At this service, we pause before the activity of Christmas day to celebrate the hope, peace, joy, and love of God made known through Jesus. We will sing familiar Christmas carols, hear the Christmas story read from scripture, and hear Pastor Ben preach about how Jesus humbled Himself for our salvation. The celebration of Christmas is the celebration of the greatest news ever proclaimed on earth. That is God sent His only son, Jesus, to dwell with man in the flesh so that He might die for our sins so that man might be made righteous before God. This great news is why the angels broke forth in worship before the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth. This great news is why the magi traveled so far to bring gifts of worship to Jesus. This great news is why we gather here tonight. And this great news is why we both celebrate the birth of Jesus and remember His death and resurrection. Jesus came to fulfill God’s will for man’s redemption, which required that He offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for man’s sins. As part of our service tonight, we will be celebrating the Lord's Supper. The Lord’s Supper is the remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins by the breaking of bread, symbolizing His body that was broken, and the drinking of juice, symbolizing His blood that was shed for our sins. Jesus instructed that Christians were to “do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19).” Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until His comes.” If you have believed on Jesus in faith for salvation and have been obedient to be baptized by immersion, we invite you to participate with us in Communion. If you have not believed on Jesus in faith for salvation and been baptized, we respectfully request that you refrain from participating in this portion of the service. At the conclusion of our service, we will be lighting the candles that you received when you entered the sanctuary. The gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the light of God that shines into the darkness of this world. We light our candles as a way to celebrate and remember that the light of hope, truth, life, and salvation has come. Jesus is the light of life and salvation.