Sermons

Summary: The Star and Stars of Christmas is a series of messages for Advent. Using the idea of a play on a stage. Each message will look at different characters in the Christmas story. The introduction takes a critical look at how many in our society are portrayed as celebrities—bigger than life.

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Often people are attracted to performances based upon the popularity of the performers, or the authors. (My wife’s father enjoyed David Baldacci, James Patterson, Danielle Steele, etc.). A good writer wants to remove his/her personality and have us to focus on the story.

The Gospel according to Luke is unique in several ways:

• His is the only Gospel account with a sequel, the Acts of the Apostles—the Harry Potter books are a contemporary example of this style of writing.

• His prologue is called exordium, a literary device used by Greek writers.

• The Lukan style of writing is more sophisticated, demonstrating a respected use of the Greek language.

It is held that Luke was the last of the Gospel accounts written. Each Gospel appears to have a distinct purpose, and, when combined to one story, gives us a wonderful story of God’s activity in the world.

• Mark’s theme is the Suffering Servant

• John’s theme is the deity of Jesus

• Matthew’s theme is to show that the prophecy of the Messiah came to fruition in Jesus

• Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus

Why was Luke inspired to write script for Theophilus? Who was this individual? We know he was a real purpose; however, we only have some theories about him. First, the name Theophilus means “loved by God,” with a connotation of “friend of God.”

• Theophilus was possibly a Roman officer or high-ranking official in the Roman government.

• Theophilus was a wealthy and influential man in the city of Antioch.

• Theophilus was is that he was the Jewish high priest named Theophilus ben Ananus.

• Theophilus is that he was the Roman lawyer who defended Paul during his trial in Rome.

When reading Luke, you quickly discover he is not writing a fictional script. Luke wrote his book from the perspective of history. As he wrote, he was mindful of First Century of Palestine/Israel. The context typical helps us understand a play or movie—such as

• THE LORD OF THE FLIES,

Golding decided to write this masterpiece because he wanted to portray how evil human nature is. Also, he based the settings after serving as a British Navy during World War II. There were several other reasons why Golding wrote Lord of Flies. He was terrified by what he had witnessed how humans have the capacity to harm their fellow species. Through the years in serving the British Navy, Golding realized and saw and learned how human nature menacing and full of savagery: he also realized that the good people can still turn to become the villain. In Lord of Flies, Piggy and Ralph were involved with the killing of their fellow group mate, Simon, by joining the ‘dance ritual’ just as Jack and his group.

• A MAN CALLED PETER

This is the story of another man called Peter---Peter Marshall---a Scottish-born minister who became the chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

• BAMBOO IN WINTER

With memories of Tiananmen Square burning in her mind, a young woman edges toward a decision for Christ as she listens to the preacher's life-changing message---a decision that could have dangerous consequences. But in this atheistic communist society, the consequences of such a decision can be devastating.

• BORN AGAIN - STORY OF CHUCK COLSON

As President Richard Nixon's Special Counsel, Chuck Colson had power, prestige, and his own office in the White House. After Watergate he was left with a prison record...and a strong faith.

In this major motion picture, Colson pleads guilty to Watergate-related charges and is sent to prison. The experience leaves him radically changed, and he decides to establish Prison Fellowship - a ministry that now reaches around the world.

I find the parallel between the context of Israel then and America very interesting. It illustrates the deep desire for the Messiah to come then and believers longing for the return of the Messiah.

Let’s suppose you want to write a review of a of the Christmas story. What do you need to observe in order to write a good review? Following are some suggested guidelines:

• Plot: What is the story about? Was it believable? Interesting? Thought-provoking? How was the climax revealed? How did the setting affect the story?

• Themes and Tone: What was the central goal of the story? Was it made to entertain, educate, or bring awareness to an issue? Was there any strong impression the movie made on you? Did any symbolism come into play?

• Acting and Characters: Did you like how the characters were portrayed? Did the acting support the characters, and help them come to life? Did the characters display complex personalities or were they stereotypes? Were there characters that embodied certain archetypes to enhance or diminish the film?

• Production Design: Did the sets feel lived-in and believable to the story or characters? Were the costumes suitable for the characters or story? Did the created environments heighten the atmosphere?

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