Christmas List/Wk1

Christmas List

Christmas List: Reordering Our Priorities

Week 1

Text: ; ;

Topic: Others, the Least of These, Wise Men

Application Point: We will be others-centered, even to those we least expect to be open to the things of God.

Intro:  Ok everyone, now you can decorate and play Christmas music.  I want to challenge you this Christmas season.  We are going to examine the nativity story and how we should view our priorities during the Christmas season.  Through understanding the context and characters, we will see the importance of prioritizing others, adjusting our list of priorities, and rethinking our time.  We’ll also be reminded that the Christian virtues presented in the Christmas season should be normal for Christians throughout the year Big Idea of the Message: The Christmas season opens our hearts to see that God cares for other people, even the least likely individuals.

Application Point: We will be others-centered, even to those we least expect to be open to the things of God.

1. What’s on your list.

What do you think of when you think of Christmas?

Trees, presents, food, malls, family?

Maybe it’s watching movies like Home Alone (1990) or It’s A Wonderful Life (1946).

Singing your favorite carols on your way to work.

The family turkey or ham, kids opening presents on Christmas mornings.  

Do you think about budgets and finances and loans that you’re still paying off from last year?

Do you despise this time of year, because you hold on to hurt from the past or wounds you have yet to allow to heal?

This is the time of year when we allow kids to create a list of things they want, typically this list is prioritized..the main priority on the top and the least on the bottom...

As Christians we know that Jesus is the reason for the season.

But what is on your Christmas list?

What are our priorities during this season?

 What are the priorities on your heart right now?

Trying to make sure you get the perfect gift for your kids or your spouse so you don’t lose favor with them?

How about taking time to love on others do you have no one else to reach out to them?

So I challenge you this year to look at your priorities and decide what’s on the top of your list 

2. How do you see others.  

One of the main themes around Christmas time is to think of others.

Christmas is unique, in that for a season people are more likely to think of others than themselves.

But this others-centered ethic should be the norm for Christians.

Christians should always be thinking of the needs of others before themselves— no matter what the time of year it is.  

Unfortunately we have become a very self centered society. Always looking out for number one, climbing the ladder of success no matter who we step on with a sorry for you but glad it’s not me mentality.

This is not the message of the gospels.

And because we’ve been raised in such a society we must strive to see others differently than we do now.

The way we perceive other people especially those outside of  our inner circle we must diligently and prayerfully seek to make sure our perception is that of the mind of Christ towards others.  

Even the nativity story reveals a change in how we perceive other people. Which brings us to our next point. 

3. Change your perception.      

The nativity story can be found in the books of Matthew and Luke.

presented show the importance of changing our perception of other people. For example, Matthew describes wise men who came to Herod to give gifts to the new king. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (). The wise men are sometimes called “magi.” These were educated men from the East, possibly Persia. “In later centuries down to NT times, the term loosely covered a wide variety of men interested in dreams, astrology, magic, books, thought to contain mysterious references to the future”

While these few chapters deal with the historical events of Jesus’s birth, the characters presented show the importance of changing our perception of other people.

For example, Matthew describes wise men who came to Herod to give gifts to the new king.

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” ().

The wise men are sometimes called “magi.”

These were educated men from the East, possibly Persia.

“In later centuries down to NT times, the term loosely covered a wide variety of men interested in dreams, astrology, magic, books, thought to contain mysterious references to the future”

 They had been studying the stars, so they were pagan astrologers.

They were possibly reading the text of Isaiah—something that would have been left over from the Hebrew exile—Many theologians believe these men were students of remnants left over from the teachings of Daniel when he was in Persia 

and these men came across a story about a new king for the whole world that will be born in Israel.

So, these pagan astrologers came a far distance to worship a king.

They were outsiders from the Jewish community, but God revealed the Messiah to them when many of the Jewish people weren’t looking for him.

And they were described as a wise men.

Not the heathen pagan astrologers from the east, not the devil worshiping God haters from Persia.... no.. wise man who came to worship the king.

Was their believe system different? yes it was, but the Bible tells us every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess and this was the first showing of that ...

the pagan men from the far East , men that were out there to worship the king of kings and Lord of lords and they were called wise for it.

And throughout the centuries they have been counted among the first believers to Kneel  at what was to be the foot of the cross ....

These men were outsiders 

In the story of the nativity, we see a God who chooses the outsiders to bring about his will.

I want to start an outreach called “The Doubters Club” reaching  out to those raised in church but are not sure where they stand in their beliefs now. This would include pagans, atheist, luciferian etc                                  

In Denver theres a group called The Doubter’s Club community of Denver.

Its a group that chooses to reach out, and show God’s transforming love by meeting the outsider where they are and creating a community with them

:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FoqkkvXKss.

 (Note: I won’t show the  video but I can describe a community developed by a pastor and an atheist.)

This is they type of compassion we should be showing, not yelling at those who think, feel or believe differently than us.  

4. The Forgotten

The other group of people who came to see Jesus were shepherds who had been tending to their flock.

An angel appeared to them and said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” ().

They then went to the manger to find Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.

It’s unlikely that the shepherds had bathed before they saw Jesus. They were hard-working people who’d had their typical day suddenly changed by God’s plan in history.

The shepherds in the area of Bethlehem or actually the Shepherd’s that were charged to tend the sheep that would become the sacrifices for Passover.

These men were born Levites who had deformities so they were not allowed to serve as priests but sent out to be Shepherd’s,

set out to be outsiders..forgotten .

A Shepherd was the dirtiest job in biblical times.

It was the lowest of the low.

Everyone is in Jerusalem  worshiping but the shepherds were not allowed to enter.

Their deformities had placed them in an occupation that was looked down upon.

However their charge was amazing.

These Shepherd‘s… Let me give it to you one more time… Where the shepherds who had to tend the flock that were to be the sacrifices for the Passover.

And God sent an angel to tell them that his sacrifice lamb has been born that the Messiah has been born.

It was their job to oversee the birth of a lamb at the deem worthy or unworthy  of sacrifice... and God sends them to see Jesus’s birth and to kneel to worship Jesus .

music Meg......welcome back, We MISSED you.

Closing

Who came to worship the Messiah?

Pagan outsiders and shepherds who were dirty from tending their flock.

One reason why we should be centered on others is that we don’t know who God is working on to reveal

to prepare

to receive his Word.

Maybe it’s the least likely of a person that God uses or speaks to. Beyond showing love to others, we must see the bigger picture of God moving in the lives of people in the world.

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