Come Home For Christmas

Christmas Eve. Can you believe it? Today we come together to celebrate the day before the anticipated arrival of our Savior. Let’s start there with that well known story of the birth of Jesus. PRAYER

Luke 2:1-20 – “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

********4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

********8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

********10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

********13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

********16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

******** 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

The message title today is “Home for Christmas.” Just about everyone wants to go home for Christmas. We may be tied up with a career or with getting an education that keeps us busy all year long. But come Christmas time, we get this inner yearning to go back home. It’s as though we want to revisit our days of growing up. We want to go back to the place where all of our childhood memories were made.

There may be extra time and expense involved, but it is certainly worth it all. No one tries any harder to make it happen than Mom and Dad, because parental love has a way of going the second mile in bringing the family together.

It reminds me of the year when Christmas was approaching quickly. The kids were all grown up now with lives of their own. They all lived in other states now, tied down with their careers and families of their own. They had missed being with mom and dad at Christmas for the past 2 years and it looked like this might be year number 3 that mom and dad would once again celebrate Christmas by themselves.

It was the day before Christmas now and the elderly man in Phoenix called his son in New York and said to him, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough. We’re sick of each other, and so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her." He hung up.

Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. "Like heck they’re getting divorced," she shouted, "I’ll take care of this." She called Phoenix immediately, and said to her father. "You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

The man hung up his phone and turned to his wife. "Okay, honey. The kids are coming home for Christmas this year and not only that, they’re paying for their own flights."