ORDER OF WORSHIP
Call To Worship
Psalm 96 : 1 – 4
1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. 3 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.
詩篇 96 : 1 – 4
1 你們要向耶和華唱新歌，全地都要向耶和華歌唱！2 要向耶和華歌唱，稱頌他的名，天天傳揚他的救恩。3 在列邦中述說他的榮耀，在萬民中述說他的奇事。4 因耶和華為大，當受極大的讚美，他在萬神之上，當受敬畏。！
Worship Through Songs
Good day dear people of Immanuel—the God who is with us, for us, and abiding in us.
Stories of redemption deeply resonates with us. Stories where characters, pressed by desperate circumstances, or under the brink imminent destruction, were delivered by the timely arrival of much needed help. Stories where some ‘hopeless case’ of a person, ever bound to some self-inflicted misery, was suddenly given the chance to redeem himself and have the whole tenor of his existence transformed from then on. Stories where grace is offered to the underserving; kindness offered to the un-valued; and love offered to the unworthy. These stories tug at our hearts because at heart they are our story and the story of the whole world as revealed in the Bible.
Robert L. Hubbard jr. and Gordon D. Fee, in the Eerdman’s Companion to the Bible, wrote, “…the true genius of the biblical Story is what it tells us about God himself. It is about a God who willingly took on our earthly human form and sacrificed himself in death, all out of love for us, his enemies. It is about a God who preferred to experience our own death himself rather than be apart from the people he created for his pleasure. It is about a God who carried our sins to his cross, that he might provide us with pardon and forgiveness. It is about a God who would not let us go but pursued even the worst of us in order to restore us to joyful fellowship with himself.”
They continue, “This is, indeed, God’s story, the story of his unfathomable love and grace, mercy and forgiveness. And that is also how it becomes our story. According to the Story, we are spiritually bankrupt, void of any claims on God, and our hands empty of anything with which to impress God. But surprise! In the end, we get everything: we deserve hell but get heaven; we deserve annihilation but get God’s tender embrace; we deserve rejection and judgment but get acceptance as God’s own children – get to bear his likeness and call him Father.”
And so, brethren, let us take advantage of this Christmas season, to once again apprehend and appreciate the height, the depth, the width, and the length of God’s demonstration of love for undeserving sinners like us—that in order to give us the privilege of calling him ‘Abba, Father’, He gave his Son to be our ransom, our atonement and the propitiation of our sin. Jesus, the Way—given for all who lost our way; the Truth—given for all who are deceived and betrayed by sin; the Life—given for all who are dead in our trespasses. Jesus, our victorious Savior and Humble King. Born in a manger; died on a cross; buried in a tomb; rose again and seated at the right hand of God. Praise be to him forever.
“Holy God, the demonstration of Your love knows no bounds. While humanity was living in sin and apart from a loving relationship with You, You died for us. You demonstrate Your love in so many ways. You demonstrate Your love through Your provisions. You demonstrate Your love through Your grace. You demonstrate Your love through Your mercy. We worship You for the demonstration of Your love on so many levels.
We adore Your name, God. We lift up my praise to You as we see within You the depth of love no one else has ever shown us. The greatest love we’ve ever known has come from You, and we want to praise You with our hearts, our minds and our lives.
Dear Father, we want to know the fullness of Your love because of the depth of Your love. Your love is so deep that You gave up Your Son on our behalf. We want to experience a love like this in every area of our lives. When we’re scared, please calm our fears. When we’re lonely, be our comforter and guide. When we’re confused, provide clarity in our minds.
Let the fullness and overflowing of Your love fill our hearts and overflow into our own lives in how we relate to others. Will You give us a deeper love for those around us so we can reflect You and Your character in a better way? Will You show us ways we can demonstrate our love to others so they, too, can come to know You even more than they do now?
We thank You for hearing this prayer as, in Christ’s name, we pray concerning the demonstration of Your love. Amen.” [adapted from Tony Evans]
Anthem
We Believe
Scripture Reading
Luke 1 : 26 – 38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[ of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
路 加 福 音 1 : 26 – 38
26 到 了 第 六 個 月 ， 天 使 加 百 列 奉 神 的 差 遣 往 加 利 利 的 一 座 城 去 ， 這 城 名 叫 拿 撒 勒 ，
27 到 一 個 童 女 那 裡 ， 是 已 經 許 配 大 衛 家 的 一 個 人 ， 名 叫 約 瑟 。 童 女 的 名 字 叫 馬 利 亞 ；
28 天 使 進 去 ， 對 他 說 ： 蒙 大 恩 的 女 子 ， 我 問 你 安 ， 主 和 你 同 在 了 ！
29 馬 利 亞 因 這 話 就 很 驚 慌 ， 又 反 復 思 想 這 樣 問 安 是 甚 麼 意 思 。
30 天 使 對 他 說 ： 馬 利 亞 ， 不 要 怕 ！ 你 在 神 面 前 已 經 蒙 恩 了 。
31 你 要 懷 孕 生 子 ， 可 以 給 他 起 名 叫 耶 穌 。
32 他 要 為 大 ， 稱 為 至 高 者 的 兒 子 ； 主 神 要 把 他 祖 大 衛 的 位 給 他 。
33 他 要 作 雅 各 家 的 王 ， 直 到 永 遠 ； 他 的 國 也 沒 有 窮 盡 。
34 馬 利 亞 對 天 使 說 ： 我 沒 有 出 嫁 ， 怎 麼 有 這 事 呢 ？
35 天 使 回 答 說 ： 聖 靈 要 臨 到 你 身 上 ， 至 高 者 的 能 力 要 蔭 庇 你 ， 因 此 所 要 生 的 聖 者 必 稱 為 神 的 兒 子 （ 或 作 ： 所 要 生 的 ， 必 稱 為 聖 ， 稱 為 神 的 兒 子 ） 。
36 況 且 你 的 親 戚 以 利 沙 伯 ， 在 年 老 的 時 候 也 懷 了 男 胎 ， 就 是 那 素 來 稱 為 不 生 育 的 ， 現 在 有 孕 六 個 月 了 。
37 因 為 ， 出 於 神 的 話 ， 沒 有 一 句 不 帶 能 力 的 。
38 馬 利 亞 說 ： 我 是 主 的 使 女 ， 情 願 照 你 的 話 成 就 在 我 身 上 。 天 使 就 離 開 他 去 了 。
Sermon
Dr. Ricky Recodo
中文翻譯
Tithes And Offering
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