We remember national leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King with a holiday in their honor. Christmas is another of those occasions when we close our businesses, schools, and post offices. However, Jesus was more than just another great leader. His birth is surrounded with mystery, and we will talk about it in this week’s sermon.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-31
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
”I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Matthew 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”– which means, “God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This thought is adapted from the sermon Don't Stop at the Crib delivered on Christian Crusaders December 20, 2009.
Television brings some terrible things into our homes on a daily basis. We see the results of the drug culture. We learn about a mother who decides to kill herself and her two small children. The depravity of man is all around us. Many of us live on into our 80s and some into their 90s. Often we spend those last days in a home for the aged. Does that thought make you afraid? In the middle of all this, Jesus says to us, “Don’t be afraid. I will take care of you. I will take care of your loved one. I will not remove these tedious days, but I will be with you.” That is the Christmas gospel. It comes from the lips of that little child who was born in Bethlehem’s manger. And so we can join with the angels of old and say, “Glory be to God in the highest.” Our life may not be exactly what we want on this earth, but it can be mighty good for we have a Savior who walks with us.
Christmas Sermons on CD
It's not too late to order a last-minute gift – copies of Christian Crusaders’ gift set of Christmas sermons are still available! This audio CD set of sermons based on Isaiah 9:6 is available for a gift of any amount. Call 1-888-My Faith or visit ChristianCrusa-ders.org to order. It might be a meaningful gift for a faraway friend, a next-door neighbor, or someone from your church who is lonely around the holidays.
The Origin of Some Best-Loved Christmas Carols
Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
This hymn was written by Emily Elliott to teach children the truths of the advent and nativity seasons. Emily’s life was filled with benevolent activities in rescue missions and in the work of the Sunday school movement of that time. She wrote the text for the children of her father’s church, St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Brighton, England.
The clear message of each verse is accentuated by the use of contrasting sentences, each beginning with the word, “but.” Then in the fifth stanza, the contrast is reversed with the rejoicing at Christ’s return and the prospects of being at his side throughout eternity. The refrain after each verse effectively personalizes the truth presented. This fine hymn has proved to be an inspiration not only to children but to adults as well, during the Christmas season and throughout the entire year.
Taken from “Amazing Grace” by Kenneth W. Osbeck.
On the Light Side
Jack was coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door, as he always is, to shake hands. The preacher grabbed Jack by the hand and pulled him aside. “You need to join the Army of the Lord!”
Jack replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.”
Pastor questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?”
He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”
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