WELCOME
Communion Worship Service
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
We dream God’s dream, of a world at peace. Where enemies are reconciled, and children play in safety, where the poor and powerless find justice. We remember God’s promise of a Ruler of Peace, filled with the Spirit of God, of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of justice and faithfulness and we pray:
Come Lord Jesus! Open our lives to the Peace which you bring; let us turn to you and get ready!
Songs
Prayer
CONFESSION:
Gracious God, in a world heavy with worry, You draw near to us with peace. And yet we confess that anxiety often sits deep in our hearts, the kind Your Word tells us can weigh a person down (Proverbs 12:25). Like the shepherds on that night outside Bethlehem, we are easily startled by the unknown, overwhelmed by what we cannot control, and quick to imagine the worst before we remember Your best. Lord, we confess that we often forget the good news the angels proclaimed: that heaven has come close, that Your glory shines into ordinary places, that peace is a gift You freely give to a troubled world (Luke 2:8–14).
We admit that we sometimes live more as slaves to fear than as Your children, forgiven, named, and loved by You. We forget who You say we are. We forget the identity You speak over us. Forgive us, Lord.
Forgive the ways we have carried burdens You never asked us to carry. Forgive the moments when we’ve trusted our fears more than Your promises. Forgive us when we’ve rushed, grasped, worried, or tried to save ourselves instead of resting in the peace Jesus offers (John 14:27).
Come again, Lord Jesus. Let heaven break in, into our minds, our homes, our hearts. Speak Your peace over us. Renew us. Hold us close. And make us ready to receive Your joy.
Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
Hear the good news: to those weighed down by anxiety, God speaks peace. To those who feel unworthy, God speaks identity. To those who feel far away, God draws near. Just as the angels declared on that hillside, “Do not be afraid.” For today, and every day, a Saviour has come, bringing peace the world cannot give and cannot take away.
In Christ, you are forgiven. In Christ, you are free. In Christ, you are God’s beloved child, chosen, accepted, and held fast in His grace. So lift up your hearts. Heaven has come close. Peace has come for you.
Amen.
Characters of Christmas
The Angels
Today's Message: Pastor Dave Page
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8–14
Glory in the Highest
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Let me start with something simple: Are you carrying any worry today?
Most of us are.
And not just “I misplaced my keys” worry, more like wake-up-at-3-a.m.-and-my-mind-is-racing kind of worry.
There’s an old Greek proverb that says: “A bow that is always bent will eventually break.” And for many people, maybe some of us in this room or watching this morning, life feels like that bent bow. Stressed. Tight. One more thing might snap us.
Christmas can tend to magnify that for some of us, can’t it?
Finances.
Family.
Health.
Expectations.
Busyness.
Loneliness.
News headlines.
When we think of the shepherds on that first Christmas night, we often picture something peaceful, quiet hillsides, a calm sky, sheep dozing off, stars twinkling. But the truth is, the shepherds lived in anything but a peaceful world.
Their lives were hard. Their society was divided. Their government was oppressive. And fear was a normal part of everyday life. Rome ruled with a heavy hand. Taxes were crushing. People were being counted, controlled, moved around.
Herod was on the throne—violent, paranoid, and unpredictable. There was very little sense of safety or stability. And on top of all that they were shepherds, people at the bottom of the economic ladder, doing exhausting work that kept them outdoors, ignored, and overlooked even shunned.
So, when the angels showed up that night, they didn’t appear to people who were calm and cozy. They appeared to people living right in the middle of chaos, stress, and pressure.
People who knew what it felt like to be tired.
People who knew what it felt like to be on edge.
People who knew what it felt like to wonder how things were going to turn out.
In other words, people a lot like us.
So, into that world, not a peaceful one, not a perfect one, not a quiet one, God spoke the words every anxious heart longs to hear: “Do not be afraid.” And then: “Peace on earth.”
The peace the angels announced wasn’t about calm circumstances, because the world didn’t suddenly get calm. It was about Jesus, the Prince of Peace, entering right into the chaos with them.
And that same peace is what He offers to us today.
The 2 questions for us this morning are these: What kind of peace? And how do we receive it?
Before we talk about the angels, I want us to sit with a simple but honest verse.
1. THE WEIGHT OF WORRY
Proverbs 12:25 says: “Anxiety weighs down the heart.”
Isn’t that true? Worry doesn’t just visit you it sits on you. It presses in. It crowds out joy. It narrows perspective. Jesus says worry chokes what God is trying to grow in us (Mark 4:19).
The truth is this: we are living in one of the most anxious generations in history.
The World Health Organization recently released new data showing that over 1 billion people around the world are now living with a mental health disorder—most commonly anxiety or depression. That’s not a small trend. That’s a global reality.
Teens are overwhelmed.
Anxiety is rising fastest among young people. Kids, teens, and young adults are carrying pressures that previous generations didn’t face at their age—constant comparison, nonstop information, academic pressure, social media, global crises they feel responsible for.
Adults are stretched thin.
Across every age group, anxiety and depression have steadily climbed over the last 10–20 years. In some areas, the numbers have nearly doubled. This isn’t just a moment or a rough patch, it’s a generational shift. And it’s happening everywhere.
This rise isn’t limited to one country or culture. It’s global. Which means the causes are big and complex:
— economic uncertainty
— digital overload
— global conflict
— climate fears
— the lingering impact of the pandemic
— and the speed of life that never slows down.
But here’s the most important part: we were not created to live this bent, this tight, this worried. Our souls weren’t designed to carry this constant weight. No wonder so many people feel exhausted and overwhelmed.
The anxiety, fear, and pressure many feel isn’t isolated or abnormal, it’s widespread. That widespread anxiety creates a real hunger for the kind of peace and hope Scripture promises. That the gospel offers hope in the midst of anxiety, not only after anxiety. So, into this very real human experience, God breaks into the night sky of Bethlehem and sends messengers. And who does He send them to?
Not kings.
Not scholars.
Not influencers.
Not people who had it all together.
Shepherds—common, anxious, under pressure, overlooked. People just like us.
2. THE ANGELS: GIVERS OF PEACE
When the angels burst into the night sky above the shepherds, the first thing they said was: “Do not be afraid.” And the very next message they delivered was the heart of heaven: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.” — Luke 2:14
That word “peace” is so important. Because the angels didn’t choose a random word. They didn’t improvise. They delivered God’s message with God’s vocabulary. And that single word carries the entire meaning of Christmas.
Let’s look at it for a moment.
“PEACE” — Luke 2:14 (Greek: eirēnē)
The Greek word used here is εἰρήνη (eirēnē). It’s where we get the name “Irene.” But this word means much more than calm feelings or quiet moments.
- Eirēnē means wholeness.
At its core, eirēnē comes from a verb meaning “to join” or “to tie together into a whole.” In other words: Peace is when all the pieces of life come together the way they’re meant to. Not perfect circumstances, but a restored centre.
Where things are aligned.
Where the heart is settled.
Where you’re not pulled apart on the inside.
- Eirēnē echoes the Hebrew word “shalom.”
Luke is writing in Greek, but the angels — and the shepherds — were Hebrew speakers. The concept behind the Greek comes from the Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם — shalom.
Shalom is rich and layered. It means: well-being, harmony, completeness, healed relationships, flourishing, everything in its right place.
Shalom isn’t “nothing bad happening.” It’s “everything being restored to God’s design.”
When the angels said, “peace on earth,” they were declaring: “Wholeness has come. Healing has come. What’s broken can be restored. People can be made whole again.”
That’s the peace Jesus brings.
The angels weren’t promising “easy lives.” They were proclaiming inner stability from the One who never changes. Eirēnē is relational. Peace with God. Peace within ourselves. Peace with others.
The Apostle Paul will later write: “He Himself is our peace.” Peace is not something Jesus gives, but who He is. Where Jesus is, shalom is. Where Jesus reigns, peace settles in.
SO, WHAT DID THE ANGELS GIVE THAT NIGHT?
Not a feeling. Not a Hallmark moment. Not a temporary break from stress.
They gave a proclamation straight from heaven: “The world can be whole again — because Jesus has come.”
The shepherds weren’t living peaceful lives. They were living hard, chaotic, pressured, uncertain lives. Just like many of us. The angels didn’t wait for the world to calm down. They declared peace right in the middle of the mess. Because the peace Jesus brings is not dependent on the world around us, it’s rooted in the God who is within us. And today, we need that same message. So, before we go further, we pause to receive it.
LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE
As this flame grows, hear the promise Jesus gives: John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
This candle reminds us: peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the presence of Christ. Peace is not fragile. Peace is not circumstantial. Peace is given, not earned.
Peace comes from the Prince of Peace Himself. Just as the angels gave peace to the shepherds, we receive peace from Jesus today.
But how does peace actually work in the middle of real life? What about the worries that don’t go away? Let’s look deeper.
3. THE PEACE JESUS GIVES IS NOT WHAT THE WORLD GIVES
Jesus says: “I do not give as the world gives.”
The world gives conditional peace:
When the bills are paid
When the kids are behaving
When the doctor calls back with good news
When the relationship is repaired
That’s conditional peace; peace that’s based on circumstance.
Jesus gives internal peace: a steadying calm that exists inside the chaos of circumstance.
Think of the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his final days. Just before he was executed by the Nazis, guards and fellow prisoners described him as calm, composed, even peaceful. Not because his situation was hopeful, but because he knew Christ was with him.
One witness said Bonhoeffer prayed quietly, encouraging others, reminding them that “for the Christian, death is the beginning of life.” His peace didn’t come from his surroundings. It came from presence, the unwavering presence of Christ who promised never to leave or forsake him.
This is the peace Jesus gives: “I am with you.” “I will never leave you.” “My peace I give you.”
Not peace from trouble but Peace in the midst of trouble. Not peace from a quiet life but Peace from a quiet heart. So, remember our second goal here this morning; how do we receive this peace?
Peace is not something you manufacture. It’s something you receive. Here are three simple, practical ways: First – Peace comes when we surrender our hearts to Jesus. Before peace rules our lives, Jesus must rule our hearts. Peace is the place where forgiveness begins. Where reconciliation becomes possible. Where relationship with God begins.
If you’ve never entrusted your life to Christ, that is the first doorway to peace.
Now, here’s the second point about peace that does involve our action. Peace comes when we shift our focus. Worry grows where attention goes.
Philippians 4:6 says:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Prayer is not an escape from worry, it is a transfer of worry. Worry says, “I must carry this.” Peace says, “God will carry this.”
And finally, something that is very real to me, peace comes when we worship instead of worry.
One of my favourite lines from Ruth Graham Bell is:
“Worship and worry cannot live in the same heart.”
When your mind starts spiralling, don’t respond with more thinking, respond with worship. A song. A prayer. A Scripture. A moment of gratitude. It shifts your gaze from the problem to the Problem-Solver.
A PEACE PRACTICE FOR THIS WEEK
Here’s your Advent peace assignment for this week:
1. Name your biggest worry out loud to God. Just say it honestly.
2. Transfer it, offer it to Him in prayer. Not once but every time it rises.
3. Replace it with one truth. Maybe: “I am held.” “God is with me.” “Jesus gives me His peace.”
These are small phrases BUT they have big power!
As we close today, I want you to hold onto this one simple truth: Peace isn’t the absence of trouble. Peace is the presence of Jesus.
Remember how we’ve said that we are going to spend an increasing amount of our time together seeking His presence. The angels didn’t appear to the shepherds because the world had suddenly become calm or safe or easy. They appeared right in the middle of fear, political chaos, uncertainty, and darkness, and they spoke the words every human heart longs to hear: “Peace on earth, peace to those on whom His favour rests.”
That same peace is offered to you today. Not a fragile peace. Not a temporary peace. Not “peace if everything finally works out.” But the peace that comes from the God who is with you, who is for you, and who has already overcome the world.
And it’s this peace, the peace Jesus lived, taught, and gave, that brings us to the Communion table. Because before Jesus ever said, “My peace I give you,” He showed us what that peace cost Him. He carried our fears. He entered our darkness. He took on our sin. And through His death and resurrection, He made peace between us and God once and for all.
Communion is the reminder that peace is not something we earn, it’s something Jesus purchased.
So, as we come to the table today, come with whatever tension is weighing on your heart. Come with whatever keeps you up at night. Come with the worries that pull you in different directions. Come with the parts of your life that feel anything but peaceful. Bring them to the One who calms storms with a word and brings rest to restless hearts.
Church, this meal is so much more than a ritual. Today, let it be an invitation to breathe, to rest, and to receive again the peace of Christ.
Communion
This is the table of Jesus Christ. A table of grace, of welcome and a table of peace. You don’t have to be perfect to come. You don’t have to have everything figured out. You don’t even have to be a member of this church. You simply need to belong to Jesus, to desire Him, or even just to be open to Him.
This meal is for anyone who is hungry for hope, thirsty for grace, or needing peace. So come. Not because you’ve earned a place, but because Jesus invites you to it.
THE STORY:
On the night before Jesus died, He shared a final meal with His friends. And during that meal, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: “This is my body, given for you. Do this to remember me.”
Then He took the cup, and said: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sin. Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
This bread and this cup tell the story of God’s love, a love that brought Jesus to us, a love that carried Him to the cross, and a love that raised Him to life. And whenever we share this meal, we proclaim that Jesus is our peace.
COMMUNION PRAYER:
Let us pray. Jesus, thank You for this table, for the invitation to come just as we are, and for Your promise to meet us here. As we receive this bread and this cup, fill us with Your presence. Where we are anxious, bring peace. Where we are weary, bring rest. Where we are hurting, bring healing. Where we are divided, bring unity. Where we are searching, bring truth.
Make this ordinary bread and cup extraordinary in their grace to us today.
Amen.
THE SHARING OF THE BREAD
This is the body of Christ, broken for you. Take and eat, remembering that Jesus gave Himself so you could know life, forgiveness, and peace. “Take and eat.”
THE SHARING OF THE CUP
This cup is the new covenant in Christ’s blood, poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sin. Drink from it with gratitude, and remember that you are forgiven, loved, and made whole. “Take and drink.”
Prayer
Let us pray.
Jesus, thank You for feeding us with grace today. Help us carry Your peace into our homes, our conversations, our workplaces, and our relationships this week.
May this meal strengthen us to live as Your people, people of hope, people of peace, people of generosity, people who shine Your light in a hurting world. We pray in Your name.
Amen.
As we finish sharing Communion together, I want to invite you to just take a breath and let the peace of Jesus settle in your heart.
This meal reminds us that Jesus didn’t stay distant. He came close. He stepped right into our world, into our mess, to bring us hope and peace that actually lasts. And now, just like the shepherds who heard the angels’ song that first Christmas night, we get to respond in the same way, with worship.
Our closing hymn is Angels We Have Heard on High; the song that celebrates the angels filling the sky with the good news that Jesus had finally come. Let’s stand together, let’s join our voices with theirs: “Glory to God in the highest.” Let’s sing.
Song
Benediction
Be people of peace. Let peace live in your heart and share the peace of Christ with all you meet. Share peace by acting out of compassion and not fear. Share peace by listening to all sides of the story. Share peace by praying for our world. In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share peace.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share peace and hope with those you meet.
Amen.