Lord, we give thanks that You sent Your only begotten Son. He was born in a lowly manger. We confess that He was indeed God in all His fullness, yet He humbled Himself to take on the form of a man. He was fully God and fully man. He was Immanuel, God with us. He changed the whole world. The sky was split it two, and the mountains shook on the very night that Christ was born. Never was the world to be the same again. The sun was darkened and the moon was turned into blood. The seas shifted and islands moved from place to place. Great indeed was the coming of Christ.

Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins. By His blood we are cleansed. By His blood we are made as white as snow. He was a substitute for us. He took our place at the hands of the judgment of God. Lord, this is the good news of the season. This is the gospel which we celebrate. Let us never lose sight of the truth.

Christ lay in the darkness of the grave for three days. He suffered the agony of Hell itself. Yet, He was raised. Christ lives. Christ was born and Christ died. Just like us. But Christ arose from the grave and reigns with His Father. The increase of His government will never cease. Lord, this is why we celebrate not only the birth of Christ but His life and His resurrection. We celebrate not only His resurrection, but we celebrate His Kingship. He is indeed Lord of Lords and King of Kings and His Kingdom shall have no end. He shall reign forever and forever.

Lord, we thank Thee that we do not have to create or manufacture happiness. It is not a spirit that we have to get into. Happiness comes to us. We do not have to go looking for it. The gospel comes to us and that makes us happy.

Our Father, even though we enjoy the season when the world celebrates the birth of Christ, we thank Thee that we are not restricted to a season. After it is all over, we will still come to worship Thee every Lord’s Day. What the world seeks for a short period of time, we have all the days of the year. The joy is not in the season, but the joy is in Christ. Christ is a man for all seasons. Our love for Him and His love for us is eternal. Lord, we pray that as the world falls short in creating joy, that we might show our joy all the days of the year.

Lord, bless Thy Church. As we witness a profession of faith this morning, we rejoice. It is the Spirit of God who gives faith. It is the Spirit of God who moves in mysterious ways.

Lord, we live in a world where there are many who are sick in sin. There are many who have cancer. Homes are broken. Fathers break the hearts of their children and children break the hearts of their mothers and fathers. There is theft. There is murder. There is disappointment. There is discontentment. There is sadness and there is shame. Lord, we want to be evangelists. We want to be able to tell the story of Jesus. O Lord, we want people to ask. We want to be able to speak of the power of God. There is one who will enable men to endure the heavy burdens laid upon them. There is one who can make things right and enable us to find peace in the times of trouble. We know that the storms will come and the houses will fall. Lord, help us to stand on the solid rock. Help us to be ready to give hope to the dying, peace to the troubled, and kindness to those who have never known any kindness. Salvation is not a momentary event. It is life-long. It is all of life. It is healing to the bones and it enlivens the heart. It gives us a reason to live, and even to live more abundantly. Lord, lead sinners to us and lead us to sinners that we might share the good news of Christ. Let us see men converted and whole families come into this Church.