First Christmas

This morning, travel back in time with me to that first Christmas. There, we will see the real story unfold … minus all the trimmings. You know – minus the parties… the cards … the ornaments … the family gatherings. Just the story. The real story.

And when you think about it try to:

Clear your heads

Open your hearts

And…forget about how light your wallet feels.

This morning we are in a unique position to actually listen to the story of Christmas. It’s a story that changes all who hear it and embrace it.

According to those who were the first eyewitnesses to the real story of Christmas:

Christmas is an invitation into the presence of God.

One of our eyewitnesses this morning will be Mary, the mother of our Lord. Listen for the real story as the angel announces to Mary the arrival of Christmas.

I’m reading from Luke 1:26-28.

Luke 1:26–28 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

“The Lord is with you.” What a story. At its core, this is an invitation to a 16 … 17 …18-year-old Jewish girl to enter into the presence of God. To participate in the plans ofGod. To fulfill the dreams of God in our world.

Mary encountered God when Gabriel appeared to her. Now certainly the encounter was actually with an angel. But the real story is that Mary was being invited into God’s presence. She was being invited to do life with God … not with some angel named Gabriel.

Listen – whether through an angel, or a Christmas hymn, or a family gathering, or simply through the reading of Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth on Christmas morning – the real story of Christmas is that God is inviting you into His presence. God is drawing you into His plans for your life. He’s inviting you to share His dreams … to join Him in reshaping your corner of the world according to His vision.

This Christmas season, God has been and IS inviting you into His presence.

Just allow yourself to be honest for a moment. Have you? Have you entered into God’s presence this Christmas?

I know some of you are thinking:

“Well Pastor, I’ve been coming to our Christmas series”

“I came to our Christmas party and luncheon”

“Our family read the account of Jesus’ birth out of the Gospel of Luke . Does that mean we got the real story of Christmas?”

Okay, those things are great. Our family did all three of those things as well.

But let’s admit it to ourselves. None of these things guarantee us entrance into the presence of God.

Want to know how you can tell if you have gotten the real story of Christmas … if you have responded to this invitation to enter into God’s presence this Christmas? Just ask yourself if you have experienced any of the responses that Mary experienced when she entered into God’s presence.

Have you:

Stood In Awe of God

Luke 1:29 ESV

But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

Been Filled with Wonder Toward God

Luke 1:34 ESV

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Maybe you lost your job, and you had no idea how you were going to provide Christmas for your family. But out of the blue, someone blessed you. Or some unexpected money came in … a windfall … and you knew it was God. God came through, and you stood in awe of God.

Made a full surrender of your life

Luke 1:38 ESV

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Had any moments like that? Any times when you experienced the same stuff Mary experienced?

Yes? Then you get the real story of Christmas, and you have entered into His presence.

No? Then it’s not too late. Before you take down the tree, and pack up the Christmas lights … sit down with God. Get away with Him for thirty minutes or an hour today – and sit there until you tremble in His presence … until you are filled with awe and wonder.

Now according to those who were the first eyewitnesses to the real story of Christmas:

· Christmas is an invitation into the presence of God.

· Christmas is an invitation to sing the praises of God.

Notice Mary’s response to the angel’s visit, and to her encounter with God:

Luke 1:46–47 ESV

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

That’s right – she sang. She praised God. When she encountered God, her life began to look more like a Broadway musical than a big budget action movie. She encounters God, and then her mouth breaks forth in song.

That’s it. That’s the real story of Christmas.

It’s a story that the angels announced. And it’s a story that even children can understand. And by the way, this response of singing God’s praises is not unique just to Mary. It seems like everyone who grasped the real story of Christmas had a song to sing.

Everyone who entered into the presence of God sang His praises.

The Bible tells us:

When Zechariah grasped the real story of Christmas, he broke out into song:

Luke 1:67–68 ESV

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

The angels certainly grasped the real story of Christmas, and they broke out into

song:

Luke 2:13–14 ESV

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Certainly the shepherds sang… as did the Wise Men. Simeon sang. And Anna the

prophetess sang. When people heard the announcement of Jesus’ birth … when people entered into the presence of God on that first Christmas … it seems that everyone’s response was exactly the same. They broke out into songs of praise. Their life began to resemble a Broadway musical.

Have you ever been to a musical? We have a running joke among my family, that we live in a musical, because many of us are musically inclined, and so at any moment you masy run into someone that will just burst into song.

But today, some of you are not singing. Some of you are anticipating a sigh of relief, and others are lining up an appointment with your therapist. And singing the praises of God isn’t even on your radar screen.

No, the real story of Christmas notwithstanding … the real story for you is:

· Anticipation of relief sigh of relief. You’re a perfectionist. You want everything about Christmas to be perfect. You want:

- The holidays to be perfect.

- The meals to be perfect.

- The house to be perfect.

- To pick the perfect gift for everyone.

You even want everyone to respond perfectly and be completely grateful for what they receive. No comparison. No complaints. No jealousy. Just gratitude.

You want everyone to be happy, and no one to be sad. You don’t want anyone to argue or fight.

And you work so hard to make all of that happen. You want to get to the end and breath a huge sigh of relief. And truth be known, you’ll probably look back on Christmas with some regret, because things didn’t go perfectly. But hey – you tried. And you can live with that. And you can just breathe out a sigh of relief … not even thinking about singing God’s praises. You’ll thank your lucky stars that you got through it all.

Well guess what. Things weren’t perfect for Mary that first Christmas either. They

weren’t perfect when:

She had to ride on a donkey from Nazareth down to Bethlehem.

There was no room in the inn

She gave birth in a cattle stall.

But aren’t you grateful that after the birth of Jesus, Mary didn’t just breathe a sigh of relief and say:

“Now we can put all the decorations away. We can put Christmas behind us ...

all the hustle and bustle. And we can move on to New Year’s.”

What made the difference for Mary between singing and sighing? I’ll tell you what it was. Mary understood that she had been invited into the presence of God … invited to do life with God … invited to join with God in blessing the world.

Mary sang because she got it. She got the real story of Christmas.

So can I offer you this suggestion? If you’re anticipating a sigh of relief this morning – first of all let me say I don’t blame you. I understand … and in many ways I’m breathing a sigh of relief with you.

But something bigger is going on here today. Now that the hustle and the bustle is over with, it’s a great time to enter into the presence of God until you feel your heart beginning to sing.

Others are not singing, or sighing. No, you are making plans to:

· See your therapist or counselor

The truth is … though you wouldn’t say it out loud … you’re stressed out thinking about your family. Family that is coming over or family that you are going to see. And the truth is, rather than Christmas being a time of celebration it’s more like a time of walking on eggshells … taking direct hits from “well-meaning” loved ones and friends.

Nationally, studies show that counselors and therapists see aspike in appointments during the holidays because, as people say to him:

“They have to spend time with their crazy family.”

Will you receive so-called “friendly fire” this Christmas?

“Why aren’t you married yet?”

“Have you put on weight?”

“Your sister never acted like that.”

“I can’t believe you turned out like you did.”

“Why don’t you ever come see me?”

“Let me tell you what you should do …”

You’ve had it up to here with:

- Crazy in-laws.

- Controlling parents.

- Unsolicited advice.

Think about Mary for a moment. It’s not like she got a pass when it came to “friendly fire.” She was:

Criticized

Condemned

Ostracized.

Mary had her detractors. There were people whispering behind her back accusing her of all manner of things. So how did Mary pull off singing at a time when she probably needed a counselor?

Mary entered into the presence of God and listened to His voice until His voice drowned out all the other voices.

She didn’t go through that Christmas alone. Mary had Joseph. And she leaned on Joseph. And she cried on Joseph’s shoulder. She was able to tell Joseph how the remarks from “so-called” friends and family members wounded her.

And the reality is, you need someone if you’re going to sing God’s praises this Christmas.

You need a Joseph. You need a friend. You need someone with whom you can talk. And that may be a counselor. Or it may just be a great friend. It may be a spouse. It may be a parent. It may be a neighbor.

Now let’s face it. When I say … “the real story of Christmas is an invitation to enter into the presence of God and sing the praises of God” … some of you are already there. You are:

· Singing.

Some of you are deeply satisfied this Christmas, and you are singing God’s praises. Why wouldn’t you be singing? You just spent time with family. You thrive on relationships, and conversations, and hugs, and the relationships that you’ve enjoyed this Christmas season. For you, it doesn’t matter that:

The house was messy.

The bundt cake fell apart.

You saw your family, and that’s all you care about. You even recognize that your family comes from God … that God has given you that family … that God has blessed you with this Christmas.

You’ve been living in His presence … thanking Him … singing His praises.

My only word to you is – keep singing. Keep singing.

I recently read a story about Richard Branson – the well-known founder of the Virgin Group of companies. One of those companies is Virgin Atlantic Airways. As the story goes, he found himself in an airport in the Caribbean. His flight had just been cancelled, and it was the only flight that day. Instead of freaking out about how essential the flight was … or how missing the planned meeting back home was literally putting his entire career in jeopardy … the young Branson just walked across the airport to the Charter desk and inquired about the cost of chartering a flight out of Puerto Rico. Then he borrowed a portable blackboard and wrote:

“Seats to Virgin Islands - $39.”

He went back to his gate … sold enough seats to his fellow passengers to completely cover his cost … and made it home on time – not to mention planting the seed for the airline that he would start decades later.

What a great story. When you think about it, everyone assumed they knew the real story:

· Flight cancelled.

· Going nowhere today.

· Arrive home a day late.

Branson knew that didn’t have to be the real story. Not if he could write an alternate story … a better story. And that’s what he did.

And that’s what God has done. Christmas is God writing an alternate story … a better story … a story that can usher you into the presence of God, and leave you singing the praises of God.

Today do you want to hear the story of the First Christmas – do you know the real story?

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