A Thrill Of Hope - The Carol Service 2020

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] tell [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] jesus is [Music] when christmas is [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] do [Music] joyful and triumphant come and behold him upon the king of [Music] oh come let us [Music] angel [Music] is [Music] oh come let alone [Music] this happy morning jesus [Music] [Music] oh come let us earth oh come let [Music] the lord the lord [Music] [Music] oh [Music] joyful [Music] [Applause] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] glory to the [Music] is [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] 2020 did you find yourself weary or like hope had gone astray gripped by fear or panic or that grief indeed was great maybe uncertainty was no stranger buried under heavy weight or you became highly aware of danger or suffered loss in some kind of way made redundant nasty shock my confidence not my sense of identity lost my shares and stocks income dropped opportunities lost lack of business took its toll and cost lives were lost i lost my job i lost my dad i lost my mum i lost my brother i lost my son [Music] landslide within plates shifting moving mountains ocean stirring water roaring earthquaking everything's changing they're the mountains in me melt into the sea so all that's in me is unsettling and shaking [Music] still i sing you're living within i'm your place most holy certainly your goodness and mercy in you will daily chase after me melt into me soak through and through everything in me is on the moon all things exposed not speed loose baron but you beckon i never left you made my home in you rearranging reshaping moulding you and you will you participate in dior and joining simply be willing oh you with the moving mountain never fear be still and know abba's here there's a river whose streams make glad the city she will not be moved or undone completely take back the city like gotham it's gotten unpretty in these modern times age-old lies strongholds uproar within nations battling kingdoms falling but victory is winning there is a voice and at the sound of it the earth melts it makes the wars in me cease you won't forever be in turmoil again your lands will know peace he is my fortress awaiting the time for look what jesus did only he could do this he is exalted he is with us present in the midst of our pain in the rearranged he is changing everything still i sing christ in me the hope of glory [Music] them [Music] is [Music] hell that peace forsake and give them victory over the great [Music] rejoice rejoice [Music] oh come now keep that they come [Music] [Applause] and open wide the hope make safe the way [Music] rejoice rejoice shall come to thee [Music] [Music] of all [Music] and rejoice rejoice man you will shall come to thee and rejoice [Music] is you will shall come [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] he has been [Music] jesus christ her little child he came down to earth from heaven who is [Music] me lived on earth [Music] and our eyes at last shall see him throw his own redeeming love for the child so dear and gentle is our lord and he leads his children to the place we shall see in heaven his children [Music] [Music] you're invited now to take a moment or two look through the eyes of a tax man named matthew and venture with me through luke chapter two a jewish couple searching for a room no room here no room there animals near stripped back bear a secluded place of solitude lowly and humble a simple place where she bore all out of options just before is it true that all you wore will wrap around plain swaddling cloths yet astrologers arrived with gifts of free laying gold frankincense and myrrh at your feet gifted with gold because you were born to be king a sign you came to reign and rule in all things is it true you were gifted with frankincense divine deity deserving of worship is it true you were gifted at birth with the unusual perfume of bitter mer because you were born to die for all people on earth cast your eyes now onto the one placed in a manger he grew in wisdom and stature he was no stranger to grief man of sorrows the one who holds our tomorrows is it true that all you bore was a mocking man-made crown of thorns is it true that carrying your cross you fell over total times of three they pierced your hands and they pierced your feet i hear the words you spoke as you hung on that tree releasing forgiveness to all ignorant and guilty these words of yours pierce me strip me naked of pride expose humility power swept in with you insisting father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing so now i am no longer rightfully accused completely pardoned evidently excused you were crushed you were abused mocked and accused took far more than a few spat in the face of verbally anaphysically abused insult upon insult heaped upon you insisting father forgive them they know not what they do silence he took his last breath into your hands father i commit my spirit earth shook maybe darkness rejoiced for a minute but who else could win spun it one eight year round in an instant it is finished momentarily darkness loomed momentarily he laid down in the tomb just borrowed a grave and then left it behind didn't need that for a long time enter love now with no flora no limit it surpasses all gifts all the fills all the things your amazon wishlist it is finished today we celebrate his finished work the author is as good as his word glory to god in the highest heaven and peace on earth [Music] the very world rejoices from the beginning of time he gave us freedom to make choices the choice is yours known and loved despite your flaws he's here the curtain tour will you let love in will you adore and be adored behold jesus christ the lord he stands knocking at your door not long left hands clench knees to the floor join the family enjoy all the more come home now child the only way to be sure looking in the mirror dim reflections faint the day is coming under wait when we'll see him face to face until then three things remain faith hope love and love is great silent night oh [Music] is [Music] tender and mild sleep in heavenly [Music] peace in heavenly [Music] peace [Music] glory streams from heaven afar [Music] christ is the savior's [Music] christ the savior is [Music] silent night [Music] holy nights son of god from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming [Music] jesus lord hath thy [Music] birth [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] his [Music] who is [Music] it's [Music] [Music] [Music] glory be to god me [Music] what an amazing cattle service and i'm sure you want to join him with me in expressing appreciation to all those who've worked so hard to put it together well this christmas is a christmas light no other you know some things that we normally take for granted at christmas we either can't do or suddenly got very very complicated and this christmas comes out at the end of the year like no other i was just thinking this week about some of the words and expressions that we all are so familiar with now that a year ago we wouldn't have had a clue think about some of these words and expression just the whole thing of coronavirus lockdown social distancing tier three and for those of you who've been used using zoom all year that phrase you're muted so it's been an incredible year but being very serious as we've heard already in this service it's been a very challenging year for many where people have been bereaved people have suffered financial hardship maybe lost jobs we've been separated from loved ones just stress all kinds of issues going on and so we come to christmas yet in our christmas carol service what are we talking about we're talking about hope we're talking about joy we're talking about rejoicing we're talking about love all these very very positive themes how and why are we doing this well you might think well maybe it's just a little bit of a distraction you know we're talking about these things just to distract ourselves from what's really going on in the world or maybe it's a little bit of escapism escaping from the grim reality of life but i want to suggest to you that actually what we are doing in this carol service and what we are doing over this christmas period as we remember the true period of christmas is that we're not escaping we're not distracting ourselves but actually we are focusing on the remedy for everything for these challenges you're challenging us right now i want to look at the prophet isaiah he made some incredible prophetic declarations over 600 years before jesus was born we've already heard some of those tonight in our first reading but i just want to very briefly mention two other prophetic declarations he made which i think have a real relevance to us today the first one is found in isaiah chapter nine verse two and this is what he declared he said the people walking in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned the reality of the christmas story is that god stepped into a pain-filled messy world a world infected with what the bible calls sin selfishness the bible uses the kind of the idea of darkness a world of darkness and into that darkness jesus comes as the light to dispel the darkness you know that baby would grow up to be a man and when he died on the cross he dealt with the darkness he dealt with the sin he dealt with the selfish he dealt with all the mess that impacts our world jesus the light has come he came so the darkness that separates us from god can be dealt with and that we can have access and come into relationship with the father so i want to encourage you whatever darkness you are facing right now in your life i want to say to you that christmas is a reminder that the light is always greater than the darkness john the apostle he said these words about jesus he says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it if you're watching this service and you're not a christian i want to encourage you and tell you that jesus has come to dispel the darkness of sin from your life the mess that you are in without jesus he's come to give you and be the light for you this christmas time for some of us who are christians we might be struggling to find the way when it's dark it's hard to know direction but jesus comes as the light to bring direction to show us the way and again encouragement for us and not only does jesus come at christmas as the light of the world but as his believers as his followers he tells us that we are now the light of the world so this christmas time gives us an opportunity to shine to be the light to our friends to our neighbors to our community to a society that's suffering so this christmas let's remember that jesus comes to bring light into darkness and the second prophetic promise that isaiah declared he said this in isaiah 77 verse 14. he says therefore the lord himself will give you a sign the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and you will call him emmanuel matthew in his account of the story of the birth of jesus he tells us that that name emmanuel means god with us christmas is a reminder that god became man that god is with us and because god is with us that is a a revolutionary life-changing message because god is with us because jesus came as one of us because he grew up because he died on the cross he dealt with all the stuff that separates us from him that separates us from god that so we can experience that ongoing relationship with god so that we can experience the presence of god in our daily life in our daily lives so for those of you who are not christians the message of christmas is that god is with us that god has come and he says i want a relationship with you i want a relationship with you he reaches down to us in our darkness he reaches down to us in our loneliness and says you don't have to be alone i am with you and for those who are christians you might be feeling really lonely now maybe you're not with all the friends and family you'd want to be but i want to encourage you that you are not alone emmanuel god is with us we are not alone so this christmas time two great great promises the light has come emmanuel is with us you know jesus gave this great promise he said i'll never leave you nor forsake you so as we as we finish what i want to say i want to draw your attention to some of the words of one of the songs we heard earlier one of the carols oh carmo come emanuel and great great line from this cowl it says disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death dark shadows put to flight rejoice rejoice emmanuel shall come to thee o israel now if you have been touched by what you've seen on heard tonight do get in touch with us we love to talk with you to pray with you so god bless you and now stephen is going to lead us in prayer [Music] god of creation the one who was is and forever will be you were there before the beginning and you are the reason all life began out of your wisdom the foundations of the earth were formed you spoke and the stars sprung to attention [Music] you looked upon all that you have made and said it is good but you didn't just make it for yourself from the overflow of your eternal love you created us humanity to bear your image and to participate in your eternal life only when you created us did you speak the words of ultimate affirmation it is very good but where there once was lying a shadow formed [Music] in our finite wisdom lord god we have created a cloud of confusion a reign of deceit and brokenness as your word says claiming to be wise we became fools and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator ever since playing games with your precepts we have seen the domino effects of our destructive decision like sheep we have wandered off like prodigals we have exhausted our resources and now we long for home we have looked to the heels of intellects politicians mystics and celebrity leaders and still we ask from where does our help come from we have tried to reach the skies but thank you god that you came down instead a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices that holy night when the light of god shone through you humbled yourself and became human like us born of a virgin born of humble estate you have experienced our humanity and understand us in every way you were rejected by men and abandoned by your friends but greater love has no man than when you endured the cross for our sins and rose for our redemption and now you stand before the father on our behalf and so filled with your spirit and following your footsteps in we come boldly before your throne and ask for your wisdom for our prime minister and our governments for the physical and mental health of our country the strength for those who are weary for resources to stabilize our economy for new opportunities for those who have lost jobs and for those of us who have uncertain futures for comfort for those who've lost loved ones for provision for those who are hungry and thirsty for justice for those who have been mistreated for boldness and endurance for those being persecuted for your name and for your touch to be a light here in corydon and all over the world we pray that through all this the hope of christmas would remind us of your promised hope to come that day when your people stand as one and say hallelujah salvation and glory and power belong to our god amen [Music] so [Music] so hallelujah celebration and glory honor and power [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah [Music] salvation and glory honor and power [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah [Music] salvation and glory [Music] is is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] is i am [Music] salvation glory he is [Music] is [Music] foundations [Music] [Music] salvation [Music] [Music] is [Music] salvation is is [Music] oh holy night the stars are brightly shining it is the night of my savior's birth [Music] long lay the world in [Music] a thrill of hope though [Music] more [Music] says all night when christ was born [Music] of faith so really beaming with glowing hearts by his cradle we stand so [Music] land [Music] born to be our friends when christ was born [Music] [Music] his law is love and his gospel is peace change shall he break the slaves and in his name all oppression shall see sweet hymns of joy in grateful courts raise away let all within us [Music] praise [Music] foreign [Music] hey [Music] me [Music] [Music] when christ were born divine you

Channel: New Life Croydon

Views: 2,517

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: God, Jesus, Christ, Holy Spirit, Christianity, Church, New Life Croydon, New Life, New Life Christian Centre, Croydon, Freedom, Hope, Love, Joy, Peace, Christmas, Carol Service, Carols

Id: gEIDt2Rnxgg

Length: 58min 7sec (3487 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 20 2020