"Preaching Christ at Christmas"

Four challenges in preaching Christ at Christmas

1. Putting the Christ back into Xmas

2. Separating fact from tradition
3. Utilising the Biblical materials on Christmas
4. Connecting the crib to the cross

Responding to the challenge of

preaching Christ at Christmas
1. A fresh look at the birth narratives in the gospels
2. Some less familiar passages from the Gospels
3. Old Testament Christmas passages
4. Other New Testament references to Christmas
5. Some examples of topical Christmas talks

No room no inn
(Luke 2:1-7)

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in
cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room in
the inn. (Luke 2:7) (katalyma)
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and
wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn
and took care of him. (Luke 10:34) (padocheion)

No room no inn
(Luke 2:1-7)
He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water
will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to
the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest
room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will
show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations
there." (Luke 22:10-12) (katalyma)
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in
cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest
room available for them. (Luke 2:7 TEV )
To turn away a descendant of David in the City of David would
be an unspeakable shame on the entire village.
(Kenneth E. Bailey)

No room no inn
(Luke 2:1-7)

From Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E Bailey

No room no inn
(Luke 2:1-7)
The message of the birth of Jesus
he is born in a humble home
identifying with the ordinary people
a sign of his condescension
Good news of great joy for all the people

The Shocking Story

of the Shepherds
(Luke 2:8-20)

Good news for bad people (Luke 2:8-20)

1. An unexpected surprise
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to
them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people. (Luke 2:9-10)
2. An unusual sign
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths
and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12
3. An unbelievable story
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what
had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were
amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2: 17-18)

The Christmas message

Luke 2: 10
good news
great joy
for all people
The baby born in Bethlehem
Luke 2: 11
Saviour
Christ
Lord
What to do at Christmas:
1. Go and see
2. Go and tell

We three kings of orient arent!

Matthew 2
Responding to the claim of fiction:
1. Visit of Magi to Rome in the first century
2. Seemingly counter-productive?
A church which soon found itself in conflict with astrology is not
likely to invent a story which appears to favour it. (Leon Morris)

We three kings of orient arent!

Matthew 2
Speculative questions about the Magi
1. Where did they come from?
2. What was the star they saw?
3. In which year did the event occur?

We three kings of orient arent!

Matthew 2
A disturbing question
Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
Contrasting responses to the question
1. Herod hostility
2. The Magi humility
3. The religious leaders apathy

From eternity to here!

(John 1:1-18)
Three themes about God
1. Eternal
In the beginning
2. Temporal
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us
3. Personal
yet to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave
the right to become children of God
Your response
reception?
rejection?

Contrasting responses to good news

(Luke 1:5-38)
Zechariah (verses 5-25)
An elderly priest
In the temple
Answered prayer
How can I be sure of this?
Struck dumb

Mary (verses 26-38)

A young woman
In her home
Unexpected
How will this be?
Filled with praise

Yet in both cases Gods promises were fulfilled

What is my response to the good news of the birth of Christ?

The Genealogy of Jesus

(Matthew 1:1-17)
The surprising ancestry of Jesus
(Matthew 1:1-18)
Four unexpected women among the ancestors of Jesus

Tamar (verse 3; Genesis 38)

Rahab (verse 5; Joshua 2)
Ruth (verse 5; Ruth 4)
Uriahs wife (verse 6; 2 Samuel 11-12)

The Genealogy of Jesus

(Matthew 1:1-17)
The gospel is good news
for men and women
for Jew and Gentile
for saint and sinner
And for people like us!
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male not female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy
are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers. (Hebrews 2: 11)

The forgotten man of Christmas

(Matthew 1:18-25)
Joseph
a good man
an angry man
a courageous man
It behooves us to see Joseph as a hero of the story without whose
courage and understanding of the prophets there would have
been no Christmas story to tell. (Kenneth E. Bailey)

The promise of Christmas

And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
(Genesis 3:15)
Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman's conquering seed,
bruise in us the serpent's head;
now display thy saving power,
ruined nature now restore,
now in mystic union join
thine to ours and ours to thine.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
(Charles Wesley)

A Christmas sign
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14)
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."
(Matthew 1:22-23)

Light in our darkness

(Isaiah 9:1-7)
Before Christmas
the darkness of confusion
the darkness of death
the darkness of despair
After Christmas
the light of revelation
the light of life
the light of joy
Are you still in the dark about Christmas?

The Christmas gift

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)
The Christmas exchange
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through
his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
The Son of God became the Son of Man so that sons of men
might become sons of God

The perfectly planned Christmas

Galatians 4:4-7
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son
A Christmas gift with two parts
1. God sent his Son so that we might be redeemed from
slavery
2. God sent the Spirit of his Son so that we might be adopted
into his family
From slaves to sons!

Some examples of topical Christmas talks

Christmas wouldnt be Christmaswithout Christ
Do you know its Christmas?
A Christmas truce
What to do on Christmas Day
After Christmas