In our next song we celebrate the salvation that Jesus has won for his people.

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PRAYERS

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people. Father we thank you so much for Jesus, who has come to us and redeemed us. Thank you that because of his life and death, our sins can be forgiven. Thank you for your tender mercy by which we are saved, so that we might serve you without fear.

We are sorry Father for the times we forget your goodness to us in sending Jesus. We are sorry for the times we more excited by the treats we enjoy at this time of year than the eternal blessing Jesus has brought. We are sorry when we too distracted by the busyness of this time of year to remember Jesus. Please forgive us and fill us again with wonder this Christmas at what you have done in sending your Son.

Please help us to share this good news of Jesus’ birth with others. Please will help the preparation of our Christmas services, and please will many people watch them. Please use the truth that Jesus is the greatest present, the present we need, to draw people to trust in him.

And please help our mission partners as they share this good news at Christmas. Thank you that Luke and Debs are able to visit local schools and share lessons and assemblies about true meaning of Christmas. Please may those visits help school pupils to believe in Him.

And please help us all this Christmas, especially this year when things will be quite different for many of us. Please fill us with joy as we remember that Jesus has come. We ask these things in his name, Amen.  

This song reminds us that, as those whose sins have been forgiven, we have a sure hope for the future. 

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In the next video Toni introduces the children’s material for today then Rich reads the bible passage which he then speaks on. 

BIBLE READING & TALK from Rich Adam – Revelation 12

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. ³ And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. ⁴ His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. ⁵ She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, ⁶ and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

⁷ Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸ but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. ¹¹ And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. ¹² Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

¹³ And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵ The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶ But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

TALK OUTLINE

At Christmas we remember the ultimate battle between good and evil. 

At Christmas we rejoice that Satan is defeated. 

At Christmas we are encouraged to keep going. 

In our closing two songs we rejoice in the defeat of Satan through the coming of Jesus. 

SONGS

CLOSING PRAYER from Revelation 15

“Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 
Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

^{Some material in this service is © Used by permission CCL Licence # 1102690. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.}