Sermon Tone Analysis

*“The Gift of Thanksgiving”*

 

*Opening*: praise music

*Announcements~/Greeting*: Welcome.

Explain today.

Recap: Thanksgiving-attitude, prayer-trust, prepare-seek Him.

Thankfulness, expectation, prayer and seeking God come together as we look as what happened when Jesus came into the world.

First…give thanks.

*Offering*: kids sing /Lord We Pray/

*A look back in time*: Brief history of Israelites.

Prophets.

Seeking God~/Messiah.

Change:Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome.

Mary of Nazareth.

Prayers?

--as a young women betrothed to be married, I'm sure she had all kind of thoughts about her future...dreams and concerns about the life ahead of her.

What did God have in store for her?

Where was her life headed?

I'm sure she laid all these things before God asking him for guidance...

--living on the "frontier" of Israel, I'm sure she witnessed the life of the Romans around her.  Sometimes I'm sure she was repulsed at their behavior, knowing god would never accept such behavior from His people.

Other times, though, she probably witnessed great cultural advances...ways of thinking and doing things that seemed good and beneficial to society.

There were probably things she wanted to do, but wondered whether it was appropriate for a Jew to adopt such Gentile behaviors.

She probably spent time in prayer struggling over what was right...What’s OK to do and what’s not?....

---and like most Jews of that time I'm sure she spend time praying for God's return...for God to speak to them and live among them again...to restore them to the nation they once were because of Him...to send the promised Messiah!

 

Parallels to today...

....praying for our future...lots of uncertainty

...praying for guidance...helping us live in the culture we have been placed in, but keep ourselves from being overtaken by it and live as God wants us to live.

...praying for God's presence in our lives...praying for Jesus' return to overcome the evil of the world and restore the world to what God intended it to be.

…in True North we want to add another prayer to these…use me, Lord.

Let my life be a witness to others so that they may know you, too.

We say, “I am available to you for whatever you might ask me to do.”

In fact, I’ll bet Mary prayed the same kind of prayer not long before the angel Gabriel appeared to her and said,"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

(Luk 1:30-31 ESV)

Imagine God answering your prayer to be used by Him in a way like that…God could do some great and amazing things through us...

Do you think Mary realized the depth of what God was doing when she made herself available to Him?

*Mary did you know*: Worship team.

*God comes into the world*:

God promised to return…restore Israel to Him.

How would He do such a thing.

Skit to give us some insight.

*King and the Maiden skit*

Can see why God came as He did.

Humble circumstance: baby, born in a manger,unwed mother…so that we could choose to follow Him and  He would be approachable by all-including kings.

*Music: We Three Kings*

*Music: Little Drummer Boy*

*Tell the world:*

Consider what this meant to people who saw Him.

What would be natural response?

Go tell others!

Read from Luke-Good news for all men.

Exciting thing.

Changed history.

Enabled us to have a relationship with God.

This is something to celebrate and share with others.

Can begin with sharing who Jesus is.

Who is this God we are so grateful for?

*Music: This is our God*

Scott: not something to keep quiet.

Want tell others.

As we close out time together today,  want to celebrate what God has done and take joy in what He will do when Jesus returns again.

*Music: Joy to the World.*

*Music: Happy Birthday*