Christmas at City Church

Intro

How many apps do you think you’ve used in the past week, past day, or even past 10 min??

My life seems to be lived one app to the next.

One of of iphones earliest taglines was, there’s an app for that.

It’s never been more true.

Especially right now at christmas time.

Gift, done. amazon

How to gift wrap. done youtube.

Decorations. done pinterest.

Food for dinner. done. ordered and delivered.

They have even put a track on santa somehow and you can see exactly where he is!

Christmas is part of the greatest story ever told.

God himself literally coming to earth, becoming human, all for the people he created and loves so much!!

BUT, what if the people living the original story, had an appstore.

How might they have used apps.

The time that Jesus came to the earth was a tumultuous time on the earth and especially for the Jewish people.

It had been promised for thousands of years that God was sending a Messiah, a conquerer to the Jewish people and through him would save the whole world!

But things look worse and not better.

Luke 1:5

In the time of Herod king of Judea...

The romans had taken control of all israel, they were oppressed. Herod was placed by Rome to control them.

There hadn’t been any word from God in hundreds of years.

It probably would have felt like nothing more than just some past story.

The people were fractured, against each other,

It was a dark time.

I think the first app would have for sure been google.

It’s often the first place we turn when we don’t know the answer isn’t it?

(Google christmas search results, show pic, point out.

Virginia: how long to roast a chicken,

North Carolina: What is Christmas?

Ohio: Where to buy coal

kentucky: is planet fitness open on Christmas

Texas: is the grinch real)

(Show pic of why it’s not reliable)

What they may would have searched:

How to saddle a donkey..

How to get to bethelehem.

How much taxes do I owe Rome this year

Is the messiah even real?

God where are you?

Is there any hope at all?

(how to overthrow Rome yourself in 10 easy steps)

The world wasn’t ready for Jesus and didn’t recognize him when he came, because they just stopped looking.

They didn’t have google, but they did search in all the wrong places and lost hope.

We are so guilty of the same.

God doesn’t make a promise he won’t keep.

David understood this

Psalm 71:22 (nlt)

Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O my God.

but sometimes when things don’t look the way we thought, we start searching for answers somewhere else and miss what he’s wanting to do.

The next app would have surely been a dating app.

Joseph is at home looking for someone, and finally find someone to swipe right on.

Mary!

Matthew 1:18

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph...

He found the one. They were pledged to be married.

Then...

Matthew 1:18-19

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

We know and read it was the holy spirit, but he didn’t know that.

I’m sure he would have thought, well, back to the app. maybe I can find someone to be faithful.

Think of the hurt and sense of betrayal.

he was very aware of how babies were made, and he knows he didn’t help.

Matthew 1:20-21

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

(You haven’t been betrayed you’ve been chosen)

Luckily instead of an app, he listened to an angel.

It required Joseph to trust God even when things didn’t make sense and he didn’t understand everything.

There is room in God’s plan.

Something so much bigger was happening, and God was inviting Joseph to be a part.

From just going about his normal life, finding his spouse, working his job, he’s not invited to be a part of God’s plan.

He could've just went back to searching for the next person, chose to ignore and do his own thing.

But he chose to believe God has a bigger purpose.

Same is true for us.

We can just let this be a fun season, not let it impact you, go on like normal.

Or realize there is a greater purpose for your life as well.

There is room in God’s plan for you!

He is up to something so much bigger and better than I can understand, and I can be a part.

it’s actually why we were created.

Mary and Joseph were the least likely, nothing special, except they chose to believe and God used them.

A few months goes by and Mary grows in size, she is ready to give birth and the Roman emperor demands that every has to take place in a census.

They wish they would have has the census.gov app it wouldn’t all been so easy.

The town they had to go to to get counted was the small city of Bethlehem almost 100 miles away.

This is where mary would have pulled up uber and told Joseph to grab a room on Airbnb.

If only it were so easy.

After almost 100 miles on a donkey, they arrive and online reservation didn’t go through...

Luke 2:6-7

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

This is where mary would have been on yelp!

1 Star, No room, manager was mean, can’t believe they would treat a pregnant lady like this!!

Then maybe they would pull up maps and try to find something close by, anything.

They locate an area with animals, but there is room. This is where they have to stay...

It’s there she gives birth.

No perfect place for this newborn baby, so they do the best they can and make a bed out of a feeding trough with hay.

Can you picture this scene.

This wouldn’t been Jesus first appearance on instagram.

Mary: look at this precious baby. #nofilter this really is a manger.

I’m sure they are grateful for a healthy baby, but they have to be struggling with some things.

God, you called us to do this, and it looks like nothing is going as it should...

Why is it so hard.

There is always purpose in God’s Plan

We can only see in part. God sees from beginning to end.

he never wastes a pain and he never overlooks our struggle.

he always knows what’s going on even when we don’t.

When we see a brick God see a home.

When we see a cog, he sees a clock.

When we see a step god sees a bridge.

We can’t see the scope of what he does.

We can’t quit or give in because we don’t see the whole thing.

Mary and Joseph could have never imagined all God was up to in the moment, but they could trust God was up to something.

There is always purpose in God’s plan.

Have I surrendered my plan to his??

mary and joseph said yes to God. Yes to his plan no matter what.

It all happened so that God could unveil the greatest app to the world.

The light.

It’s my simplest yet almost most used app.

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A world stumbling in darkness, void of hope, separated from love, cut off from purpose.

The light turned on.

jesus changes everything, no app needed!

He is the light.

Light floods a dark earth.

he went from the cradle to the cross all to light the way for us to find our way to God.

to show us the way out of darkness.

For us to find hope.

Romans 4:24-25

...for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification

God applies Jesus’ righteousness, his goodness, perfectness, to us when we trust in him.

I wonder if we have become so distracted with an app for everything life.

Searching so many places to find meaning and hope, the answers.

dividing my time and attention...

Get busy with all of the trappings of the season...

That we can overlook that Jesus is so much more than a cliff note to a holiday.

He wasn’t just a baby that gives us a fun holiday, he’s the light that illuminates the entire world. And your life.

Jesus was God’s plan.

Now your life and purpose can be found in him!

No more wandering for meaning and wondering what will fill and satisfy.

The last app that I think that God has open today on his heavenly device, is the phone.

Used to phones only made calls, thats all they did!

That’s what God is doing to you today, he’s calling you.

Calling your name.

Asking you to believe. Its for you.