Merry Christmas to Me:Week 1

Poll: What do you look forward to the most at Christmas

What do you look forward to the most at Christmas?

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Poll your students by either asking them to run to the corner of the room that you designate to represent each of the following options . . .

The food - Back Right (by the kitchen)

The gifts - Front Left

Your family - Back left by the door where they will pick them up

Christmas movies - Front Right under the screen

There are so many wonderful things to look forward to, right?

But I'm going to be honest. This time of year often shows me how me-focused I can be.

I catch myself thinking things like . . .

"I can't wait for my Christmas break!"

For me that is my Christmas Leave.

"What should I put on my Christmas list?"

Most of my family lives in Indiana and Ohio. They all call to ask for my Christmas list.

"That's my third slice of fruitcake!" (Who even likes fruitcake?)

I’ll stick with the Cherry Pie!

We've all heard phrases like,

"Jesus is the reason for the season!" Or,

"It's about what you give, not what you get."

But no matter how many of times we hear it,

it's still easy to make Christmas all about us.

By the time January arrives, we might look back on Christmas and determine whether it was good or bad based on what we received or experienced.

Did I get good presents?

What about the food?

Was everyone nice to me?

Is it wrong that I wanted to have great Christmas gifts, fun times with family, and delicious food? Absolutely not!

But when we spend Christmas focusing on what we want, hope for, or expect, there's a good chance we'll be disappointed by the outcome.

[WHAT IF . . . ?]

But what if I told you that this Christmas could be amazing, even if your gifts are terrible, the food all burns, and your family fights the entire time?

What if . . .

You're not meant to be the main focus this Christmas?

Christmas isn't about what you and I get or experience?

There’s something much bigger going on?

It really is true that "it’s better to give than to receive"?

I think the answers to these questions could actually change Christmas for us, forever.

Discussion

What's one gift on the top of your Christmas list this year?

So far this year, have you spent more time thinking about what you want for Christmas or what you plan to give others?

Have you thought much on what you ask for?

Would you be willing to ask for something that might be uncomfortable, but still a good thing?

Scripture

But if you know anything about the very first Christmas (the day Jesus was born) you probably wouldn’t call it, “comfortable.”

Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, her husband, had to get really uncomfortable in order for the first Christmas to happen.

We’re talking:

long travel days on the back of a donkey

having a baby in a stall made for livestock, surrounded by smelly animals

while almost everyone you knew thought you were living in sin and imagining angelic visitations.

You might be familiar with the names Mary and Joseph.

If you've heard the Christmas story before, you might even think you know everything there is to know about them.

But today I want to challenge you to really imagine what it must have been like to be them — and why the first Christmas would have been so uncomfortable. Let's start with Mary.

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “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. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 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. 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.” 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.

Can you imagine being in Mary's shoes? She's minding her business one minute when, out of nowhere . . .

An angel shows up. The angel tells her that she, an unmarried virgin, will somehow have a baby.

Not only is she having a baby (as if that's not already uncomfortable enough) but

she's having a baby who would one day save the whole world!

I don't know about you, but if anything like this happened to me, I would panic — possibly run away screaming — and probably tell the angel to find someone else.

But that’s not what Mary did. Sure, she was afraid. And she had some questions, too.

But Mary was willing to do what God was asking her to do. 

Mary did what God asked, even though it meant giving up her comfort.

Next Passage

Mary wasn’t the only one who had to give up something to be a part of God’s plans.

Joseph had a role to play in this too.

Matthew 1:18–20 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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.

When Joseph found out about Mary's pregnancy, his immediate reaction wasn't exactly "happiness" or "excitement."

For Joseph, this change of plans was deeply uncomfortable.

Remember, the world today is very different than the world Mary and Joseph were living in.

In their time and culture, if a woman was found to be pregnant before marriage, or if she was assumed to have cheated on her husband, she would have been seriously punished.

I don't know what Joseph thought about Mary's pregnancy at first, but it's clear he was trying to figure out how to keep the peace.

He wanted Mary to be comfortable (which is why he wanted to divorce her "quietly")

But let's be honest — he wanted to be comfortable too (which is why he wanted to divorce her in the first place).

Joseph wasn't getting the message immediately, so God sent another angel to speak directly to him.

When the angel arrived, he finally understood. 

Joseph did what God asked, even though it meant giving up his comfort.

Next Passage

I would love to tell you that after Mary and Joseph made these difficult decisions, everything from that point forward was easy, peaceful, and comfortable! But it wasn't.

Mary dealt with the discomfort and pain of pregnancy, just like any other mother would.

They were required to take a long trip to a town called Bethlehem in the last days of Mary's pregnancy, with her riding on the back of a donkey.

This would be like having to walk from here to Washington D.C.

There was nowhere in Bethlehem for them to stay, other than a stall where animals slept.

And that's where the Savior of the World was born.

After so much discomfort, and before they could fully celebrate the miracle of Jesus' birth, King Herod heard a rumor about the birth of a new "king." He feared a rebellion. He feared competition.

So Herod decided to find and kill not just this one baby, but every baby who might pose a threat.

Could Mary and Joseph ever catch a break?

This is how Matthew described it.

Matthew 2:13–14 ESV

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt

While you and I think about Christmas presents, good food, and maybe even football, we've got to remember just how uncomfortable the first Christmas was.

From long travel days on a donkey,

to having a baby in a stall surrounded by smelly animals,

to having everyone you know think you're living in sin and imagining angelic visitations,

to even becoming refugees in a foreign country so your baby wouldn't be murdered,

Mary and Joseph dealt with a lot.

So why’d they do it?

Because Mary and Joseph knew the world needed a Savior, and they were willing to get uncomfortable in order to see it happen.

On the first Christmas, Mary and Joseph gave up their comfort. 

This Christmas, how could you and I do the same?

A Bigger Story

Mary and Joseph gave up their comfort in order to be part of something bigger than themselves.

We're all tempted to see the world through the lens of our own stories, but Mary and Joseph's stories remind us that God is telling a story that is much bigger (and better) than our individual stories. But what if Mary and Joseph had made different choices?

What if Mary had said, "I can't do this. Choose someone else, God"?

What if Joseph had said, "No thanks — I never volunteered for this"?

If Mary and Joseph had decided to stick with what was comfortable, Jesus would have still been born, but Mary and Joseph would have missed out on being part of something extraordinary.

Because Mary and Joseph chose to give up their comfort, they gained something incredible. They became part of the greatest moment in history —the birth of our Savior!

STORY | Talk about a time when you gave up your comfort in order to obey God.

You and I may never be visited by an angel, but we all have the same choice to make: how can I get uncomfortable in order to join what God is doing in the world?

INSTRUCTIONS: Tell a story about a time when you gave up your comfort in order to be obedient to God, and how that choice gave you an opportunity to be used by God. This could be a small shift in a daily routine, or it could be a big shift (like moving to a new location or trying something that scared you). Be sure to emphasize how giving up your comfort led to an opportunity to grow or be used by God in a way you never imagined in the beginning.

Talk about how I have decided to get uncomfortable in order to be obedient to God by going to seminary even while working full-time, being married, and being a Dad to two growing boys.

Talk about giving up a full-ride scholarship in high school to be used by God, even though I ended up paying off over $85,000 in school loans.

Choosing obedience over comfort doesn’t have to be such big things. It could be:

Sitting at a different table in the cafeteria

Spending time with a younger…or older sibling.

Forgive someone that hurt you...

I know it's easy to focus on ourselves and our comfort. This isn't only true at Christmastime. It's true all year long!

But I hope the stories of Mary and Joseph are a reminder for you today to choose obedience over comfort.

Christmas isn't about you, me, or our comfort.

It's about the Savior who got really uncomfortable in order to save us, and the many people who followed His lead because something so much bigger than themselves was at stake.

So, this Christmas, how can you get a little uncomfortable in order to be part of something bigger than yourself? Maybe you could . . .

Be kind to a family member you struggle to like.

Volunteer to serve someone who's hurting or in need.

Spend time with someone you know who could really use a friend right now.

Ask for less and give away more.

Talk with someone about what the story of Jesus' birth means to you.

MUSIC | "Nothin But You," by 116

So what is it for you? 

This Christmas, how can you give up your comfort in order to be part of something bigger than you?

INSTRUCTIONS: Play or perform the song "Nothin But You," by 116 (featuring Hulvey, Andy Mineo, Montell Fish & Becca VanDerbeck).

During the song, encourage your students to pray and reflect.

God's probably not asking you to do anything as uncomfortable as what Mary and Joseph were asked to do, but do you know what's amazing?

This Christmas, you're invited to be a part of the same story Mary and Joseph were a part of.

Mary and Joseph helped Jesus come into the world.

You and I have the chance to continue spreading the good news of Jesus through our words and our actions.

On the first Christmas, Mary and Joseph gave up their comfort in order to join God's mission in the world.

This Christmas, how could you and I do the same?