Love and Christ

Since today is Christmas Eve I thought it would work to include the last 2 candles of advent. Yesterday was Love and tonight is the Christ candle.  I pray that CHRIST'S  HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE fill you as you celebrate His birth. 

                                                 Love 12/23         

          LIGHT THE FIRST PURPLE CANDLE, “Jesus is our HOPE”

       LIGHT THE SECOND PURPLE CANDLE “Jesus is our PEACE”
          LIGHT THE PINK CANDLE “Jesus is our JOY”

1 John 4:9-12

                        ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

LIGHT LAST  PURPLE CANDLE, Jesus is Love

We light this candle to represent LOVE.  God loved us so much he sent his only Son and Christ loved us enough to come to earth and lay down is life so that all people can be saved.  Through out the year we may love others as Christ loves us.

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

    PRAYER 

                        Our Lord God and gracious Father, we thank You for Your Son and the gift He was, and is, to all of us.  “Lord in You our hearts rejoice, for we trust in Your holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.” (from Psalm 21-22)

                                               Christ Candle (Christmas eve)

                    “For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

                                                                                                                            Luke 2:11   

“CHRIST IS OUR HOPE”

            LIGHT THE 1^st  PURPLE CANDLE


      “But God demonstrates His own LOVE for us in this:  While we were yet sinners, Christ died              for us.” Romans 5:8 
                        “CHRIST IS LOVE”
  LIGHT THE 2^nd PURPLE CANDLE


                             “Behold, I bring you good news of a great JOY which will come to all the people…” Luke2:10
                        “CHRIST IS OUR JOY”
LIGHT THE PINK CANDLE


"Glory to God in the highest, PEACE on earth, good will toward men” Luke 2:14
                        “CHRIST IS OUR PEACE”
             .LIGHT THE LAST  PURPLE CANDLE

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 1 John 1:1-5

       Jesus Christ is all of these, He is the greatest Gift.  He makes all these other gifts possible.  So, we light the Christ candle now, as we think about what His coming means to each one of us.

       LIGHT THE LARGE WHITE CANDLE

      

Romans 15:13 “ May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE  by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Prayer:

We thank you God, for your gift of Jesus Christ to the whole world.  We thank you that His coming makes HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE possible for every person in every nation. Encourage us to do our part to bring goodwill, and peace to our families, our churches and our neighborhoods and  the world.

Now  may Your Spirit fill this place and our hearts so  that this Christmas Eve brings you all the honor and glory befitting our Great and merciful GOD.  Amen