Christmas
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Christmas...
Christmas...
Eggnog… lights… christmas trees… presents… snow… family…
But is that what Christmas is really about? I know that eggnog is one of the best things ever invented… if you don’t agree with me we can agree to disagree… But as much as eggnog is one of the best things about the Christmas season, it and the other things we see at Christmas are not what it is about.
Christmas is about Love, a greater love than has ever been seen before. And with it, a grace like no other, and it all starts with the miraculous birth of the son of God, Jesus Christ.
We’re going to read the Nativity story together using a compilation of excerpts from the book of Luke and Matthew. Sit back and enjoy for a few minutes while I read…
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.
A little while later after Mary became pregnant with Jesus, Joseph found out…
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
now...
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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 had followed the star all the way to Bethlehem to find Jesus.
And behold…
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world. Born in the most humble setting… perhaps even lowly. But he was born to bring life and freedom.
The whole reason God sent His son can be summed up in John 3:16-17.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus… a name that is used all over the world, many times a name that is unknown to the speaker except that they’ve heard it used as a swear word…
The name Jesus in Hebrew means, “the Lord Saves.” Jesus was sent by God not only to bring about a change in how the world sees God and the laws of His kingdom, but to be a sacrifice that brings freedom for all that would believe He is the son of God.
In the Old testament times, the laws of God were very harsh. There was no room for sin in the kingdom of God. When someone sinned, there would have to be a blood sacrifice to atone for that sin… But God loves His people and this was not pleasing to Him… and it went against His original design for creation, so He sent Jesus. The lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
Jesus gave His life on the cross so that we would all be saved from death. But in order for that to happen he had to come as a man, as a child, born of the virgin Mary.
For God so LOVED the WORLD, that He GAVE, His only son.
Not only did Jesus give his life in one of the most gruesome and painful ways to die in human history, God also watched His son endure that. So not only did God experience the pain of death out of sacrifice and love, He watched as His son died and went through that pain.
Love and generosity, and also Grace upon Grace for us and those around us. This is what Christmas is about, this is what should be our focus during the Christmas season.
In addition to celebrating Christ’s birth, remembering what that meant and lead to as well as honoring that in how we act and treat those around us whether they be strangers or friends.
Jesus came that we might have life and life in abundance. How can we share that with others this season? What kind of love can we show the people in our community?
Right now our world is consumed with Covid19 news, questions and fear. people are afraid that they’re neighbors will report them for violating COVID restrictions… If you aren’t wearing a mask or not standing far enough apart people give you a dirty look or get mad at you. I’m not exactly innocent in this regard but I don’t think anyone is...
Then you have those who feel like their rights are being violated by the mask mandates, social gathering limits, lock downs and the like and then take to protesting or complaining to anyone who will listen…
The sad part of all this… Christians are right smack dab in the middle of the whole mess. And not just the mess of protesting churches being closed and mask mandates, Christians are among the first to give dirty looks to those wearing and not wearing a mask depending on their stance.
What happened to what would Jesus do? As a community of believers, we should be the light to the rest of the world.
Christmas is about the love of God for the world. Christmas is about being the salt and the light. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16,
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The Christmas story, the story of Jesus birth is one of hope. It’s one of love and grace to a people undeserving of that love and grace. How can we embody the meaning of Christmas as the people God has placed in this community?
How can we live as salt that has not lost it’s taste and a light on the stand to give light to all in our community? Jesus, God, the one who loves us all without a second thought despite how dirty and unworthy we are. How can we love the world like Jesus?
Lets make love and grace and hope our first response to those who need it the most. Christmas is about Christ. The title of this holiday even has His name in it. So let’s make WWJD our guide this holiday season. Let’s be that light, and an extension of God’s love in our community because right now, people need it more than ever.
I want to challenge us today, who can you love this Christmas? Who can you bless with your blessings this Christmas? Who needs to know that Jesus loves them this Christmas? Whether it’s a kind word or something more, let’s strive to love like Jesus… Sacrificially and without hesitation.
You are the hands and feet of Christ, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Go, be blessed and bless others this Christmas.
Merry Christmas, have a good Sunday.
