The community of faith church welcomes you to the Lafayette Living Nativity.
Creation
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God made everything from nothing. Then God created a man and a woman in his own image and placed them in the Garden of Eden.
God told Adam and Eve, Enjoy all the trees of the garden except one. If you eat the fruit of that tree, you will die. Satan disguised himself as a beautiful snake.
He lied to Eve and tempted her to eat from the tree. And she did. She gave some to Adam and he ate the fruit as well.
Suddenly they understood they had sinned and disobeyed God. They tried to hide from the Lord, but God knew their sin.
God made them leave the Garden of Eden, promising a Savior would defeat Satan. One day the Son of God would come to bear the sin of the world.
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The Burning Bush
As humanity multiplied, so did its sin. God selected a people to represent him and his ways to the world, the Israelites.
But God's chosen people became the slaves of the Egyptians, forced to serve pharaohs for centuries.
As they suffered, God heard their cries and called Moses. The Lord appeared in a blazing fire from a burning bush.
He told Moses, Go and rescue my people from bondage.
This event would foreshadow the day when the Lord would send his Son, the ultimate deliverer, to save his people from their slavery to sin.
The
When the time was right, an angel came to a virgin named Mary.
Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth his Son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
The angel also appeared to Mary's fiancé, Joseph.
Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the baby conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
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The Journey to Bethlehem
Shortly before the baby was born, the Roman ruler Caesar declared a census and a new tax.
We had to return to the hometown of our ancestors to be counted and to pay our taxes.
We left our home in Nazareth and went to Bethlehem, the city of David.
They went there because Joseph was a descendant of King David in order to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies.
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Bethlehem was stirring with excitement when Mary and Joseph arrived. Many other descendants of David also came to Bethlehem to register for Caesar's tax.
The merchants of the city were pleased to sell their merchandise to the weary travelers. The ladies were busy baking and the children were busy playing.
But Joseph was concerned.
I must find a place for Mary to rest. The baby is coming very soon. I begged the innkeeper, but all his rooms were full.
He told me the only place available was a stable behind the inn.
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The Manger
Jesus, the Son of God, humbled himself and came into the world as an infant.
Mary wrapped the holy child in long strips of clean white cloth and laid him in a manger.
The babe in the manger would one day shed his blood on a cross. He would die and in three days would rise from the dead.
But there he lay, God clothed in human flesh, the Savior, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe, the Messiah.
We called him Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.
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Outside Bethlehem, shepherds were watching their sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them.
The glory of God shone all around them. The shepherds were terrified.
But the angel said to them, do not be afraid. The Savior of the world has been born in Bethlehem.
So the shepherds left their flock to find the Christ child and worship him.
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The Magi
God sent a sign to the Magi in the East. The King of kings was born in Israel.
They had been watching for a bright star to signal his majesty was born.
They saw a great star glowing in the sky. They followed it until they found Jesus.
The Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh because they knew Jesus was the Lord.
And he was worthy of their gifts and worship.
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Healing the Paralytic
One day, the people brought Jesus a paralyzed man.
When he saw their faith, he said, take heart, your sins are forgiven.
But some doubted Jesus. He asked, which is easier to say?
Your sins are forgiven or to say, get up and walk.
But I want you to know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
So he said, get up, take your mat and go home.
Then the man did as he said, when the crowd saw this, they praised God.
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Walking on water
At 30 years, Jesus began public ministry.
After teaching many people near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him by boat.
That night, a windstorm rocked us in the middle of the sea.
As we were battered by the waves, Jesus came to us walking on the water.
We were very scared when we saw Jesus on the sea.
But he said, it is I. Do not be afraid.
After Jesus appeared, the sea became calm.
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Jesus performed many miracles during his ministry,
proving that he truly was the Son of God.
Four days after his friend Lazarus died, Jesus went to his tomb.
Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise,
and the man who had died came forth from the tomb still wrapped in his burial cloths.
The people who saw this miracle came to believe that Jesus was God and the Savior of the world.
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God's love for all mankind sent his Son to the cross.
He knew all men everywhere had sinned.
God, in his perfect justice, said the penalty for sin was death.
So Jesus, God's only Son, allowed those who did not believe in him to nail him to a cross to die.
Having committed no sin himself,
Jesus has the Lamb of God shed his blood and died to pay the price for our sin
and to take away the sin of the world.
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To fulfill prophecy, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day,
just as he promised he would.
Jesus proved God had power over death and the grave.
Jesus proved he was the risen Savior, and that in him was life.
Truly, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
No one can come to God except through him.
Jesus came back to life.
He appeared to many people.
He has proved he is the Son of God.
Today, Jesus offers eternal, abundant life, his life,
as a free gift to anyone who believes and trusts him as Lord and Savior.
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The word spreads.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the number of believers multiplied,
and churches were started throughout the known world.
The message of Jesus, crucified, risen, and coming again,
continued to spread through the centuries.
Despite the changes in political power or the persecutions,
that often killed many of the church's leaders.
The church, which began with Jesus and his disciples in the far off land of Jerusalem,
has today reached every corner of the globe.
Countless millions profess Jesus as their Lord.
The Bible, the Word of God, has since been translated into every major spoken language.
Jesus has truly kept his promise.
He will build his church, and the gates of hell will not stand against it.
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The Second Coming.
Jesus promised he would return for those who trust in him.
The Bible says that when Jesus returns,
he will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
The body of believers will be raised up to meet the Lord in the air,
and we will be with the Lord in the new heaven and earth,
forever and ever.
Rejoice, for the Lord God is King.
Thank you for coming to the Lafayette Living Nativity.
Please make sure your headlights are on,
and our traffic personnel will help you safely exit.
We hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas.