1.4.4a 12.24.2018 Christmas Eve

Entice: My goal during December has been to lead our Church on a journey. A journey of reflection and excellence. Doing Christmas right means looking at how we have done it and choosing to make Jesus the center of that celebration.

• Entice: My goal during December has been to lead our Church on a journey. A journey of reflection and excellence. Doing Christmas right means looking at how we

have done it and choosing to make Jesus the center of that celebration.

Engage: Have you noticed how others celebrate? Unthinking excess. Consumption. Guilt and self-loathing. Let me encourage:

▾ Engage: Have you noticed how others celebrate? Unthinking excess. Consumption. Guilt and self-loathing. Let me encourage:

You can give gifts without surrendering to crass consumerism.

• You can give gifts without surrendering to crass consumerism.

You can be joyous without becoming jaded.

• You can be joyous without becoming jaded.

You can celebrate without guilt.

• You can celebrate without guilt.

Expand: Because Christmas is not really about our reactions. Incarnation is really about what Jesus did for us and what God has done in and through Him. Paul captures that thought in

Expand: Because Christmas is not really about our reactions. Incarnation is really about what Jesus did for us and what God has done in and through Him. Paul

• Expand: Because Christmas is not really about our reactions. Incarnation is really about what Jesus did for us and what God has done in and through Him. Paul

captures that thought in

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Excite: I could preach Christmas every Sunday! His coming is the promise of the Old Testament and the point of the New. Without God's intervention we are lost. The night is still silent and the darkness is absolute. The passivity of the

• Excite: I could preach Christmas every Sunday! His coming is the promise of the Old Testament and the point of the New. Without God's intervention we are lost.

The night is still silent and the darkness is absolute. The passivity of the

Responding in Faith to Jesus and what He did is how we do Christmas right.

• Explore: Responding in Faith to Jesus and what He did is how we do Christmas right.

Explain: When we look at Jesus we see 4 principles will keep us doing Christmas right.

• Explain: I want to share 4

▾ Body of Sermon:

Empty ourselves

• Empty ourselves

Humble ourselves

• Humble ourselves

Exalted by God.

• Exalted by God.

Honored by God.

Holy Night

One Dark Night

Enjoy your family. Enjoy the season with all of it's tinsel and tradition. But enjoy with the understanding that this great celebration is made possible because God came to be with us.

• Enjoy your family. Enjoy the season with all of it's tinsel and tradition. But condition your enjoyment with the understanding that this great celebration is made