Scripture reading

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Sermon text

Matthew 2:13–23

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Advent: Devotionals & Liturgies

This Advent, pastors, staff, and members of Coram Deo have put together a collection of devotionals and liturgies to help orient us towards the birth of Christ as we prepare for Christmas. There are two for every week and the ones that are written for the Lord’s Day will align with the sermons that are being preached on Sundays.

The Lord's Day devotional for this week titled "The Prophets of Christmas" is available now on our blog.

We hope that these will be encouraging and helpful as you seek respite from the holiday busyness. May the joy of every longing heart be fulfilled by the coming of the King.

Call to Worship

Psalm 29:1–4

¹ Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over many waters.
⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

Prayer of Confession

God of grace and truth, in Jesus Christ You came among us as light shining in darkness. We confess that we have not welcomed the light, or trusted good news to be good. We have closed our eyes to glory in our midst, expecting little and hoping for less. Forgive our doubt and renew our hope, so that we may receive the fullness of Your grace and live in the truth of Christ the Lord. Amen.

December Memory Verse

1 John 4:9

⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

Resources for Parents

Every Sunday, the children's ministry team creates lessons that cover the scripture and concepts from a recent sermon. The teachers ask simple questions to help the kids learn to understand and apply what God says in the Bible.

We want to equip parents to talk to their kids about what they're learning. The following is the content that the children's classes taught this week. We encourage parents to use this resource at home to help you and your kids grow as you learn from God's word together.

Children's Lesson from Sunday, December 22

Scripture:
Matthew 2:13-23

The Main Point:
Jesus is the answer to God's promises.

Questions:
Q: What did God promise throughout the Old Testament?
A: To send a Rescuer.

Q: What happens when God makes a promise?
A: It always happens just like He says it will.

Q: What was God's answer to all of His promises?
A: Jesus!

New City Catechism Question #20

Q: Who is the Redeemer?
A: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ.‍

(Note: All of our classes work through one question per month from the New City Catechism. You can download the New City Catechism app with all the questions and children's songs for free.)