Isaiah 9:6-7
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

6.)  For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7.)  The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

Wise Men Seek the King

1) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,
2) saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the easta and have come to worship Him.

3) When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4) So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5) “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

6) And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the leaders of Judah:
because out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd My people Israel.

7) Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.
8) He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”d]">[d]

9) After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.
10) When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.
11) Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12) And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

The Flight into Egypt

13) After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.”
14) So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.
15) He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.

The Massacre of the Innocents

16) Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
17) Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.

The Holy Family in Nazareth
19) After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20) saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
21) So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.
22) But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.
23) Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.

NOTE: This is a sermon in response to the tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut. We are mourning as a nation over this loss and the evil we saw.

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

1 Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me
2 or they will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.

3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me
or have plundered my adversary without cause,
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground
and leave my honor in the dust.Selah

6 Rise up, Lord, in Your anger;
lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;
awake for me;
You have ordained a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You;
take Your seat on high over it.
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.

9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous.
The One who examines the thoughts and emotions
is a righteous God.
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows His wrath every day.

12 If anyone does not repent,
God will sharpen His sword;
He has strung His bow and made it ready.
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He tips His arrows with fire.

14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.
16 His trouble comes back on his own head,
and his violence falls on the top of his head.

17 I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;
I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.

Psalm 5
The Refuge of the Righteous
For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.

1.) Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.
2.) Pay attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for I pray to You.

3.) At daybreak, Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.

4.) For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with You.
5.) The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;
You hate all evildoers.
6.) You destroy those who tell lies;
the Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.

7.) But I enter Your house
by the abundance of Your faithful love;
I bow down toward Your holy temple
in reverential awe of You.
8.) Lord, lead me in Your righteousness
because of my adversaries;
make Your way straight before me.

9.) For there is nothing reliable in what they say;
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.
10.) Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them out because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against You.

11.) But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
let them shout for joy forever.
May You shelter them,
and may those who love Your name boast about You.
12.) For You, Lord, bless the righteous one;
You surround him with favor like a shield.

Psalm 4

A Night Prayer

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic psalm.

1) Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.
You freed me from affliction;
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

2) How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted?
How long will you love what is worthless
and pursue a lie?Selah
3) Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for Himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4) Be angry and do not sin;
on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.Selah
5) Offer sacrifices in righteousness
and trust in the Lord.

6) Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Look on us with favor, Lord.

7) You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and new wine abound.
8) I will both lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety.