We will have five readings about the Lord Jesus as prophesied in Isaiah and then five readings from the New Testament describing the fulfillment of these prophecies. A hymn will be sung in between each pair of readings. The five readings will include: Jesus' birth, life and ministry, death, resurrection, and return. My brother already chose his reading - the life and ministry of Christ. I had a hard time choosing, but I ended up taking the passage on the resurrection (Isaiah 25:1-9). I have actually never read this passage before today, but it is fascinating. I am so excited for this Christmas service! I love the Word of God and I love reading it, publicly, privately, and anything in between!
The readings:
Birth - Isaiah 7:10-14; 9:2-7, Luke 1:26-38, O Little Town of Bethlehem
Life - Isaiah 61:1-11
Death - Isaiah 53:1-6, Luke 24:13-27, What Child Is This?
Resurrection - Isaiah 25:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:14-19, Good Christian Men Rejoice
Return - Isaiah 2:1-5, Revelation 19:11-16, I Heard The Bells
And here is a portion of my passage:
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." -Isaiah 25:6-9