Blessings to you, the readers of this page, in Jesus Christ our Lord. May He guide you and protect you always.

Christmas pages at http://www.loveallpeople.org/christmaspages.html

Hello Beloved,

If you have the Holy Spirit of Jesus abiding within you, then you are able to endure all trials, blessed with the peace which surpasses all understanding. If not, you remain deprived of the many blessings the Lord has waiting for you. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, you have the opportunity to do that right now by clicking => HERE! - http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/jesusdirect.html

Welcome

Welcome to the online worship service at Internet Church Of Christ. Here is a good place to worship our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You are invited and are welcome at any time. Blessings to you in Him.

Opening Hymn

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING - by Charles Wesley, 1743,
         altered by George Whitefield, 1753, Public Domain
  
   
   
                Hark! the herald angels sing,
                "Glory to the new-born King;
                Peace on earth, and mercy mild;
                God and sinners reconciled."
                Joyful, all ye nations rise,
                Join the triumph of the skies;
                With th'angelic host proclaim,
                "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

                   Hark! the herald angels sing,
                   Glory to the new-born King!"

   
                Christ, by highest heav'n adored,
                Christ, the everlasting Lord,
                Come, Desire of Nations, come,
                Fix in us Thy humble home.
                Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
                Hail th' Incarnate Deity!
                Pleased as man with men to dwell,
                Jesus our Immanuel!

                   Hark! the herald angels sing,
                   Glory to the new-born King!"

   
                Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
                Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
                Light and life to all He brings,
                Ris'n with healing in His wings;
                Mild He lays His glory by,
                Born that man no more may die,
                Born to raise the sons of earth,
                Born to give them second birth.

                   Hark! the herald angels sing,
                   "Glory to the new-born King!"


                                Amen.
   

MIDI music file at http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/harka.mid

More like this at Christmusic.ws

For more Christmas carols, please go to http://patriot.net/users/bmcgin/christmas_carols.html

Invocation

                 O Lord, we know that You are everywhere,
                 And nothing happens that You cannot see,
                 But even so, we pray that You will come
                 And join with us directly at this time.
                 We now will offer up our praise to You,
                 And we do much desire to have You here.
                 In Jesus' holy name we pray, Amen.

Declaration Of Faith

The Apostles' Creed

   This historic affirmation of faith comes to us from the early
   centuries of the Christian church.


      I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
      Maker of heaven and earth:
      And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
      Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost;
      Born of the Virgin Mary,
      Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
      Was crucified, dead, and buried;
      He descended into hell;
      The third day he rose again from the dead;
      He ascended into heaven
      And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
      From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
      I believe in the Holy Ghost;
      The holy catholic church;     *
      The communion of saints;
      The forgiveness of sins;
      The resurrection of the body;
      And the life everlasting.

                             Amen.


                * Note: "catholic church" here means the entire body of
                  believers in Christ, not just one particular church.

Reading Of The Scriptures

Matthew, Chapter 1 (KJCNT)

1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brothers;

1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

1:4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

1:6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

1:7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

1:8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

1:9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

1:10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brothers, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

1:12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

1:13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

1:14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

1:15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

You Can Be The One Soldier Who Starts The Truce

WORLD WAR I VETERAN RECALLS YULE TRUCE
Started By One German Soldier, Without Authorization From Anyone

I have re-written this news story from the London Sunday Telegraph in order to put it into the public domain. The copyright of the Telegraph covers its own words, but not the underlying facts or ideas.

LONDON, 1996

Mr. Bertie Felstead, age 102, is the last known living witness to the World War I "Christmas truce" on the Western Front, in France. Mr. Felstead at the time was a 21-year-old private in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, a light infantry unit. The Christmas truce was a spontaneous cessation of hostilities, brought about by the soldiers themselves.

According to Mr. Felstead, the truce began on Christmas Eve, 1915, when one German soldier began to sing "All Through The Night." His voice was soon joined by others on the German side. Then British troops responded by singing "Good King Wenceslas." Shortly, personal contact was established. The soldiers on both sides exchanged greetings, shook hands, and agreed not to fight that day. The brief truce was broken, however, when British officers called their men back to the trenches and ordered them to resume fighting.

* * *

For more about this unauthorized Christmas truce, please see http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22christmas+in+the+trenches%22&btnG=Search and http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/JohnJudge/linkscopy/xmasInTrench.html

An Anti-War Poem At Christmas

"I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY - by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863
                                            Public Domain


    (Written December, 1863, during the middle of the American Civil 
War, as Longfellow was caring for his son Charles, a Union officer, who 
had been seriously wounded at the battle of New Hope Church, Virginia.)
   
These are the original lyrics. Original name was "Christmas 
Bells."


I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!" 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!
 

For the later revised lyrics, please see HREF="http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/hymiheardthebells.txt"

For MIDI music, please click => http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/ Hymns_and_Carols/MIDI/Waltham_-_Calkin.mid

Guest Hymn From Another Website

"I Wonder As I Wander"

http://www.bethanyroberts.com/I_Wonder_As_I_Wander.htm

Exhortation

"Submit Yourself Completely To His Will"

                 Submit yourself completely to His will,
                 And hold back nothing from your gift to Him.
                 For He wants all of you, not merely part,
                 And He will be content with nothing less.
                 You must submit to something in this world:
                 If nothing else, you must submit to death,
                 So do not think you ever can prevail.
                 Then why not go as high as you can go?
                 Submit yourself to God, and you will find
                 A total joy that lasts forevermore.

                                        by William McGinnis
                                        Public Domain

Prayer For You

"Go Ahead And Give Yourself To Christ"

NOTE:  When you read this prayer, try to imagine hearing my voice as I
       speak it to you.  In this way, the prayer is reactivated, and it 
       the same as if I were actually praying for you at that moment. 
       (Just like television prayers are reactivated when you watch 
       them, although the videotape may have been shot years before.)
 
              
           
                Perhaps you are a Christian even now,
                You go to church and try to do your best,
                You try to put His teachings in your life,
                But still you do not feel that He is yours.
                You do not feel the closeness that you crave.
                If this is you, then say this prayer with me:
                     *             *             *
                O Lord, I want you closer in my life,
                I want you more to be a part of me.
                I want the best relationship with you,
                That anyone on earth could ever have.
                I know that, "as we give, we shall receive,"
                And so I now do give myself to you,
                In full completeness, holding nothing back.
                I'm yours, so you may use me as you will,
                And take whatever things you want from me.
                And now that I did give myself to you,
                I pray that you will give yourself to me,
                As bridegroom gives himself to his new bride.
                In Jesus' holy name I pray, Amen.


                                        by William McGinnis
                                        Public Domain

Holy Communion

If you are alone, you will needed to be both "Leader" and "Assembly," as described in the ceremony.

How To Find A Real, Live Church

Closing Hymn

"Away In A Manger"

Words in verses 1 and 2 are by an unknown author, verse 3 by John Thomas McFarland; Music by William J. Kirkpatrick - Public Domain. MIDI file sequenced by Bill McGinnis from a published Public Domain arrangement. Public Domain.

Click HERE to start the music => http://patriot.net/users/bmcgin/awayb.mid

AWAY IN A MANGER - Public Domain

  Verses 1 and 2 are anonymously written. Verse 3 is by John Thomas
  McFarland
    
    
     Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
     The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;
     The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
     The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
     
     
     The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
     But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
     I love Thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
     And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
     
     
     Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
     Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
     Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
     And fit us to heaven, to live with Thee there.
     

Benediction

    _____________________________________________________________
       
      "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in
       all ways. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:16 RSV)
         _____________________________________________________________

This worship service is now completed. Go in peace.

Blessings to you in Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

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      bmcgin@patriot.net