Hope When You Don't Think You Have Enough Series

One of the top 10 Christmas songs of all time- it actually is ranked #7- is the song: “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey.

The song goes like this: “Don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need, I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree, I just want for my own, more than you could ever know, make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you.”

I think that is actually one of the most romantic songs at Christmas. Do you know why? Guys, if your presence is all you are really getting your girl for Christmas this year and she loves that; you’ve got it going on.

I say that tongue and cheek but did you know that while Christmas is one of the most wonderful times of the year; it is also ranked as #1 for the most stressful times of the year; the second most stressful is tax time; both for the same reason, financial pressure.

Transition:

The first Christmas was also a time of financial pressure for Mary and Joseph. They actually traveled to Bethlehem which was a costly journey, and the purpose was to respond to a call for a census so that they could ultimately be taxed.

There is no doubt that Mary and Joseph were not wealthy people. He was a carpenter by trade which was a common job and when Jesus was born Luke confirmed that Mary and Joseph were poor, primarily through the fact that instead of offering a lamb as an offering for the first born in the temple as prescribed by Leviticus 12: 6-8; they offered the “lesser” sacrifice of two young pigeons.

In her song of celebration of God’s goodness she actually speaks about the poor saying: “He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty handed.” Luke 1: 53

It is apparent that she knew what it was like to feel like you didn’t have enough.

It is often asked, “Why did God choose parents for Jesus that had financial limitations? Why was the only place for Jesus to “lay his head” after birth in a cradle that was nothing more than a feeding trough for animals? Why was Jesus poor?”

Jesus even later compared Himself as Christ and the Creator saying: “Foxes have hole and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

Jesus was a borrower. He borrowed boats, multiplied borrowed food, rode a borrowed donkey, he was even buried in a borrowed tomb, and yes, he even laid his head in a manger that he borrowed from animals.

Why all this? What’s message of the Bethlehem backdrop? It’s a message of hope. When real hope comes from. It’s teaches us that real Christmas hope comes from. It shifts the spotlight off the materialism and shifts it on the Messiah.

It teaches us that hope has a name; and His name is Jesus. Mary knew it immediately and she was the first to celebrate Christmas by singing the first Christmas song; we will hear its lyrics today.

Transitional Sentence: From Mary’s song we discover how Jesus presence fills our hearts with hope and real joy when we might be tempted to think: “I don’t have enough?” We leads us to:

I. Prioritize The Giver Over the Gifts

vs. 48-52-“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant; For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.50 And His mercy is to generation ]after generation Toward those who fear Him.51 He has done]mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the ]thoughts of their hearts.52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And sent the rich away empty-handed.

Explanation:

Financial issues are at the top of the list of family problems. It is actually the known cause of 56% of divorces in America. People and families struggle when it comes to choices about finances. Believe it or not, more rich people get divorced over money issues than the poor.

As a Pastor, I have been around funerals and funeral homes a lot and I have learned that Funeral homes actually sell clothes for burial. When I inquired the difference between a burial suit and one a kid would wear to the prom; they said: “Burial suits don’t have pockets. There’s no need for them. They are not taking anything with them.”

Mary and Joseph’s marriage was going to be different than anyone else’s who would ever live. They would get married after they discovered that she was pregnant--- but not by way of the birds and the bees-- she would get pregnant by means of God’s plan and decree. It was a virgin birth.