king Then lots and lots of other excited angels joined in the celebration the shepherds were really excited They went rushing to see the new king and there he was lying in a manger just as the angel said But they weren't the only ones who had heard the good news about the promised new king Some wise men living far far away like almost a battle Creek Hey, they had been sent a message and it was quiet and dark and they were watching the stars when a New stars popped into the sky and the star had a special message The wise men knew what it meant It meant that a very special king had been born the king for all God's people This child was the promise new king the wise men were so excited that they went on a long Journey to see the new king and there he was just as the star had shown them Everything that God promised came true and there are lots and lots of different kings in the world But God sent the greatest king of all he sent a new king a rescuing king and a forever king and Do you want to know what that king's name is What's his name? Okay, let's all practice it together on the count of three if you think you know his name Shout it out on the count of three ready one two three You guys are awesome so well done And you know, it's really amazing You know, it's really amazing about King Jesus is that he was born two thousand years ago But he's still the king and we still celebrate his birthday and you know what kind of king He is that on his birthday. He lets us open presents. That's pretty awesome, right? So here's what I want you to do tomorrow morning tomorrow morning before you open your presence at like 445 or so I Want you to start by saying happy birthday King Jesus. Can we practice that together? Here we go one two three You guys are awesome. Let's all stand up and I'm gonna invite mom and dad and everybody in the audience to stand up And we're gonna do an operation. It's called operation find your parents and For you parents, it's operation find your kids and while you're doing that then turn and greet and welcome others and say Merry Christmas to them Hey radiant We're the garrison family and the fourth advent reading is about love will be reading out of the book of John John 3 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life Merry Christmas radiant. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Thank you so much. Hey, I wrote that's my son. He said what's up? He's so funny Merry Christmas. Thank you for coming with your families. We know we may have some guests or maybe some returning guests Maybe this is your first time in church in a long time We're so happy that you decided to be here tonight And if you could and the seatback parking in front of you There's a communication card if you take some time during tonight's service fill that out Hold on to it and at the end of the service make your way out to the lobby to rating a central We have some leaders and some volunteers there that will love to give you a gift just to show our appreciation for coming tonight Church can we clap our hands for any guests that we have with us tonight? Thank you so much for coming here Amen, amen like to invite our ushers to make their way forward as we prepare to worship God through our giving Receiving our ties and our offerings just as the video just said for God's so loved the world that he gave we give In a response to his love towards us There's two ways that you can give you can give us the buckets make their way past you or you can give Online is set up. We're occurring giving online as well So I'm gonna pray for us. We're gonna continue to worship God through this service So father we again, thank you for who you are. We thank you for your love God We thank you for your grace and we thank you that you're here God, we don't want to celebrate you and worship you as if you're not in the room We thank you for your presence and I pray that every single person here would feel you and know that you're with them And that you're for them and those that are far from you tonight We're believing they'll receive the invitation to receive Jesus Christ as king. We love you We thank you for your love in Jesus name and everyone said Long ago in a land far to the east lived three wise kings who were devoted to studying the stars Night after night, they would watch the sky and chart the distant lights that danced above them One night a Celestial mystery started to unfold Suddenly a new star appeared in the heavens This star known from ancient prophecies Signified the arrival of a new king So the truth-seekers set out looking for this newborn king wanting to honor and worship him As they traveled farther than they ever could have imagined They finally saw it the same star that had risen in the east now rested directly over the place where the child lay Filled with joy. They realized they had found the one they sought the star maker Who entrusted himself to the care of a teenage girl? He was the one who spoke the galaxies. They had charted into existence He was the one who hung the planets they had studied in their very places The wise men brought with them rich treasures to present before the newborn Messiah Gold to acknowledge his royalty and recognize him as the ruler of all hearts frankincense to signify his divinity as the true son of God In myrrh which foretold of his purpose on earth to give up his life for the redemption of mankind The stars which they had so diligently studied now paled in comparison to the radiant light of this child Not just a king, but the embodiment of hope love and salvation and So on that holiest of nights when the Son of God laid his glorious side the world rejoiced Eternity whispered its welcome and see this humble king everyone I have two Christmas miracles to announce to you. The first one is the Detroit Lions are 11 and 3 My one is a Christmas miracle Hallelujah The other miracle is that this time of year here at radiant We something that's very near and dear to our heart is the big give offering It's at this time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas That as a church we give in addition to everything else that we do we give to major ministries and organizations here in our own city that care for the poor and Help like the gospel mission and different things like that here in our own city a different adoption and foster projects As well as global missions around the world different Projects and partnerships that we have around the world and our goal this year was one million dollars in the big give offering And currently that total is one million one hundred and fifty dollars that y'all have given to the big give and That money is Already moving Pastor Joel Dorlag is Already dispersing it around the globe in here in our own city, and we just want to say thank you It is truly miraculous your generosity 100% of that is going to be in action to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to people around the corner and around the world And so we're so grateful for that And this evening I want to share with you a Christmas message Entitled Christmas invitations Christmas invitations you might actually be at church tonight because someone handed you an Invitation to come to one of our services, and I know this that at this time of year we see well we receive a lot of invitations to things whether they be concerts church services Christmas parties get-togethers Driving and going seen the Christmas lights Even Invitations that are commercials inviting us to watch Hallmark Christmas movies Which are all the same movie? repackaged 50 different ways But our attention is always being Drawns by these invitations and tonight. I want to share with you The greatest invitation that has ever been issued at Christmas, and it's found in Luke chapter 2 beginning in verse number 8 It's been a theme so far tonight of the songs that we've sung and even the videos that we've played it's the account of the angels appearing and Proclaiming the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the field and it begins in verse number 8 Says now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields Keeping watch over their flocks by night and behold an angel of the Lord Stood before them and the glory of the Lord shown all around them and they were greatly afraid and Then the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold. I bring to you good tidings of great joy Which will be for all people For there is born this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord and This will be a sign to you you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger and suddenly There was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill towards men and So it was when the angels gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing has come to pass Which the Lord has made known to us and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph And the babe lying in a manger now when they had seen him They made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child and all those who heard it marveled at Those things that they were told by the shepherds But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart and then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as It was told to them It's interesting that at this time of year especially in our culture and our city and really in America in general Western culture Christmas has actually become a holiday that everyone celebrates whether you're a Christian Whether you're some other faith. It's just almost become in many ways kind of a secular religion because whether you celebrate the birth of Jesus or You're just as people say celebrating the spirit of the season Christmas has kind of become all Encompassing in our culture and so we get drawn into it and we celebrate it in almost every single Home and household has some way of celebrating it. They put up a Christmas tree We sing Christmas carols or we listen to Christmas music on 105 point seven at this time of year We go and we buy presents for other people and and the spirit of the holiday has been generosity It's been remembering family and friends and getting together But I think what's interesting is if we're not careful We can actually celebrate Christmas and yet not see Jesus For who he really is because listen Christmas Christ Christmas is really the celebration of Jesus's birth the son of the living God and Above all things it's an invitation. It's God issuing an invitation to humanity To everybody to come and to see to come and behold him And that's exactly what the angels announced on this night to the shepherds. It was an invitation come glad tidings This wasn't a summons. This wasn't a you know a summons to appear in a court This isn't you know a letter demanding your attention This was a celebration in much the same way that when someone throws a party and they issue an invitation and With excitement and with zeal about what they are celebrating. They want everybody who's close to them everybody that they love to be there G. K. Chesterton who wrote in the previous century said this from England. He said Christmas is actually built upon a beautiful and Intentional paradox that the birth of the homeless Should be celebrated in every home Jesus who was born and laid in a manger homeless is today celebrated in almost every home But even though we celebrate this thing called Christmas that actually has his name in it It's actually possible to see Christmas be in Christmas Participate in Christmas But actually not respond to the invitation that the angels gave us which was to come and Behold him. I'm not talking about seeing him talking about beholding him. That's what the angels said behold Good news glad tidings. Behold. What does it mean to behold? Well, the word behold actually means to perceive Through sight in order to comprehend something to see or to gaze or to observe upon something to study something so that you can Understand Comprehend its significance and its importance and that's what I mean by participating in Christmas But not necessarily seeing or understanding or beholding Christmas it's about removing all the distractions and all the clutter off of Jesus So that we can respond to the invitation to come and see him I'll illustrate to you this way Everyone in this room with maybe a few exceptions arrived here tonight in a vehicle in your car And you pile in you get into your car you drive down whatever road near or far to go to church and on your way here Now that you're here, and if I were to ask you hey on your way here Did you happen to pass or see any other cars your response is going to be absolutely? Yeah, I saw a bunch of other cars on the road But then if I were to ask you hey, okay, tell me about one of those cars Well, I mean I I wasn't I mean I saw cars but no tell me like what kind of what kind of car did you see was that a was was it a You know a Malibu. It's like I don't know it was a car If I were to ask you to color to describe the people that were in the car that you saw maybe with the license plate number You'd say well, I didn't pay that close attention. You saw the car, but you didn't behold the car But when you were a 16 year old kid And you had worked to get your driver's license and your mom and dad after you had been hounding them for it You know every day for the last year about a car, and then your mom and dad maybe brought you out to the driveway and showed you your car You beheld that It's like you got behind the wheel of that, you know Buick Riviera you got behind my car was a 1978 Pontiac Catalina Burgundy with the plush bench seats in the front dino suspension 120,000 miles on that thing And it had a big dent in the right side of it, and I love that car because it was mine I could tell you about the AM FM radio and my little Nakamichi cassette adapter that I had in that thing and my 15 inch L-pines that I blew out in the first week I Beheld that why because it was important. It was significant This is the difference between seeing and Beholding and so when God invites us when God gives Jesus and he has the angels announced his birth And he tells the shepherds come in and see become and behold him He's inviting us to do more than to just perceive who he is To just see him in passing. I think so many times We know we think we know a little bit about Jesus, but it's actually been cluttered Or we miss Jesus because we become distracted But if we will we will respond to God's invitation It was God's invitation to come and see what we'll find if we'll behold him is number one that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God's goodness Here he is the gift the Redeemer the forever king the savior of the world who has been born this day a Savior who's been born. This is God's goodness to us This isn't God sending a judge. This is God sending a savior Full of mercy and goodwill He says goodwill towards man peace We actually through Jesus are able to find peace with God not through our best efforts But by his blood that was shed on the cross Jesus the gift of God made a new and living way for us to be Restored back to God Jesus came in a manger But he knew that ultimately his destiny would take him to a cross Why was he willing to do it because as we heard in the Advent reading? God so loved the world that he gave his own son, and you know what Jesus? willingly laid down his own life Actually the translation of John 3 16 should be this in this way God demonstrated his love what way that he was willing to give himself give his son This is God's goodness embodied and when we really behold Jesus what what else we see is we see God's kind intentions His kind intentions God could have just allowed history to unravel right before us I mean he could have looked at it and just thought what a mess they've made What a mess the rebellion has brought about the wages of sin is death and God could have left it there But the book of Romans says the second part of that verse is but the gift of God is eternal life This is God's kind intentions. Why does he invite us and send? Angelic hosts in the heavenlies to say come and see because he wants us to know his intentions for us I don't want you to remain in darkness anymore I don't want you to just receive the wages of your sin. I want to give you a gift I want to restore you back to me and It's in this way that when we come and behold Jesus. We actually behold God's very wide love Arms wide open Because when God makes the announcement and he issues the invitation he doesn't issue it in Jerusalem He issues it in Bethlehem And he doesn't issue it to kings and priests He issues it to shepherds silent sidelined shepherds He doesn't announce it to those who are well and those who are righteous He announces it to the sick and announces it to the broken. He announces it to the sinful He announces it to those who have no hope Shepherds in biblical culture were lowest on the totem pole A lot of times they had that job because they couldn't be trusted to work with other people in the city and in the community Nobody paid any attention to shepherds. They were very blue collar, calisthans, rough Isn't it interesting though that when God throws a party And he sends out an invitation the first people That he sends the invitation to are the last ones that everybody else would invite He starts there that gives me hope because Every single one of us in this room Have a lot in common with those shepherds But he says good news. I've got great news for you. This is amazing. Go into Bethlehem and see go and behold him see God's wide love that He's not just come for a few. He's come for everybody He's made a new and a living way for us to be reconciled to him Why is it important that we behold him because when we behold something Personal encounter leads to personal transformation Personal encounter leads to personal change You can know something about someone or something second hand But when you actually see them or you see it first hand now you've encountered them And you will never be the same these shepherds were never the same. They said let's go into Bethlehem and let's behold this Let's go see this Miracle this child this king that's been born and when they went and they saw him they beheld him Can you imagine what it must have been like for those angels? The shock and the awe of seeing angelic beings singing in the heavenlies and we're not talking about just a few we're talking about countless choirs of angels the supernatural experience phenomena and then to go up the hill into Bethlehem and actually find him and To see him lying there in a manger To look at him to watch him breathe to look at his eyes and To realize that what you are seeing is a miracle it changed everything it changed them and It changes us It says in verse 17 that when they had seen him They made widely known the saying that was told them concerning the child see it changed them because seeing Jesus Changes silent shepherds and makes them into boisterous evangelists. Why because of firsthand encounter We don't have a lot of confidence in things. We know from somebody else But we do have confidence in the things that we have personally experienced It changes us because seeing Jesus will change the trajectory of your life the Trajectory of your future when you really see Jesus for who he is the son of the living God Savior of the world the king That God has sent and when you see Jesus firsthand It actually changes the way you adore him It changes the way that you worship. It's easy to sing songs because words are on the screen or in a hymnal. It's easy to Be in a church building and see other people worshiping But it becomes different when it's personal When you can say I've encountered Jesus Only you know something the invitation to come and behold Jesus hasn't expired Every once in a while we'll find gift cards in our drawers They expired and psyched missed it or you find like a coupon remember coupons. We don't do them anymore, but Coupons, and you're just like oh this Missed it or you find an old invitation to a party a graduation a wedding and you're so ah Forgot the RSVP the good news is that the invitation that God issues Never expires still there come and see Come and see for yourself if you will behold him and perceive Gaze and observe him in order to comprehend and answer the question. Who is he? It'll change everything in your life and John 1 verse 12 John the Apostle whose life was forever changed Said to as many as received him To them He gave the right to be called the children of God. This is The gift that God gives are you ready for it? God not only throws a party like nobody else does And he invites us to his party and when we come He actually gives us gifts Gives us the greatest gift. He gives us his son and he gives us the right The privilege the honor that we could never earn we could never purchase and we could never dare ask for But he gives it to us anyways. He says Do you see him? If you'll believe I'll give you the right to be called my child not because you've earned it and not because you deserve it, but because God's just that good. He's just that kind to as many as believed and Received him to them. He gave the right to be called children of God. Do you believe tonight? Do you believe is Jesus more than a decoration that we'll put back in the Tupperware tub? This next week and move on to the next holiday or is Jesus the gift of Heaven that has changed your life. I invite you along with heaven today To come and behold him. I Want to invite you to stand with me all over the room if you would and if you have your Candle your Modern LED candle I'm gonna invite you to turn that on and we're gonna sing by candlelight Reminding our hearts That at the darkest moment in history Just as in the darkest moments of our life Jesus is the light of the world Let's sing together Stars are brightly shot. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth In sin till he appeared In the soul Felted a thrill Let's pray King Jesus Light of the world. We thank you so much for coming to save us from our sins To redeem us so that we can be a right relationship with you And we ask you that as we celebrate you that your light will shine in us and through us So that the world may see just how beautiful how great and how glorious you truly are We love you. We're so so thankful That you've given us the right to be your sons and your daughters and we say thank you again in Jesus name we pray and everyone said and alright blow out your candle There it is right there. There it is. I've been practicing that trick Thank you so much for coming. Hey before you leave as you walk out the doors You'll see some men and women there to collect your candles and on behalf of Pastor Lee and Jane and all of us here at Radiant Merry Christmas. We love you. See ya