Christmas Eve 2020

Christmas Eve - 2020

Introduction

Let’s take a quiz…I’m going to ask you some Christmas questions, and you see if you can guess the answer in your head (don’t shout out the answer), then we will have a show of hands to see who is right.

What is the most streamed Christmas son on Spotify of all time?White Christmas by Bing CrosbyAll I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah CareyRockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

It’s Mariah Carey with more than 500 million streams to date

Esquire magazine ranked the Top 40 Christmas movies of all time. Which came in at #2?National Lampoon’s Christmas VacationIt’s a Wonderful LifeA Christmas Story

This one surprised me. They put It’s a Wonderful Life at #1, and gave #2 to Christmas Vacation. A Christmas Story came in #3. And here is the weird part…Esquire is a magazine for men and they put Die Hard at #25! Every man knows Die Hard is the greatest Christmas movie of all time!

Which saying is more associated with the Christmas story in the Bible?Merry ChristmasHappy HolidaysSeason’s GreetingsNone of the Above

It’s none of those. The saying most associated with the Christmas story in the Bible is the only statement that was made three separate times. In fact, it led off every announcement of the birth of Jesus.

First, to Joseph win Matthew 1:20 - 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.”

Then to Mary in Luke 1:30 - And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

Then to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-10 - And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. And the angel said to them, “Fear not…”

If you want one statement that summarizes Christmas it would be “Don’t be afraid.”

Now, on one level it’s easy to see why the angels would say such a thing. Seeing an angel can be kind of unnerving. Angels in the Bible are not chubby naked babies with wings. They are fierce warriors. Anytime they show up they have to announce, “don’t be afraid” because everyone is scared to death. But there is more going on here.

The deeper reason they angels kept saying “don’t be afraid” wasn’t because the people were afraid of them. They didn’t want people to be afraid of what they were announcing…this baby to be born. They did not want anyone to be afraid of Jesus.

And fear could easily be our natural reaction because Jesus isn’t your average baby. This was the coming of the Son of God. According to John chapter 1, this is God in the flesh. That’s not tame. That’s not safe. That could definitely cause some fear. Why is God coming? To judge us? To punish us? To condemn us?

Hearing that God was showing up could be like that feeling you get when you see those red and blue lights coming up behind you in your rearview mirror. Not a pleasant feeling is it? First thought…this can’t be good! What did I do? There is some instant panic and fear.

But that isn’t what the coming of Jesus was about. Jesus’ arrival on Earth was not to induce panic. Not to create fear. Christmas isn’t something we cower from, but something we celebrate. This was God coming FOR us. To be with us. To reach out to us.

Philip Yancey wrote that the very birth of Jesus is about God wanting to be approachable. He said, “The God who could have roared, who could order armies and empires like pawns on a chessboard, this God emerged…as a baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control his bladder, and who depended on a poor teenage couple for shelter, food, and love.”

God could have arrived in any way He wanted. He chose to come as a baby. The most gentle, approachable, intimate way imaginable. God intentionally chose a way to relate to us in a way that did not involve, or cause, fear.

Here is why…because he wants a relationship with you. As a Father to a son or daughter. That is why Jesus said that when we pray, we begin by calling God our Father. And he used the Aramaic word Abba for father. It is the most intimate family term there was. Used between a very small child and their parent. Some linguists have gone so far as to say that it should be rightly translated as DaDa - like the very first words a baby might say while being held in the loving arms o their father. This is who God wants to be for you. Listen to how this is talked about in the Bible:

Romans 8:14-15 - For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom he cry, “Abba! Father!”

This is what Jesus came for. To show you the way toward, and to restore your relationship with God.

All of the things we’ve done to undermine that relationship, to tear away at it - the sins we committed, things we’ve said and done and thought - everything that has resulted in our spiritual death…all of them were taken by Jesus to the cross. He paid the debt of all of them at the cross. And he offers that payment to us as a gift. This is why the angel continued speaking to the shepherds in the field that night:

Luke 2:10-11 - 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The message of Christmas is not that Jesus came to condemn you. He came to save you. Do not fear. What a message for us during such a challenging season of life. What a message to hear as we say goodbye to 2020. Do not fear. You don’t have to be afraid of a virus, social unrest, political manipulation, unemployment, financial woes, or relationship problems. We don’t meet Christmas with fear. We meet it with joy. As in Joy to the world, the Lord HAS come. And his coming has changed everything.

Conclusion

How do we respond to such a wonderful Christmas truth? That is up to you.

Countless people have decided that the love of God, fleshed out in Jesus, is worth a closer look. Many of us have done that.

we’ve pushed past whatever negative experiences with church or religion or hypocrisy we might have had in order to explore Jesus more fullyWe found that the Christian faith isn’t about a program, but a Person; not about a religion, but a relationship.We’ve found that not only does Jesus stand up under any amount of intellectual scrutiny, he meets us at the point of our deepest need.

You can explore that yourself. Even if your journey starts with a healthy amount of skepticism, doubt, distrust, and cynicism. I can’t speak for every church, but I can speak for this one…this is a safe place to come and hear, come and see, come and experience, come and explore. It’s a safe place to bring your questions. It’s a safe place to bring your junk and your mess. It’s a safe place to bring everything you don’t post about on instagram and Facebook.

The marriage hanging by a threadThe child you don’t know what to do withThe fears and insecurities Addictions and unemployment, bankruptcy and scandal, divorce and adulteryRaw spiritual confusion

Whatever you may bring to Jesus, know this…you won’t be the first to have brought it.

What an incredible response that would be to Christmas…to start your own journey of exploration into who Jesus is and what he can mean for your life.

Others of you have already done that. You have already put yourself in the Jesus camp. You’ve come to him, you’ve drunk deeply from the well of grace and forgiveness. You have that restored relationship with God that is only possible through faith in Jesus. And when this time of year rolls around, your heart is ready to burst with thanks, with love, with celebration. For those of us for whom that’s true…we respond in the different way. We worship. We celebrate who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us.

COMMUNION

OFFERING INTRO - some people respond to Christmas by deciding to devote the next season of their life to exploring what faith in Jesus means. Some people respond to Christmas with unbridled, joyous worship. One of the ways we most naturally respond is the way the people who first saw the infant Jesus responded. In gratitude, they give. As worship, they give. From that first Christmas night, to the visit of the Wise Men a bit later, all the way to this very night…Christmas has been marked by gift giving. By generosity.

Every year we take up an offering on Christmas Eve. Not to pressure you or to guilt you into giving. But as an opportunity for us all to recognize that the greatest Christmas gift is the gift of God’s very own presence given to his people in Jesus Christ. And our right response to that is to be generous, as God has been generous to us.

2 Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. So that you, by his poverty, might become rich.

Jesus gave up Heaven to come to Earth. By setting aside that which was rightfully his, he has enabled us to be forgiven, to have eternal life (rich indeed!), and to live a life that is marked by joy, not fear.

There are a few ways you can give tonight…in person, online, text.