A Different Christmas

Matthew 1:18–25 NIV

18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Introduction -

I can remember when I was growing up that parents would do a lot for me on a regular basis. And with this repetition it would make me forget to be thankful for all they did. Sometimes this can happen with the Christmas story

I feel like it can be the same for us during Christmas that we get distracted by many different things and we loose the real meaning for Christmas.

We have heard these stories so many times before that it is just another time rather than really realizing what the birth of Jesus meant for us.

We see in this story that this would have obviously been a big deal for them. This would have been life changing for Joseph and Mary.

Here are three things why this doesn’t need to be some mundane thing that we just do every year.

Make this Christmas different don’t just fall in to the routine of what you do every year

Body

The Real Gift of Jesus’ Birth

Matthew 1:21 NIV

21 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.”

We see here why Jesus was the real gift of Christmas. This is the good news that Christ will come to save us from our sins.

But in the mundane we can forget this real reason

Jesus’ Birth Showed The Character of God

Matthew 1:23 NIV

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

We see here that this truly shows the character of God. It shows what God was willing to do for us.

Jesus came down as Immanuel as God with us

This shows that God cares about us enough to be with us. That he doesn’t just leave us where we are.

Some people believe that there is a God but that he just created the world and then left it but this is not our God

Jesus’s Birth Should Drive Us To Action

Matthew 1:24 NIV

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

We see here that when Joseph heard these things he did not just sit there he got up and got going

In the same way we should be driven to action because of what we have heard about Christ.

Conclusion -

I challenge you for this Christmas to come at it with new eyes