Angels, Shepherds, A Virgin, Wisemen, A Star, Prophecy and a Manger. These are just a few of the items that make up the Christmas account found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Over the next 3 weeks ministers will preach on the advent and the nativity. For some they will try to put a new slant on the Christmas story, after all they have preached these passages for over 20 years. Others will take a more traditional approach and preach about the Angel's announcement, the shepherd's visit and Mary's obedience. However the real question is not how to present the Christmas story; the real question is how do we make it real?
I fear we have heard the story so often that it has lost some of its power; after all we have seen the TV shows, sent the Christmas cards and read and reread the gospel accounts to the point we know it forward and backwards, and yet with all that knowledge we still cannot comprehend what God did for us 2,000 years ago.
Think about it, God loved us so much...
- He sent His son.
- He predicted His work and his mission.
- He chose a special girl to carry His son.
- He used angels, shepherds and wisemen in a very significant way.
- He took great care in make sure His son would be the hope of the world.
I hope you take time this Christmas to make Christmas real in your life. I hope you will get beyond the all of the stuff of Christmas (the gift giving, the parties, the rush, etc.) and realize that the Christmas story is more than a story. In fact John 1 reminds us how real Christmas is to each of us.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God became flesh; lived among His people and they saw him as one full of grace and truth - when we realize what this verse means - Christmas will become real to each of us.
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