Christmas

Advent Preparation

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If I have not clarified before, I love the Church calendar. However, one of the ways I find it incredibly useful in the spiritual formation of the people of God is around the idea of longing and expectation. Advent and Lent give us as the people of a God a unique opportunity to grow the muscles of longing and expectation because we live in a world that is impatient and instantaneous. Almost anything can be delivered to our front door within 48 hours. But the seasons of Advent and Lent cannot be rushed - they can be hurried - but not rushed. The slow march to the arrival of Christ - the growing longing for His second coming. The slow setting of Christ’s face toward the cross - the slow longing for our own resurrection. These invitations we find in the Church calendar - but not in a calendar governed by national holidays and school schedules.

As you plan for yourself, your family, your team, and your church to enter the season of Advent, how will you invite them to slow their pace, set their gaze, and ponder in their hearts? These things will not naturally occur, they must be planned, cultivated, invited. This is part of our work as worship leaders, not to use our people to meet our needs and agenda but to bless our people with a clearer view of serving God and His people in the season ahead.

You might also like these other Advent resources:

31 December: Liturgy + Set List

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  • WONDER AND GIFT

    The Church calendar says that Christmas is more than a day, it is a season. So we are still in the season of Christmas, remembering Christ’s coming, and anticipating His return. As we sing together this morning, I want to encourage you to look back over the past year and search for ebeneezers - remembrances of God’s care, help, and provision. Hold those things in your heart and mind, and sing from that place, sing from that remembrance this morning.

  • BEHOLD

  • HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarate Word: Grant that this light, kindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one god, now and for ever. Amen.

  • ONLY A HOLY GOD

    Readings: Luke 1:26-33, Matthew 1:1, 12-16

    This is the word of the LORD. The kind of people Jesus came from reveals the kind of people Jesus came for. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.

    Sermon: Luke 1:26-56

    Writer Frederick Buechner says, ‘The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us... I love you." If you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, as you look back over 2023 and as you look ahead to 2024 you have nothing to fear, because the Lord who loves you says in His Word: ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ God is so kind, so good, so gracious, he can work all things for our greater good, and His greater glory. As we close out our morning and our year, we’re going to sing about God’s glory with a song that will have a familiar melody, but maybe words which are unfamiliar. Would you stand if you’re able…

  • All Glory Be To Christ

24 December: Liturgy + Set List

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  • WONDER AND GIFT

  • O COME LET US ADORE HIM

  • O COME O COME EMMANUEL

    If you have been with us this Advent season you know that we have been looking at the mothers of Jesus - women in the genealogy of Jesus. And we have said throughout this series, ‘The kind of people Jesus came from reveals the kind of people Jesus came for.’ And what Scripture tells us is that Christ came to win for Himself, to purchase with His blood, a bride made up of people from every tribe, tongue, nation, and language on the earth. This is part of what the angels say to the shepherds, ‘This is good news of great joy which will be for all the people.’ And this morning we get to hear some of our people - who call Life Church home - read us the story of this good news in a few of the languages representing the people Jesus came for:

    Luke 2:1-7 (in Spanish), Luke 2:8-13 (in Vietnamese), Luke 2:14-20 (in English)

  • COME THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS

    Sermon: 2 Samuel 11:1-27

    I love what the Psalmist says - even the darkness is not dark to you, for the night is as bright as the day. This is Jesus, the Light of the World illuminating the darkness of our sin, the darkness of our lives, the darkness of the world. Let’s sing about Him, and to Him, and to one another - would you stand if you’re able…

  • LIGHT OF THE WORLD (SING HALLELUJAH)

    Reading: John 1:9-18

    We light a candle to remember that Jesus is the Light of the World. And if you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, you carry the very life and light of Christ in you and with you as you walk into a darkened world.

  • SILENT NIGHT (SON OF GOD, SON OF MAN)

  • O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL

17 December: Liturgy + Set List

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  • WONDER AND GIFT

  • COME THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS

  • ADVENT HYMN/COME BEHOLD THE WONDROUS MYSTERY

    Readings: Ruth 4:13-17, Matthew 1:1-6a

    Sermon: Ruth 1-4

    God is not, and cannot be cruel. God is and does good. And my hope and prayer for you and me is that regardless of the past, regardless of the present, regardless of the future - we will be able to say with the Psalmist:

    Psalm 40:16-17

    But may all who seek you

    rejoice and be glad in you;

    may those who love your salvation

    say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

    As for me, I am poor and needy,

    but the Lord takes thought for me.

    You are my help and my deliverer;

    do not delay, O my God!

  • O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL

  • LIGHT OF THE WORLD (SING HALLELUJAH)

    Benediction

3 December: Liturgy + Set List

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Good morning, we’re glad you are here worshiping with us on this first Sunday of Advent. The Advent season is when we look back and remember the first coming of Christ, and look ahead to his return. Each week, we’ll begin our services with this next song that was taken from the words of a Puritan prayer as we remember who Jesus is, and what He has done…

  • WONDER AND GIFT

  • JOY TO THE WORLD (UNSPEAKABLE JOY)

  • LAMB OF GOD

    Readings: Genesis 38:24-30, Matthew 1:1-6a

    Sermon: Genesis 38:1-30

    The good news of the gospel is not that Jesus came to take good people and make them better, it is that Jesus came to take dead people and make them alive. Some of us wear our sin and brokenness on the outside, all of us have sin and brokenness on the inside - and every one of us is equally as in need of a Savior. Your brokenness and sin do not repel God, it invites His grace. So would you stand if you’re able and we’ll draw near to the one who has first drawn near to us in Christ.

  • O HOLY NIGHT (HEAR THE GOSPEL STORY)

  • HOLY FOREVER

    Benediction

Advent Preparation

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We are only a few weeks away from the Advent season. One of the elements that has helped mark out this time as special for me in the last few years has been writing an Advent devotional. Collecting these quotes, prayers, Scripture, and writings helps set my attention and affection on the coming of Christ during a particularly busy season in the life of the Church.

If you are looking for something for you, your church, or your team, here are links to the last several years. I’ll also be posting a new Advent devotional in the weeks ahead.

If you’re looking for some practical resources for worship leaders, worship teams, or church here are some posts from previous years:

Revelation 5

Revelation 5

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,

and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” 

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

There is a new song declaring an eternal truth - that Christ is the Lamb who was slain, the One who reigns, and the One who will return. A song that the saints and angels, the living creatures and the elders with proclaim for all eternity: Worthy is the Lamb.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

and with fear and trembling stand;

ponder nothing earthly-minded,

for with blessing in his hand

Christ, our God, to earth descending,

comes our homage to command.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,

as of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords in human likeness,

in the body and the blood

he will give to all the faithful

his own self for heav’nly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven

spreads its vanguard on the way

as the Light from Light, descending

from the realms of endless day,

comes the pow’rs of hell to vanquish

as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,

cherubim with sleepless eye,

veil their faces to the presence

as with ceaseless voice they cry:

“Alleluia, alleluia!

Alleluia, Lord Most High!”

There is nothing to fear for those who fear the Lord.

Those who stand in awe of God will not be awed by the world.

Is the anxiety or excitement of a new year causing your heart to be awed or fearful in things other than God?

1 January: Liturgy + Set List

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  • BEHOLD

    Call to Worship: Psalm 118:14-17

    Welcome to worship with us on this final day of the Christmas season, and the first day of the year. We are glad you have joined us to do precisely what we have read in those verses - to declare the wondrous deeds of the Lord. A new year can bring excitement, anxiety, fear, or worry. But as followers of Christ, we can rest in the reality that there is no portion of the year ahead that God does not know deeply, intimately, and completely. And if you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, there is nowhere you will go this year that Christ will not go with you. We will spend some time praying together using Psalm 16 - I will read a portion of the passage, and then give you a prompt for prayer, and leave some time for you to pray silently in your own heart. Let’s continue in worship through prayer…

Psalm 16:

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.

Take a moment to reflect, remember, and name evidences of God’s care and kindness to you in 2022.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.

Will you take a moment to name and confess to God the places of fear, anxiety, worry, or uncertainty about the year ahead.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Will you take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to press these truths deeply into your heart in the year ahead.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

  • KING OF KINGS

  • O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL

    Reading: Luke 2:41-52

    Sermon: John 20:1-18

    My only hope, your only hope in 2023 is not resolutions, but resting in the unchangeable character of God. All things are passing away - including you and me - but God’s Word never passes away - God never changes. So would you stand and sing these next two songs as prayers looking ahead to this year, and fixing our eyes on the Risen, Author, and Perfector of our faith…

  • TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

    You will recognize the melody of this next song, but the words may be new. Let’s sing together…

  • ALL GLORY BE TO CHRIST

    Benediction: John 20:30-31

Psalm 145

Great Is the Lord

A Song of Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts. 

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made. 

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.]

The Lord upholds all who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.

You open your hand;
    you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works. 

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

As we move into a new year, the Lord who loves you says that He is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works. How might this reality shape your year? “I am one in whom Christ dwells and delights. I live in the unshakeable kingdom of God. The kingdom is not in trouble, and neither am I.” - James Bryan Smith

Luke 2:36-38

LUKE 2:36-38

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Life does not turn out the way we expect. This reality can be an invitation to deepen our worship, dependence, and expectation for God - like Anna - or it can leave us embittered, languishing, and distant. How might you offer as a sacrifice to God the areas of your life that have not turned out the way you expected? How might God be showing up in your worship today?