What Christmas is REALLY About
As we continue our adventure Journey today, we light the third pink candle. The candle represents God's everlasting love for us and that's what we're going to be talking a lot about today Jeremiah 31 verse 3 says I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with loving kindness. You know God's great love for us was the motivation behind his. Bringing his son in the form of a babe so that we could receive salvation and forgiveness of sins through him and it's only because of God's love that that gift was made available to us. And John 3:16 and 17 we read for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. You know by accepting the love of God and accepting who his son Jesus Christ really is you can accept those two great gifts the Forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life. You notice we think about Christmas and we talked in the high school Sunday school class this morning about what are your Christmas traditions? What traditions does your family have in relation to Advent? And then we also talked about some different countries around the world and what some different advent Traditions are and those country. But the whole point of it was to talk about that even though our Traditions might be different the things we do might be different. They're all done with one thing in mind and that is to prepare. For Christmas prepare us for Christ arrival, you know, that's really what we're celebrating on Christmas day and we can't forget that and that's part of why we participate in Advent is a church to remind us. And today reminded of God's deep love for us. Please pray with me. Heavenly Father we thank you so much for the profound love that you show us Lord the undeserved love that you show us. And Lord, I pray that this Christmas season. But all of us will feel the reality and appearance of your love for us Lord and that we will accept that gift. Accept the gift of Salvation and eternal life that you offer tall braid. It's all in your most. Holy name. Amen.
Now it's also our time of sharing our Joys and concerns. Does anyone have any Joyce or concerns that they would like to share with their church family this morning?
Yeah, it's a very different time home tutoring for her. Normally when she's home. She travels quite a bit and she has quite a bit scheduled but if it goes like it did for some of her friends who came home from her team when they flew home they flew into New York New York made them quarantined for two weeks, then when they flew from New York to Ohio, Ohio made them quarantine for 2 weeks cuz I've been in New York. So but Indiana has no requirements for quarantine, so that's what they told her when she came in from Bosnia, but she did Container South Meck said that they know she ended up Negative. They showed mom positive. So they called Mom Monday 10 after she was positive. So she was already done quarantining at that point. So yeah continue to pray, you know, and I've talked with Patty Hall Baker was in here the other day just all the stuff they're continuing to deal with down at Swiss village with covid-19 thinking about we are talking to Susie lighter about stuff going on at Woodcrest. Especially be praying for those in our Nursing Care Facilities that are having to deal with it, you know for Bill Bonnie and Marcia, it's different because You know when they're restricted to their rooms, they can't do anything else. So be praying for them you think of them call him drop him a note do something. You know, we had the unexpected gift this week that when are Commodities came for the food bank. For some reason we had four cases of roses delivered to us along with those. Now unfortunately as we began to look at them a lot of the Roses for wilted not very nice. But my mom and my sister went through all the roses and made up six nice bouquets out of what was good, and we're able to deliver those to some people at the nursing homes. So that ended up working out quite well, but we were quite surprised to find cases of roses with our commodities. Any Joy other choice or concerns anyone like to share Amanda?
Certainly, what's his name?
We will certainly be praying for him.
Yes. If you didn't know Jeff hardesty's wife Rachel did pass away this week. So be praying for that family as they deal with that loss.
Definitely a tough year makes my 2020 look a little better.
Any other choice or concerns?
Certainly be praying for them any others.
We will pray for those things.
any others if not, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly father as we come to you today Lord. We thank you for the many blessings that you give us. Lord we've heard a lot of struggles that people have had today Lord deaths in the family people struggling with covid-19.
The Lord I pray that you would. In the midst of that help us all to see how deeply you love us. And Lord that you would give us the strength in the energy. We need to continue to show that love to others. Lord I pray that you'll be with all those who are mentioned in Lord help us at the church family to continually come around them and lift them up and encourage them Lord. And help them to know your love for them. Also. We pray this all in your most. Holy name. Amen.
Well this morning as we continue I'm going to tell the kids before I forget Bryce's waving his arms back there that we do have Junior church back there. So if you want to go out to Junior church, you can follow Bryce. He's got the Bears. I guess. I'll mention that the Chicago Bears Santa hat on follow him. out there
and they will do children's church.
you know, I heard this story told a few years ago that there were some people who decided to throw Party in honor of someone during the Christmas season because you know of all the things that that person had done in their communities. They really wanted to honor them. So they did all the things that you do for a typical party, you know, they sent out the invitations they decorated the house. They got all the food prepared and then the night came for the big party. And it was going to be a surprise, you know, no one had told the guest of honor about this party happening and as the time near for the party begin, they realized one fatal flaw and their entire plan. No one invited the guest of honor. To come to the party. They were trying to be so secretive in planning the party in honor of this person that they forgot to invite the guests of honor to come. They finally had to make a sort of embarrassed phone call to the person to invite them to come to the party and their honor so, you know what I think about that and I heard that story, you know, I wonder if that ever happens at Christmas time. You know, we do all the decorating. We do all the shopping. We do all the worrying about preparing fancy meals and get-togethers and being able to make a something fit with everyone's schedules. And we do all that and I often wonder do we really know what we're celebrating?
You know I thought about if we just saw all those kids go out and I think about it when I see the kids on my bus every day and they're excited about stuff for Christmas and what they might get but you know, all the talk is just about presents. Or it's just about the food or things like that and all those things are fun and important but are we really forgetting what we are really celebrating what it's really all about?
You know, most people will tell you that Christmas is about giving that's partially true giving is the visible Act of what Christmas is all about. But what is it really all about? Yep. We look in scripture in 1st John Chapter 4 verses 9 and 10. It says this is how God showed his love Among Us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is Love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Another famous verse can someone quote John 3:16 for me.
good job, Marv, if I had a candy bar, give it when I got a donut my office you can have if
You know, that's one of the most famous verses and we see it, you know held up on signs at sporting events everywhere and I often think when I see those signs, you know, there's probably a lot of people that aren't Believers that could quote part of that verse or maybe even all of it, but do they really understand what it means? Did they really know the depth of what's there? Did you know we all have a lot of things on our Christmas list? But is there anybody out here who can say that you have eternal life on your Christmas list? Is that something you thought about when making out all the things you want or desire this Christmas did any of us think of eternal life did any of us think of Salvation or the Forgiveness of sins?
But really could there be any better gift than those things? Mean, what is the real reason that God sent Jesus? Was it so that we had yet another reason to gather together and eat more food than we really need. And a good reason to consume candy. No, he did it because his love for us the supernatural love of God because it all boils down to one simple word. And that is love that is what Christmas is all about. You know, we're not talking about some gooey gooey type of love when you think of you know, when you watch all these Hallmark movies, where are fun thing is when we watch the Hallmark movies predict, like right off the bat. Okay, he's going to fall in love with her. She's going to fall in love with him and you know, it always involved usually like Some surprise meeting at some party or someone getting a gift. They didn't expect or you guys have all seen him you can guess within the first 5 minutes how the whole rest of the movies going to go. That's not the type of love that were talking about you were talking about love that looks past all the physical imperfections that we might have, you know, love that looks past. All of our faults are failures our flaws in our sins. I love that looks beyond all over. Bad stuff n s and says I still love you. I love you more than you could ever know. No Christmas is all about love the God's Great Eternal up for it's a love so strong and God's heart that it motivated him to send his son to send the very best. He had the most precious things to him. If we think about how we feel about our kids he sent that to us because he loved us so much.
so that we could spend eternity with him.
You know from the time that Jesus first came to Earth and was born as a baby his life had one purpose. To die for us to show that God was willing to sacrifice his one and only son for us that God loved us that much. But you know throughout that entire process God left that decision up to Jesus. He had to be a willing sacrifice. So God gave him the choice to make to die on the cross, but Jesus chose to do it. He knows I thought about that. I thought what would motivate someone to do something like that to be willing to sacrifice themselves?
I mean, we've all seen the best in the worst of humanity and got to admit. There's a lot of times that I don't know if I would be convinced to do the same thing. I hope I would but what I be willing to would I be willing to sacrifice one of my own kids. Some days. Yes. Some days no.
Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 says let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and Perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God.
You know the part of that verse that always gets me is the part that says for the joy set before him. How could you possibly look at all the pain and suffering that the cross represents? And find joy in that.
Jesus could find join it because he was looking beyond the cross. Jesus knew what he was about to experience on that cross even though it might be bad. It was temporary. In the result of it would mean that all of us. Would be able to accept the gifts of our forgiveness of our sins and eternal life.
Because he know Christmas isn't about trees. That's only a tradition. In the high school Sunday school class. We talked about some different Traditions that a different countries had. You know in France stay at a different piece to the Nativity everyday for 24 days, but you can't add baby. Jesus till the end. In Poland, they have the tradition of cleaning their house from top to bottom. Obviously a tradition started by a really wise mother at some point in time.
And yet there was another country that had her tradition that Bryce and I decided we're going to start this one Brazilian country. They have added and that part of their tradition is that at some point during the Nativity time baby. Jesus gets kidnapped. So we've decided we're going to start a game between various churches and we're going to go get Decatur Church of God's Jesus out of their negativity tonight and see if we can start something. No, he knows we talked about all these traditions we talked about, you know, they're all so different, but they're all done in preparation for Christmas. That's why we do them. They're preparing our hearts and our minds to get us ready for what we're really supposed to be thinking about what we're supposed to be doing. And that's the whole reason we do Advent here at church is to focus our mind and that's why this time of year. We always bring in the you know, the same Bible verses the same stories that are so familiar. We sing carols that were familiar with all to focus our hearts and Minds on what really matters because Christmas is all about love. It's all about how much God love each and every one of us. We can't let all the other stuff clutter our minds. and distract us
You know, I heard the story a few years ago of a mother who had a son who was profoundly disabled in multiple ways faced a lot of different health challenges. heat on one particular day It got to a point where his health challenges were at a point where they were going to have to make the choice to put him into a nursing care facility or not. And she was really really struggling with this particular decision. Did she want to do it just not want to do it? So she was spending a lot of time. In prayer and in scripture trying to decide what would be best for her son.
She was praying and asking God to give her peace about whatever decision they chose to make. Kind of felt this little nuts where she felt God was asking her. Why do you love your son?
Nishi thought about it, you know, it's like, you know, does she love him because he does so well in school, you know those she loved him because of his great career. Does she love him because of his athletic ability or because he's got such a beautiful singing voice. You know that she's thought about this thing. She thought no love him is simply because he's mine.
the second she thought that she felt God kind of confirming her heart that that's the same reason that I love you. I love you, simply because you're mine.
When did you get that? You know, God loves us simply because we are his. And why are we his were his because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross? You know, we're all created to be children of God. Unfortunately, we don't all make the choice to follow that path in life, but God still loves us. Anyway, just because we are his.
Do you not want to put a little bit of a challenge out there to all of us? We all know that are gathered here is that God offers us this extravagant love. And when we open our hearts up and we accept that we know we begin to live our life for him. But I'm also sure that each and every one of us here knows someone that doesn't know about that extravagant love. They might know who Jesus is. They might understand part of the Christmas story. But do they really understand God's profound love for them. in my challenge to all of us is to put that person on your Christmas list. Put that person on the list of people that you are praying for daily to come to know Jesus and ask God to give you opportunities this Christmas season to witness to that. Opportunities to just show them the love of God. And show them that God loves them no matter what in their life that God is their to walk with them through whatever they might be experiencing.
But you know, we can only do that when we truly understand God's love for others.
1st Corinthians 13 verses 1 through 7. I rated it almost every wedding. I do verse everyone always wants red. It reads like this says if I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love. I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of Prophecy and can fathom all Mysteries and all knowledge and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my by to the Flames, but have not love I gain nothing. Love is patient love is kind. It does not envy it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs love does not Delight in evil. But rejoices with the truth it always protects always trusts always hopes always perseveres.
you know, I think that what we can do is we read that and we think about what Christ accomplished for us on the cross is we think about Christmas and all that it means
You know, we can take this principle one step further and realize that even if we do many great and wonderful things Brothers, we accomplish nothing if we are not motivated by love.
you know sometimes I think We can get in the bad habit of doing things simply because well, that's what we do every year around Christmas, right? Or I see everyone else bringing something in for the food drive. So I better bring something in or I see everyone else buying something to give to this charity. So I better do it.
Those are all great things but the reality is they mean nothing if they aren't motivated by love. And as we help others this Christmas or we see others and need we need to let it be the love of God within us that motivates us to do those things. You know, if you take a look at the original language in the Bible, you'll see the Greek word used for love in those passages means a selfless concern for the needs of others.
That is the way that God loves.
Put others needs above his own because real love doesn't depend on whether the person being loved is lovable or not. Cuz most likely if they've done something. That's not that makes him not worthy. No, that's how the world loves Real Love is a decision and act of the will to love even the most unlovable in obedience to God's command. We see repeated over and over again in scripture how we are to love others and that's what we need to remember. Does he know we have one of the greatest gifts that was ever offered when we were offered the right to become children of God?
And it doesn't show the world much love if we don't offer that to all of them. So we need to be looking for ways to do it. Because each and every one of us are on God's Christmas list because he wants all of us to know him and to be in relationship with him. So think of that other person that God wants you to reach out to this Christmas and then do it and pray about it, please join with me in prayer.
Find Heavenly Father. We thank you for making us a part of your family. We thank you for that opportunity that you gave us. We asked for the power of God's love to be at work in us so that we can do immeasurably more than we ever thought we could. Lord help us to love others when they are being unlovable. We asked you to embrace us with your powerful love so that we may love others with our words and with our actions me. Thank you for the perfect love that you have for us.