Christmas

December 25, 2005.  Pastor Matt

Time with the kids:

“Did you have a good Christmas?” 

“What is the meaning of Christmas?”

“Do you guys know the story of Christmas?”

Use a nativity to talk about Christmas and let the kids tell you what happened at Christmas.

“Can some of the things we do at Christmas remind us of what Christmas really is about?”

Christmas tree-     Points up to Heaven.  When we tell people about Jesus we are showing them how to get to Heaven.

                             Jesus died on a tree (a cross made from a tree)

Candy Cane-        Shape of a J for Jesus

                             Red for the blood He shed.  White for cleansing us of our sins

The star-     Wise men from the East saw the star and followed it so they could worship the one born King of the Jews.

Presents-     Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all.  We give gifts to celebrate Jesus’ birthday and the great Gift He gave us.

 I’m going to give you one more thing to help you share Jesus to others this Christmas.”

Pass out Colors of faith bear

Explanation of the Colors of Faith Bear:

Black-         our sin. 

Red-            the blood Jesus shed for us

White-         Purity. He washes us white as snow

Blue-           Baptism.  After we put our faith in Jesus, we get baptized so we can show others  we believe in Jesus and want to follow Him.

Green-         New life we have in Jesus.  When we believe in Jesus, we become new people.  God begins to change us from the inside out.  He starts to remove all the black from our lives.

Yellow-       Streets of Gold/ we get to go to Heaven.  Now that we believe in Jesus we look forward to living forever in Heaven instead of Hell.

Purple-        the crown of life (Jesus is our King in Heaven and when we get there, we get to share in all the stuff of heaven.  Jesus Shares Heaven with us (no tears, pain, etc.)/ eternal rewards (when we get to heaven, God will reward us for all the good we do on earth.  Doing good things does not get us to heaven, but he loves us so much that He will reward us for being obedient to Him.

“What else is on the bear?”

The Cross- That is what makes it all possible.  Belief in what Jesus did on the cross.

Have kids sit down with their parents.

Address everyone else:

The Christmas Story:

Read Luke 2:1-20

1. Christmas is about accepting Jesus as our savior

Luke 2:11.  A Savior was born to you. 

-         Jesus, the son of God, came to the earth and was born of a virgin. 

-         His birth was special because He had a special purpose. 

-         Your savior was born.  We celebrate Christmas because we need a savior.

2. Christmas is about telling others about Jesus

Luke 2:16. 

-         The shepherds spread the word about what they were told by the angels

o       His birth is good news

o       His birth brings great joy

§        Inside us

o       His birth brings peace

§        Inside us. 

·        Peace between us and God

·        Peace that we know when we are going when we die

·        Peace that our soul is settled within us. 

o       We know where we stand with God

-         They spread the word about what they saw and experienced

o       They saw the savior

§        Have you seen Him

§        Have you experienced Him

·        Tell others how you have experienced Him

Don’t let Jesus just be a story, a cute little baby in a manger

Tell the world what He means to you.  (Not just that it is His “birthday”)

What if there was no Christmas?

It wouldn’t be the year 2003 AD … BUT … the Jewish year 5764.
There would be no Christian Holidays … fewer holidays to celebrate.
There would be no tree or presents… no Christmas meal.

There would be no New Testament … no Church.  There would be no need for us to be here today.

There would be no EASTER this coming April.

There would be no THANKSGIVING … the Pilgrims were Christians.
There would be no MOTHER’S/FATHER’S DAY … they began in the Christian Church.

We would be under the Old Testament Law of Moses.
If we wanted to worship God, we (Gentiles) would have to convert to the Jewish faith, as Jewish proselytes. We would be offering animal sacrifices … travel to Jerusalem 3 times a year for Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles. The Tithe would be 30% … 10% of our crops & herds to God … 10% tithe to the Levites … 10% tithe to the Temple in Jerusalem.

We’d have no salvation

Do you need to make this day special and put your faith in Him today?