The King

Good evening, everyone, and a pleasant Merry Christmas to you. Why not wish a Merry Christmas to someone next to you? Maybe someone you don't even know. Tell them Merry Christmas and welcome them tonight. If the smoke alarm goes off, we'll have a serious problem. Whatever price you paid to be here tonight, I can assure you, you'll be glad you paid it, whether it was a hurried dinner or a realigning of some family commitments. Tonight will be very special. And I think it will go a long way to helping this be a very memorable Christmas. I'd like to begin by reading a short passage of scripture that encapsulates what you're going to hear in tonight's cantata. It's from Matthew chapter two. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. And when King Herod heard this, he was disturbed in all Jerusalem with him. And when he had called together all the people's chief priests and the teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem and Judea. They replied, for this is what the prophet has written. But you Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For out of you will come a ruler, a king who will be the shepherd of my people Israel. And then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me so that I too may go and worship him. We present to you tonight the story of the king. Jerusalem is in an uproar. Now, if you knew my people at all, you might not think that's so unusual. But yesterday a group of educated men from the east came into the city, searching for the Messiah and asking, where is he who was born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. Well, they have caused no little stir. And in my opinion, I don't think that it's good for these rumors about the Messiah to get started. It only raises my people's hopes high only to have them fall again. Herod heard about it and called upon a few of us ordering us to study our scriptures, to ascertain the place where the king of the Jews might be born. And that is why you find me here studying the prophecies concerning the long awaited promise. My first clue in the search for this king is he will enter the world in an unusual way. Behold, a virgin will be with child and she will give birth to a son and she will call his name Emmanuel. No, I am a man of faith, a believer in the word of God. But I wonder, how can this be? Born of a virgin? And if the girl were truly pure and had never known a man, who would believe her? Our law so clearly states that a woman who is pregnant and not married is worthy of death. She must be betrayed. Could she feel worthy to be a mother to the son of God? She must have great courage to bear this child and then to name him Emmanuel, God with us. Emmanuel, Emmanuel Emmanuel, Emmanuel Emmanuel Emmanuel Emmanuel Emmanuel Emmanuel through us all We shall fall in Jesus We shall fall in Jesus We shall give birth to a son He will be great The son of the highest He will be great Emmanuel He will be great And he will reign forever Son of the highest He will be great He will be great The son of the highest He will be great Emmanuel He will be great And he will reign forever Son of the highest He will be great And of his kingdom There will be no end And of his kingdom There will be no end He will be great The son of the highest He will be great Emmanuel He will be great And he will reign forever Son of the highest He will be great He will be great And he will reign forever Son of the highest My heart is filled with joy How can this be That God would choose A servant girl like me To bring the world along And I will be The mother of God's son Lord my God How wonderful thou art To make the world And satisfy man's heart I fail to comprehend It all somehow Almighty God How wonderful Art thou If this is truly taking place And a virgin has conceived I wonder Will she raise this boy king alone? Is there any man in Israel Who would love her And believe that she is a virgin And that the child within her Was placed there by God himself? He would need a lot of faith To believe her And he would need humility To stand by her And bear the scorn Of those around him He would need wisdom To raise this child Is it too much to ask a man To be a father To the son of God? Lord you know my love for Mary And you know the plans we've made But the news she brings confuses me Lord I am afraid It's hard sometimes to understand Just what you have in store Why you chose a carpenter like me To raise the Lord of Lords Oh I will love Him Give me faith to trust your plan I will love Him Help my heart to understand I will never be ashamed Though people may condemn But this child does not belong to me But I belong to Him Lord you know my abilities Where I'm weak and where I'm strong Though I'll try my very best There'll be times when I am wrong So Lord I ask for wisdom And I pray that I can be A father to your only son And that he clearly sees That I will love Him Give me faith to trust your plan I will love Him Help my heart to understand I will never be ashamed Though people may condemn But this child does not belong to me But I belong to Him I fail to comprehend it all somehow Oh mighty God How wonderful are Thou Oh Lord my God Oh Lord how wonderful are Thou To make a hero out of a child Whose life has heart I fail to comprehend it all somehow Oh mighty God How wonderful are Thou Oh mighty God How wonderful are Thou And you Bethlehem, land of Judah Are not the least among the leaders of Judah For out of you shall come forth a ruler Who will shepherd my people Israel You know I was in Bethlehem myself not long ago I was born there and had gone back to Pay my taxes and be counted for the census It's a mystery to me why Caesar keeps trying to count us When the word of God clearly states That we'll be as numberless as the sand on the seashore But anyway I had ridden to Bethlehem from Jerusalem On my mule and I was tired and hungry And all I wanted was a quiet place to sleep And something to eat I arrived at an inn and went to get a room Just as I was paying my money A young couple came up behind me and asked for a room But the innkeeper turned them away I guess they were just too late I walked on in glad I'd gotten there in time To get the last available room THE CHILDREN IN COW The children in cow Even a child knows the answer of course In a coat of gold with a pure white horse In a beautiful city in the prime of the day And the trumpets shall cry and the clouds may play And the choirs cry out in the morning sun And the people all cheer for the sovereign one Everyone knows that's the way that it's done That's the way that a king should run How should a king come? He would not come with her on her stead He should come for his treasures and his houses and lands He should dine upon sour strawberries and milk And sleep upon bed full of sand and steel And high on a hill his castle should go With the lights of the city lights to be burned Everyone knows that's the way that it's done That's the way that a king should come How should a king come? A star-filled night into Bethlehem And the only sound on the cobblestone street Was the shuffle and the ringing of their donkey's feet And the king lay here in a virgin's womb There were no crowds to see him come His throne was a barn in a manger of clay No room for the king to be born that day A long-awaited promise Later that night, after I'd eaten, I went to the stable to feed my mule. And to my surprise, the couple who'd been turned away by the innkeeper earlier were there! And the woman had just given birth to a son. Now, of course, they were embarrassed at my intrusion, and I hurried to feed my mule and leave them to their privacy. When suddenly shepherds burst into the stable and nearly knocked me over! Before I could pick myself up and begin reviling them for their stupidity, they hurried over to the mother and child. Shy and awkward in their ways, they knelt before them. But it was obvious to me that they'd had too much to drink, and they proceeded to tell me an amazing story about how an angel had just appeared to them and told them to come to Bethlehem and search for a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. A long-awaited promise Later that night, after I'd eaten, I went to the stable to feed my mule and leave them to their privacy. When suddenly shepherds burst into the stable and nearly knocked me over! Before I could pick myself up and begin reviling them for their stupidity, they hurried over to the mother and child. A long-awaited promise Later that night, after I'd eaten, I went to the stable to feed my mule and leave them to their privacy. Before I could pick myself up and begin reviling them for their stupidity, they hurried over to the mother and child. A long-awaited promise Later that night, after I'd eaten, I went to the stable to feed my mule and leave them to their privacy. Later that night, after I'd eaten, I went to the stable to feed my mule and leave them to their privacy. Before I could pick myself up and begin reviling them for their stupidity, they hurried over to the mother and child. Later that night, after I'd eaten, I went to the stable to feed my mule and leave them to their privacy. Just the ladies on this one, okay? Everybody join in the first note. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, hallelujah And the sky was bright with the holy light That's the birthplace of the King I'm the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King I'm the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Glory to the newborn King I started to ask these shepherds to leave the couple alone And tell their fantastic tale to the other drunkards in the end But the look on the faces of the mother and father stopped me They were not offended by the presence of these men And they listened intently As I think back on it now, I realize That they believed the story of these common sheepherders As they bowed before the baby boy and worshipped Could this have been the King of the Jews? The Messiah, born in the humblest of places And surrounded only by lowly shepherds Thus was Christ born Holy and holy Thus was born Oh, so was He kind And God's love for the widow He came for them kind Angels in heaven And God helped Him to lift up the father To heal those with sickness To take away sorrow To bring them forgiveness Release and redemption For He was born Holy and holy Thus was born Oh, so was He kind And God's love for the widow He came for them kind And a child will be born to us A son will be given to us And the government will rest upon His shoulders And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Eternal Father, Prince of Peace As I read the prophecies and think back On all I saw that night in Bethlehem My heart is filled with hope Could it be that the child I saw In the stable that night was our Messiah? And did my eyes behold Him On the very night He was born? My search has just begun I must find out for myself I will tell Herod that the king he seeks Was born in Bethlehem And I too will follow after the wise men In search of the one whose star Is seen in the heavens Star of wonder Star of night Star with royal beauty bright Westward leading, still proceeding Guide me to your perfect light If I only could believe it was true If I only could believe That Messiah had come If I only could believe That the child born in Bethlehem Was God's promised one If only I could believe Then my heart would soar, my soul would sing At last the long-awaited King Messiah born in Bethlehem The promised hope to save all men My heart would soar, my soul would sing Could this be the long-awaited King? If I only could believe it was true If I only could believe That Messiah had come If I only could believe That the child born in Bethlehem Was God's promised one If only I could believe I fail to comprehend it all somehow Joyful, joyful, we adore thee All the glory, all the love Heart of hope, thy cloud-clad voice Hath filled the earth thus far Held the clouds of sin and sadness Blinded by the dark of day Giver of immortal blessings Fill us with the light of day All thy voice with joy surrounding Heaven and earth sing let her ring Stars and angels sing the landing Send her up and from his wing Field and forest, hill and mountain Cloudy meadow, flashing sea Chanting birds and falling flowers Call us to rejoice in thee Thou art giving and forgiving Ever blessing, ever blessing Thou spring of the joy of living Ocean depths of happiness Thou our Father, Christ our brother All who live in love are thine Teach us how to love each other In the truth and joy divine You are the joy of life, before him Which the morning stars began Father, now is risen, arise For you love was meant to end As heaven's eyes behold you As heaven's eyes behold you Thou art giving and forgiving Ever blessing, ever blessing Thou are the joy of life, before him Double, triple, we adore thee Double, triple, we adore thee God of glory God of glory World without end God of glory Who are you, little one? Magi from the east bring you gold for a king Frankincense for God and myrrh for mortal man Are you a king? Are you God in the flesh? These men from the east believe that you are They believe that the light of a star has led them to the light of the world Oh, if you are the long-awaited promise Then the prophecies also speak of a time When you'll be pierced through for our transgressions And crushed for our iniquities When you will carry our griefs and sorrows Be smitten of God and afflicted People bring you gifts today, but a time will come A time will come when men will turn away from you You will be despised and forsaken of men Shepherds and Magi will no longer bow in worship And will turn away from you and hide their faces But yet my heart is filled with hope Could this be my search for the Messiah has finally come to an end? I will wait and watch And if the prophecies are true And you are the one Then this moment in history When God became man will be remembered and celebrated For all time! My, how wonderful thou art To make a world as satisfied as thine And let it not be rendered awesome thine O mighty God, how wonderful art Thou! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God impotent reigneth Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God impotent reigneth Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The King of the world is here now The King of the world and of His Christ King of kings and Lord of lords He shall reign for ever and ever King of kings and Lord of lords King of kings and Lord of lords He shall reign for ever and ever For ever and ever and ever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! O mighty God, how wonderful art Thou! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Well, in fact, they are going to do it again next Sunday at 4 and 7, and we would like nothing more than to share it with you once again, and someone that you'd like to bring with you. One phrase that keeps coming back to me as I listen once again, I fail to comprehend it somehow, the mystery of God in the flesh, the fact that He loved us so much that He left the glory and splendor that He rightly and freely enjoyed and gave mortal flesh to His form so that He would be identified with you and me and our hurts and our pains and our sorrows. It's a mystery that man has tried to figure out, but the incarnation cannot really be understood. Just yesterday, I had a couple of conversations with people that I respect greatly who are trying to figure God out up here, but you see, man cannot calculate the incarnation. He can only believe it here. I fail to comprehend it somehow. One cannot understand why God would do it or how He did it, but that He did it, that's the reality of Christmas. And for those of us who are believers, it then falls upon us to be responsive to that tremendous revelation that God has given to us of our faith, and to be open to be used by God to be a channel to others, that they would come to know the mystery of God's majesty. And for those who might be here tonight, for whom maybe you're on a search of your own, maybe you've come at the request of a friend or a loved one, and you've come, as you listen tonight, there was a very significant message here. One that I trust will maybe enlighten your path just a bit more as you seek to know God and His plan for your life. When I hear the combined voices and instruments and just the sum total of all the parts, it reminds me that none of us really discover God on our own, but we come as people share their love with us and their understanding with us and God's word with us, and we are part then of a family of believers, and I want to encourage you if you're on a search of your own and you're seeking to really understand God, become part of a family and learn from one another's grace and discover the truth that God loves you personally, but He loves you as part of a larger group, His people, His sons and daughters. I fail to comprehend it, but I know it's real. Would you stand with me for a word of prayer, please? With heads bowed everywhere, I'd like to ask this closing question. Might you be here tonight as one who is really on that search? Maybe you've come to just simply enjoy some good music, and maybe tonight your heart was touched in a way that you would identify as being something unusual, and you just like for me as pastor of this church to pray a prayer for you, that God would help you as you make your journey. I'm not gonna call you out of your seat or anything, but if you'd like prayer tonight just to help you on your journey to discover the reality of Jesus Christ, with all of our heads bowed, please, if you'd like some prayer for that, if you're on a search this Christmas, you'd like to know Him better, with heads bowed, just lift your hand real quickly right now, would you? Thank you. Okay, are there any others? I just want to pray a special prayer. Anyone else? All right, over here, too. Thank you. Lord, this time tonight has been a gift, and for many of us, Lord, it's yet another gift under enormous weight of gifts that we've received as Christ followers. Lord, we're brimming over, and the world around us is starving for love and reality. Father, I pray that you transform each of us to be instruments of blessing to that world out there. As we seek to comprehend your love for us, I thank you that the greatest way I know that we can truly be your disciples is to love each other and to share that love with those around us. I pray for these who are on a search, Lord, lead them to Christ and help them to find the fulfillment of their dreams and hopes is to be realized in none other than Jesus Christ. And we thank you, Lord, for this season when Christ in the flesh becomes real to us like no other time of the year. Thank you for that reality, Lord, and we thank you for these who've labored so hard so many hours to make this a special evening for us. Bless them richly, and Lord, we pray you just would pour out your spirit here in the coming week, and once again next Sunday as we gather once again in Jesus' name. You know, before we dismiss tonight, I know a lot of our young people came, and I want to just let you know up here, if we have a little more light up here, Gary, if if you're a junior or senior hire, would you stand and or if you're standing, wave your hand if you're up in the crowd. Look at all these juniors and senior and senior hires. Go ahead and stand up. Isn't that great? There's another one up there. You did a wonderful job, and that means you're gonna be around for a while more to keep playing for us. And all of you who wish you were junior and senior hires again, yeah. Well, if you'll look to your left just now, you'll see that we've prepared a time of celebrating for you, a time of just sharing the mystery of His Majesty. I hope you can stay for 15 minutes, a half hour, an hour, and just greet and thank the choir and the orchestra for their time and share together in the goodness of God. God bless you. Have a wonderful Christmas.