{"id":630,"date":"2013-12-07T16:58:02","date_gmt":"2013-12-07T22:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=630"},"modified":"2014-11-25T10:15:21","modified_gmt":"2014-11-25T16:15:21","slug":"the-purpose-of-christmas-time-for-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2013\/12\/07\/the-purpose-of-christmas-time-for-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"The Purpose of Christmas: Time for Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Based upon the Book, The Purpose of Christmas<\/i>, by Rick Warren
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Audio Link
\n<\/a>Video Link<\/a><\/p>\n

Genesis 1:26-27
\n<\/b>Ecclesiastes 3:1-2,\u00a04b, 5d, 8a
\n<\/b><\/b>Luke 2:8-14
\n<\/b><\/b>John 3:16-17<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On this first Wednesday of Advent, we receive good news worth a celebration, one where we anticipate that upon the birth of God incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, we shall say Merry Christmas.\u00a0 Just the use of Merry before Christmas tells us this is a celebration time, a celebration of a birthday.\u00a0 How ironic that so often when we celebrate the birthday, we often forget it is the birth of God in the flesh upon the earth.<\/p>\n

What could be greater news than what was delivered by the angle in Luke 2:10-11, When the angle says, \u201cDo not be afraid; for see\u2014I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11\u00a0<\/sup>to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.\u201d [1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 The you in these verses are both plural and personal.\u00a0 The angle brings to you, each and everyone who hears, this means, you, yes you this news is for you and it is good news of great joy, therefore worth celebrating.\u00a0 This message is for you and for all the people and worth celebrating.<\/p>\n

The news brought is the best news ever and it is a gift of God by God for God\u2019s people everywhere.\u00a0 The gift is God\u2019s love in and through Christ Jesus and in this love, we find out that:<\/p>\n

God loves you!<\/p>\n

God is with you!<\/p>\n

God is for you![2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Jesus tells us each of these statements in the Gospel of John.\u00a0 16\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>\u201cFor God so<\/b> loved the world<\/b>, that he gave his only Son<\/b>, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,<\/b> but in order that the world might be saved through him.[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 It\u2019s all about the Love. Christmas is about the love of God and that is worth a celebration.<\/p>\n

God could have come down as anything, but God choose to take on human form, so that you, not only could understand God\u2019s love for you and me but so that we would also understand our need for God\u2019s love.\u00a0 God choose to come in person and not send a messenger to communicate with us, God made it personal for you and me.\u00a0 It is in this personal connection we come to see the very essence of God as Love.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for us God\u2019s Love is the essence and character of God and not based upon our merit.\u00a0 This allows us to experience God\u2019s love continually, without ceasing and not based upon how God feels about our actions.\u00a0 In contrast, it is in our own emotions that we can feel distant from God\u2019s love.\u00a0 Our emotions often betray us though our guiltily conscience or ignorance of the true character of God, so that we believe that God is against us, when in fact the opposite is the case.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Our emotions often lead us to fear God.\u00a0 Fear really stands for F<\/b>alse E<\/b>vidence A<\/b>ppearing R<\/b>eal.\u00a0 We are told 365 times in the Bible not to fear; this is important to God that we are not fearful, not fearful of God at all.<\/p>\n

We are told that God is Love and God is with us, in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 God is for us, God wants us to be with God always and if God wants this, we need to take to heart what Saint Paul says in Romans 8:31; If God is for us, who can be against us?[5]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> Fear not, God is for us and we should be for God and remember just who\u2019s birthday we celebrate this Christmas, God incarnate\u2026.Jesus the Christ.\u00a0 It is a birthday of all birthdays, one to celebrate, one to hold onto as the greatest gift ever given, and one that will never be taken from us.<\/p>\n

I would like to end today with part of a sermon that many of you may have heard before.\u00a0 It is the Christmas sermon from the1947 movie staring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven, The Bishop\u2019s Wife.<\/i>\u00a0 Let me read to you a portion of this short but for me a memorable sermon:<\/p>\n

Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking.<\/p>\n

Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child\u2019s cry, a blazing star hung over a stable, and wise men came with birthday gifts….<\/p>\n

All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one.\u00a0 And we have forgotten to hang it up.\u00a0 The stocking for the child born in a manger.\u00a0 Its [H]is birthday we\u2019re celebrating.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let us ever forget that.<\/p>\n

\n
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[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version<\/i> (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Lk\u00a0 2:10\u201311.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[2]<\/a> Richard Warren, The Purpose of Christmas<\/i> (New York: Howard Books, 2008), 16.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: English Standard Version<\/i> (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 3:16\u201318.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[4]<\/a> Warren, The Purpose of Christmas<\/i>, 30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[5]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> The Holy Bible: English Standard Version<\/i> (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ro 8:31.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Based upon the Book, The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren Audio Link Video Link Genesis 1:26-27 Ecclesiastes 3:1-2,\u00a04b, 5d, 8a Luke 2:8-14 John 3:16-17 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On this first Wednesday of Advent, we receive good news worth a celebration, one where we anticipate that upon the birth of God incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, we … [Read 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