Christmas Brings Anticipation

Introduction: There is something about Christmas Time. As much as the stores try to put the Christmas Decorations out in October, it doesn’t start to feel like Christmas time until after the turkey carcase is in the trash can.

Almost like clockwork, even the weather begins to change. And our hearts begin to anticipate.

Anticipate Christmas trees, and garland. Anticipate Christmas music (thought hopefully not that Maria Carey song). Anticipate hot chocolate. Candy Canes. Anticipate Peppermint Lattes.

Anticipate family gatherings that hopefully survived the no politics rules of thanksgiving. We anticipate presents.

We anticipate joy. We anticipate a little sorrow of loss.

And hopefully even the loss we’ve experience helps us to better anticipate the future when Jesus will return.

But for today, we start where it all began. In the little town of Nazareth.

Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 1:26-38. We come to a very familiar story of our faith. The visit by Gabriel to a young girl in Nazareth named Mary.

Last week we talked about how Mary was an ordinary girl chosen by an extraordinary God.

Mary was not the ideal candidate from a worldly point of view. But to God she was perfect. Because in her weakeness, God could demonstrate Hi strength. And in her lowliness, God could demonstrate His majesty. And in return, as we see, she give Him all the glory.

And with that announcement by Gabriel, generations of Anticipation and waiting and questions of when would the Messiah come were answered with….

About 9 months.

9 more months and the Messiah would be here.

But there is nothing that brings anticipation quite like expecting a baby.

Every day you get closer to meeting that baby.

And for Mary the anticipation was even greater because she knew how special this baby would be.

Because of what Gabriel said.

And we learn that… Introduce:

Big Idea: CHRISTMAS is about ANTICIPATING Jesus.

Let’s read Read the announcement of Jesus: Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 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.

Big Idea: CHRISTMAS is about ANTICIPATING Jesus.

1. CHRISTMAS can catch you OFF GUARD. (Luke 1:26-29)

Explanation: It’s pretty safe to say that Mary was caught completely off guard.

When we anticipate a baby, most of a us have a pretty good idea that a baby is at least possible.

It’s safe to say that it wasn’t even a thought in Mary’s mind that she could be pregnant.

So when Gabriel shows up and says, you are going to have a baby, she was caught off guard.

But look at her response…it was one of trust and faith. She believed the message of Gabriel.

Illustration: When we think about Christmas we often think about presents. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. In fact Jesus was God’s gift to His people as a means of saving us from our sins.

And there is something beautiful about giving gifts that are thoughtful and meaningful.

And hopefully we have all received a gift that caught us off guard. Something that was so perfect that it literally took our breath away. Something that tells us that the person who got it for us really knows us.

Application: It’s not just Mary who is caught off guard by Jesus. Every day, people are going about their daily business with no thought for their soul.

And then Jesus catches us off guard. The Holy Spirit grips are souls and like Mary, we believe against all odds.

Take Saul for example:

Acts 9:1–5 ESV

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

And if you know the rest of that story, Paul becomes the greatest missionary force for the spread of the Gospel. And it’s still happening…God using unusual ways to get people’s attention.

Every day, people are coming to Jesus from every tongue, tribe and nation. People who grew up in other religions are caught off guard by Jesus.

Many people will come to church just because it’s Christmas time and that’s what you do!

And they will be caught off guard by Jesus. Maybe that’s you.

Maybe Jesus is about to catch you off guard.

Like Mary, may you believe.

2. CHRISTMAS is often found in UNUSUAL places. (Luke 1:30-33)

Explanation: We’ve already talked about how Mary was not exactly the ideal candidate to be the Messiah’s mother. She wasn’t royalty. She wasn’t raised in a palace. She came from a long line of hard working people. Nobody was serving them. They were a proud people.

But such was the ways of God.

1 Corinthians 1:27–29 ESV

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

But let’s think about where Mary was from.

No one expected the Messiah to come out of Nazareth. The prophecies were clear. The Messiah would come from Bethlehem in Judah…not Nazareth.

Nazareth was a lot like Vallejo. Looked down on by bigger cities. People who came from there were looked at with suspicion.

When Nathaniel was invited to come meet Jesus, this is how he responds:

John 1:46 ESV

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

To be sure, Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. To be sure, Jesus would fulfill the prophecies to a T. But all of this began in an unusual place: Nazareth. To an unusal person: Mary

Luke 1:30–33 ESV

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

An usual way to bring about an extraordinary savior. An unusual girl. An unusual place. An unusual time.

Application: We too might find Christmas in unusual places. I always love watching the Macy’s Thankgiving parade. And while the rise of Amazon and online shopping seem to dominate where we purchase gifts, there is something about Macy’s at Christmas time that screams Christmas. It’s certainly a Christless Christmas, but cultural Christmas it is.

I’ve never been to the Macy’s in New York City but I’ve been to the one in Philadelphia at Christmas. It’s pretty cool.

When society thinks of Christmas they think of Times Square or Candy Cane lane.

But as Christians, I think we can all agree, that’s not what Christmas is all about.

if you want to see what Christmas is all about, you’d have better luck at a homeless shelter or an inner city mission.

Christmas is around a family dinner table. It’s about gathering together for worship at church. What our society calls Christmas isn’t. But we know it when we see it.

The first Christmas was in a stable around a manger. The epitome of an unusual place.

3. CHRISTMAS leads to incredible FAITH. (Luke 1:36-38)

Explanation: It takes a lot of faith to anticipate Christmas.

Now Mary had questions. We’d be surprised if you didn’t.

In contrast to Zechariah who down right doubted, Mary is curious, not doubtful.

She’s not too young that she doesn’t know how babies are made.

Luke 1:34 ESV

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

That’s a good question Mary. Thank you for asking, I’d love to answer it.

Luke 1:35 ESV

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

And then:

Luke 1:37

Luke 1:37 ESV

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

In other words, it’s going to be a miracle.

But then Mary does the most incredible thing. She believes. I’m not sure I’d be satisfied with Gabriel’s answer. Like Zechariah, I might end up mute for a year.

But for Mary, Gabriel’s answer was enough. She says:

Luke 1:38 ESV

38 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.

May we all have the same faith when we experience the truth of God.

Illustration: Now any proof of what the angel said would shortly become apparent. She would either be pregnant or not.

Many of us believe a lot of things without any evidence. We hold opinions and have biases. We trust out guts. But belief in God is somehow too much?

But the truth is, it’s hard to deny the power of God when it’s so clear that something is happening.

Application: I love how Elizabeth affirms this a few verses later:

Luke 1:45 ESV

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

We should believe God and take him at His word.

We should all anticipate Christmas with the same certainty that Mary had.

We ought to respond the same way:

Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.

Response: How are you ANTICIPATING CHRISTMAS?

Now you might ask, how can I anticipate something that has already happened?

Because what Mary only anticipates, we know of as historical fact.

Mary did conceive and give birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus did grow up live a perfect life. His identity as the son of God was confirmed by powerful signs and wonders.

He was an incredible teacher who taught the Word of God with power and authority.

He confronted the religious hypocricy of His day and went willing to the cross to die for the sins of His people.

He died and was buried and on the 3rd day rose again.

And now:

John 3:16 ESV

16 “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

So how do we anticipate what has already happened?

Well, if you haven’t yet believed, may you anticipate Jesus being born in your heart this year.

May you believe that there would be fullfillment of what has been spoken by the Lord!

And if you have been a Christian for any length of time, remember we still anticipate Jesus’ return.

We must never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is coming back. And the best way to celebrate Christmas is to tell the world.

A very underrated Christmas Carol is fitting here.

Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere. Go, tell it on the mountain That Jesus Christ is born.

Summation: Just remember:

Big Idea: CHRISTMAS is about ANTICIPATING Jesus.

1. CHRISTMAS can catch you OFF GUARD. (Luke 1:26-29)

2. CHRISTMAS is often found in UNUSUAL places. (Luke 1:30-33)

3. CHRISTMAS leads to incredible FAITH. (Luke 1:36-38)

Closing Illustration: We often think of Christmas as a Children’s Holiday. As we get older we stop experiencing the same anticipation that we did when we were kids.

Adulthood comes with responsibilities and worries that we never had as a kid.

And the truth is, even our faith, Christianity is a children’s faith.

Mark 10:14–15 ESV

14 “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Some of us today need to remember what it was like to be a child at Christmas Time. To let that joyful anticipation rise again.

We need to long for Jesus and the joy of His return.

We need to be so joyful with gift of our salvation that we can’t wait to tell our friends.

It may seem childish, but that’s the point.

May this Christmas be filled with anticipation of a savior who has come and is coming again!

Let’s pray.