The Birth

Everything about

incarnation is

unfair

borderline offensive

Yet

greatest gift

ever given

to humanity!

The Virgin Conception

Luke 1:26–27 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.

Gabriel

greatest angel of heaven

most powerful

created being...

Stands in presence of God

Comes a message to???

Look at this

Bad track record

for a king...

Galilee?

Northern Kingdom???

Nazareth?

“Does anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Joseph and Mary

Older man with kids

Young girl barley marital age

Utterly poor

working class at best

Why do these parents?

Desire of Ages p. 49

Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life. — Desire of Ages p. 49

What is God thinking???

King of Kings

Lord of Lords???

If you are

educated Jew

starting all wrong...

To this:

young

uncultured

unlearned

unfavored

woman is said:

Luke 1:28 (ESV)

“Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

Mary never thought

herself favored...

didn’t know

how to answer...

Gabriel Speaks again:

Luke 1:30–33 ESV

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.”

Perhaps greatest blessing

ever spoken

to mortal humanity!

To whom?

“the unworthy”

Jesus

Greek version of Joshua

Literally means:

"God is salvation"

Name is prophetic:

Matthew 1:21 ESV

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Also called

Son of Most High!!

Given a throne???

Doesn’t seem like

kingly story...

Mary is Overwelmed...

takes little vacation to

get thoughts together.

Visits cousin Elizabeth

Luke 1:40 ESV

and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

Again,

supernatural prophecy:

Elizabeth's Prophecy

Luke 1:41–45 ESV

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

“Blessed are you among women”

how blessed

mother of Lord???

Not all was

blessing and Joy...

Joseph’s Dream

Matthew 1:18–19 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.

Such great blessing

looked like curse

to unbelieving...

Imagine parents

teenage pregnancy

Imagine onlookers...

gaining weight???

Imagine Joseph...

No, no,

It’s not that...

I’ve been impregnated by the Holy Spirit...

Such a beautiful truth

yet hard to believe

for many...

including...

Joseph

her fiance...

In these days...

death penalty...

Joseph didn’t want scene

break off engagement

quietly...

Suddenly:

Matthew 1:20–21 ESV

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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Don’t break engagement!

she’s telling truth

It’s the Messiah...

fulfilment of Isaiah:

Matthew 1:23 ESV

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

I can imagine thinking...

“It sounds

too good to be truth.”

It does sound too good.

“God with us???”

Even to those

who had been

looking for the Messiah

this sounded

too far fetched....

too crazy

too good!

Desire of Ages p.49

It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin.

Desire of Ages p. 49

God with us??

infinite humiliation

Human to ant..

Continue Story:

Matthew 1:24–25 ESV

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Virgin birth

he did not

“know her”

until Jesus was born

Definitely not Joseph’s son.

The Son of God!!!

The Census

Luke 2:1–5 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 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, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Prophecy must be fulfilled

Birthplace of Messiah

to be Bethlehem

Micah 5:2 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

This prophecy

well understood by

priests and scribes

Herod wanted to know

where Messiah born

They quoted

this passage

say:

Bethlehem!

The Birth

Luke 2:6 ESV

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

Imagine...

long journey for

very pregnant woman.

90 miles

Week of travel.

One way.

By the time,

get to Bethlehem

tired...

labor pain...

Luke 2:7 ESV

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.

One of the saddest

And Most Joyful Text...

Most Sad

Because

King of Kings

Lord of Lords

“wrapped him in swaddling cloths”

those are rags

birth is messy

but royalty not left

in rags

“laid him in a manger”

Manger?

Didn’t know what

manger was

until an adult.

Manger is

feeding trough

Our Lord’s first bed

feeding trough!!!

Not for royalty.

“no place for them in the inn”

Yes, census

Yes, busy

Yes, no room....

For a king???

make room!

Desire of Ages p.48

We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. — Desire of Ages p. 48

Fair?

no

Required?

no

Most Joyful!

Best gift of all time!!!

Celebrate That!

Worthy of Holiday!

Christmas History

Christ was not born

in the winter

Shepherds in field

similar latitude

Likely born in fall

Dec 25th

connected to paganism

winter solstice

nativity of the sun

evergreen, holly

Semitic lands

Astarte

Mithra

Unconquered Sun

January 6th

Epiphany

Random date

Egyptian people

12 Days of Christmas

Dec 25

Jan 6th

Both days off

Saint Nicholas

fraction true

mostly myth

mixed with paganism

Should We Celebrate Christmas?

Not directly sin

Is connected with pagan traditions.

Time period when

people giving

more receptive

thinking spiritually

We Can and Should

capitalize on this

Speak of Jesus

Teach about Incarnation

Focus on His Gift

Focus on Giving

Is it wrong to:

Give gifts?

Have a party?

No…

Caveat:

Avoid or De-emphasize

Pagan Ideas

Evergreen

Lights

Santa

Selfishness

Consumerism

Financial Waste

Emphasize:

Christ

Incarnation

God’s Gift

Service

Finish Story

The Shepherds

Luke 2:8–12 ESV

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, 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. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Good News of Great Joy

Best New!

He is born!!!

There is reason

to celebrate!

Lets Party!!!

The angels did!

Luke 2:13–14 ESV

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

All heaven celebrated!

We should too!

Shepherds did too.

Luke 2:20 ESV

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Let’s Party Too...

But lets remember

Why we party

And

What is the

true holy-day gift.

Jesus Christ.