Christ: God and Man
Christos Theanthropos
Χριστος Θεανθρωπος
For unto you is born this day,
in the city of David,
a Savior, Who is Christ, the Lord!
Christmas Catechization
All Sing: O Come All Ye Faithful
Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant;
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
God of God, Light of Light,
Lo, He comes forth from the Virgin's womb.
Our Very God, begotten not created,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above.
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
Yea, Lord we greet Thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee, all glory be giv'n;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Oh, come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
Opening Prayer (Pastor)
Part 1: Who Is Our God?
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form, and void;
and darkness was on the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
The Athanasian Creed
Whoever will be saved, shall above all else, hold the catholic faith. Which faith, except it be kept whole and undefiled, without doubt one will perish eternally.
And the true Christian faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confusing the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
All Sing: To God be Glory, Peace on Earth (Tune 127)
To God be glory, peace on earth,
To all mankind good will!
We bless, we praise, we sorship Thee,
And glorify Thee still.
And Thou, begotten Son of God,
Before all time begun;
O Jesus Christ, Thou Lamb of God,
The Father's only Son;
O Thou, who sitt'st at God's right hand,
Upon the Father's throne,
Have mercy on us Thou, O Christ,
Who art the Holy One!
Thou only, with the Holy Ghost,
Whom earth and heav'n adore,
In glory of the Father art
Most high forevermore
Matthew 28:18-29
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
The Athanasian Creed
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father infinite, the Son infinite, and the Holy Spirit infinite. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals, but one Eternal. As there are not three uncreated nor three infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinites.
Likewise the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty. And yet there are not three almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet there are not three gods, but one God. Likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord. And yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
All Sing: Come, Thou Almighty King
Come, Thou almighty King; Help us Thy name to sing,
help us to praise,
Father all glorious, O’re all victorious,
come and reign over us, Ancient of days.
Come, Thou Incarnate word, Gird on Thy mighty sword;
Our pray’r attend.
Come and Thy people bless; And give thy Word success;
Spirit of holiness, On us descend.
Come, Holy Comforter; Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour.
Thou who almighty art; Now rule in ev’ry heart;
And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of pow’r.
To the great One in Three, Eternal praises be,
Hence evermore!
His sov’reign majesty may we in glory see
And to eternity love and adore.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The Athanasian Creed
For as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, So are we forbidden by the true Christian faith to say that there are three gods or three lords.
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
Children Sing: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord'rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Refrain
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse's stem
From ev'ry fo deliver them
That trust Thy mighty pow'r to save,
And give them victr'y o'er the grave.
Refrain
The Athanasian Creed
The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another; But all three Persons are coeternal together and coequal, so that in all things, as said before, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.
Whoever will be saved is compelled thus think of the Trinity.
Part 2: What Is Our Relationship to Our God?
All Sing: All Mankind Fell in Adam's Fall
1. All mankind fell in Adam's fall,
One common sin infects them all;
From sire to son the bane descends,
And over all the curse impends.
2. Through all man's powers corruption creeps
And him in dreadful bondage keeps;
In guilt he draws his infant breath
And reaps its fruits of woe and death.
3. From hearts depraved, to evil prone,
Flow thoughts and deeds of sin alone;
God's image lost, the darkened soul
Nor seeks nor finds its heavenly goal.
Genesis 3:14-15
So the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."
Genesis 3:22-23
Then the LORD God said,
"Behold, the man has become like one of Us,
to know good and evil.
And now, lest he put out his hand
and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"
therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden
to till the ground from which he was taken.
Romans 5:12-14
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world,
and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned—
(For until the law sin was in the world,
but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam,
who is a type of Him who was to come.
Children Sing: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest heav'n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail th' incarnate Deity!
Pleased as Man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Immanuel!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Part 3: What Has God Done to Save Us?
The Athanasian Creed
Furthermore, it is necessary for everlasting salvation that one also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He is God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by changing of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One indeed; not by confusion of substance, but by oneness of Person. For just as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;
Children Sing: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Luke 2: 1-7
And it came to pass in those days
that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be registered.
This census first took place
while Quirinius was governing Syria.
So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee,
out of the city of Nazareth, into 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 wife, who was with child.
So it was, that while they were there,
the days were completed for her to be delivered.
And She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Children Sing: Angels We Have Heard On High
Angels we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyous strains.
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo;
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav'nly song?
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo;
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo;
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.
See, within a manger laid,
Jesus, Lord of heav'n and earth,
Lend your voices, lend your aid
To procalim the Savior's birth!
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo;
Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.
Luke 2:8-16
Now there were in the same country shepherds
living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them "Fear not, for behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the 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 the heavenly host
praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Children Sing: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
So it was, when the angels
had gone away from them into heaven,
that the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us now go to Bethlehem and see
this thing that 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.
Children Sing: Jeg er så Glad
Jeg er så glad hver julekveld
Ti da blev Jesus født,
Da lys te stjer nen som en sol,
Og engler sang så sødt
Jeg er så glad hver julekveld
Da synger vi hans pris
Da åpner han for alle små
Sit søde paradis
Luke 2: 17-20
Now when the shepherds had seen Him,
they made widely know the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
And all those who heard it marveled at those things
which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all the things that they had heard and seen,
as it was told them.
The Athanasian Creed
Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
Children Sing: I Sing the Birth
1. I sing the birth was born to-night,
The Author both of life and light;
The angels so did sound it.
And like the ravished shepherds said,
Who saw the light, and were afraid,
Yet searched, and true they found it.
2. The Son of God, th' eternal king,
That did us all salvation bring,
And freed the world from danger;
He whom the whole world could not take,
The Lord, which heaven and earth did make,
Was now laid in a manger
3. The Father's wisdom willed it so,
The Son's obedience knew no 'No,'
Both wills were in one stature;
And, as that wisdom hath decreed,
The Word was now made flesh indeed,
And took on Him our nature.
4. What comfort by Him do we win,
Who made Himself the price of sin,
To make us heirs of glory!
To see this Babe, all innocence;
A martyr born in our defense:
Can man forget the story?
The Athanasian Creed
At whose coming all will rise again with their bodies, and will give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; whoever does not faithfully and firmly believe this cannot be saved.
Romans 3:21-26
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ,
to all and on all who believe.
For there is no difference;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,
because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness,
that He might be just
and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Closing Prayer: Pastor
All Sing: Silent Night
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.
Silent night! Holy Night!
Wondrous star, lend they light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is Born.
