Opening Set of Praise and Worship
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
While I’m Waiting
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Your Grace Is Enough
Welcome and Announcements
Advent Candle
VANTAGE POINT—MANKIND
Vantage Point Christmas—Part 4
There is only one Christmas story. It was written 200 years ago and we faithfully retell its details generation after generation. What you may not realize is that although the body of the Christmas story has been written, God intentionally laid down his pen so that every one of us could write the final chapter of this epic story.
There is one Christmas story, but like a great movie, it has alternate endings. Some of those endings make you smile, other turn you to tears, and still others leave you asking why. God gives all of us the privilege of writing our own ending. Today we’re going to look at how six people wrote the final chapter to their Christmas story. Their story is finished. It’s bound and printed. Their story can’t change. But you are still writing your Christmas story. The final draft of your version is still being edited.
How your Christmas story ends will be determined by your vantage point…that is, how you see Christmas. If I know how you see Christmas I know how you will write that final chapter. God has told us about six people that heard that Christmas story and then penned their final chapter. Each one has a unique vantage point on Christmas and their vantage point determined how their story ended. Which of these six reflect your vantage point? How you answer that question, will determine whether the final chapter of your Christmas story is a great drama or a sad tragedy.
MY VANTAGE POINT ON CHRISTMAS AFFECTS THE STORY I WRITE WITH MY LIFE
IF I SEE MY LORD, I SURRENDER MY LIFE AND I’M RADICALLY CHANGED
"I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 (NIV)
A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary, with her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Still Mary said, despite the possible risks, “May it be to me as you have said.” When Mary said that, she didn’t know about the tremendous opportunity she would have. She only knew that God was asking her to serve him, and she willingly obeyed. Don’t wait to see the bottom line before offering your life to God. Offer yourself willingly, even when the outcome seems disastrous.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." [24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Matthew 1:20-24 (NIV)
Roll Video “Nativity Story” (DVD Chpt 12—47:00-48:19)
IF I SEE BUSYNESS, I GROW SHALLOW AND OVERLOOK THE SIGNIFICANCE
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 for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 (NIV)
Pat Cook tells the story of a Jewish lady named Mrs. Rosenberg who many years ago was stranded late one night at a fashionable resort - one that did not admit Jews. The desk clerk looked down at his book and said, "Sorry, no room. The hotel is full."
The Jewish lady said, "But your sign says that you have vacancies."
The desk clerk stammered and then said curtly, "You know that we do not admit Jews. Now if you will try the other side of town..."
Mrs. Rosenberg stiffened noticeable and said, "I’ll have you know I converted to your religion."
The desk clerk said, "Oh, yeah, let me give you a little test. How was Jesus born?"
Mrs. Rosenberg replied, "He was born to a virgin named Mary in a little town called Bethlehem."
"Very good," replied the hotel clerk. "Tell me more."
Mrs. Rosenberg replied, "He was born in a manger."
"That’s right," said the hotel clerk. "And why was he born in a manger?" Mrs. Rosenberg said loudly, "Because a jerk like you in the hotel wouldn’t give a Jewish lady a room for the night!"
Now in defense of the innkeeper he hadn’t had the benefit of a knock on the door and there stands Gabriel...or Michael the arch angel...announcing that God was about to be born as a human...how do you think the innkeeper would have reacted? I think he would have found some place for Mary and Joseph...if nothing else his own room would have served.
The innkeeper wasn’t alone. The birth of the poor carpenter’s son in that Bethlehem cow cave came and went without notice by almost everyone that starry night. Historic events often go unnoticed when they happen.
Take the year 1809. The international scene was tumultuous. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Nobody then cared about babies. But the world was overlooking some terribly significant births.
For example, William Gladstone was born that year. He was destined to become one of England’s finest statesmen. That same year, Alfred Tennyson was born to an obscure minister and his wife. The child would one day greatly affect the literacy world in a marked manner. On the American continent, Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And not far away in Boston, Edgar Allen Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life. It was also in that same year that a physician named Darwin and his wife named their child Charles Robert. And that same year produced the cries of a newborn infant in a rugged cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. The baby’s name? Abraham Lincoln.
If there had been a news broadcast at that time, I’m certain these words would have been heard: “The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today.” But history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America. Similarly, everyone thought taxation was the big news—when Jesus was born. But a young Jewish woman cradled the biggest news of all: the birth of the Savior.
The innkeeper’s story is so sad because he was in the eye of the storm. He was right there for the miracle but he was so busy he missed it. The excitement of that miraculous day was simply that his inn was full and his business was booming.
IF I SEE THE KING OF KINGS, I EMBARK ON A JOURNEY OF WORSHIP
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem [2] and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)
Roll Video “Nativity Story” (DVD Chpt 17—1:13:31-1:15:58)
IF I SEE THE SUPERNATURAL, I WELCOME THE ASTONISHMENT AND SEARCH FOR MY SAVIOR
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. [9] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] 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. [11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11 (NIV)
There is only one announcement of Christ’s birth recorded in the Scriptures, only one invitation from God to anyone to come visit Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus. And that one invitation goes to a bunch of uneducated, smelly, low-class, social and religious outcasts, a bunch of shepherds.
Roll Nativity Story (DVD Chpt 19—1:21:25-1:22:25)
Being a shepherd was lonely, wearisome, usually very boring and tedious, and sometimes extremely dangerous. It gave them a lot of contact with sheep, but very little exposure to people. No wonder that David in the Old Testament, the shepherd who became king of Israel, was such an accomplished musician. Many shepherds learned to play the flute or some other instrument, because they had hours and hours with nothing to do but watch sheep eat grass. [Does that make you feel any better about your job?]. Shepherds just didn’t have much social contact. Put it this way – you probably wouldn’t want your daughter to marry one.
Despite that, the passage does say that when they got the news they believed what the angels said, and did what the angels told them to do.
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." Luke 2:15 (NIV)
Were they perhaps expecting this, were they looking to God to visit them? Could they have anticipated this in any way? No. In fact, if I’m a shepherd, I’m probably convinced God has no idea who I even am. I don’t sacrifice at the temple, I don’t show up for the feasts, I don’t go to synagogue; and my deepest theological discussions are with a bunch of stupid, snot-nosed sheep. If God does know who I am, he can’t think much of me.
Well, if you identify with the shepherds, it should be very encouraging. Perhaps you see yourself as kind of on the outside looking in. I imagine that many nights, as the shepherds sat out in those cold, lonely fields, with nothing but dumb animals to keep them company, they looked over at the village, saw the lights of the homes and heard the faint sound of families, people laughing, and wished they could be a part of that. Maybe you’ve felt that way too. Not one of the “beautiful people,” not especially wealthy or powerful or influential. Not likely to ever see your name in the paper for some great accomplishment. On the fringes socially. Maybe when you compare your level of religious observance to others, the comparison isn’t favorable. Spotty church attendance, little Bible reading, infrequent prayer. You think that if God is even aware you exist (which He probably isn’t), He probably doesn’t have a very favorable opinion of you. And you know what? A lot of people, deep down, secretly feel like that. Even people you would think of as “having it all together”.
They simply accepted what the angels told them. When they were invited to visit Bethlehem to see the newborn Messiah, they didn’t worry about who was going to watch their sheep. They didn’t get bogged down in debates about how they were going to find one small baby in such a large town. They simply obeyed and went.
Will you do that today? God didn’t send an angel to give you the news, but He did send me and he did give you His word the Bible. God is inviting you today, just like he invited the shepherds. Will you receive His love? Will you believe what He says and do what He asks? Will you acknowledge your need of forgiveness and put your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation?
Invitation To Receive Christ
IF I SEE A THREAT TO MY ILLUSION OF CONTROL, I GROW DEFENSIVE AND REJECT THE KING OF KINGS
There are several Herods mentioned in the Bible, and all of them are hateful scoundrels, but this Herod is the daddy of them all. H was known as Herod the Great. I believe he is the one who came up with that name. This man was called “king of the Jews” but he wasn’t even a Jew. He was an Edomite, who was promoted to the position by the Romans after he stopped a rebellion led by Hezekiah, and had all of them executed without any trials. The Jews hated him because he was cruel and vicious.
Once Herod was promoted to king, his need for absolute power became worse. He had 45 of his ‘competitors’ murdered. Later members of his own family were eliminated when they were perceived as a threat.
Roll Nativity Story (DVD Chpt 10—38:12-40:04)
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Matthew 2:16 (NIV)
We wonder how people can be so evil, but the answer should not surprise us. We are merely men, yet we too often, try to be God. We have a desire for power and in some people, it is just a lot more obvious. In Herod, as with all dictators, there is absolutely no compromise; it is all or nothing. Herod had to be the only king.
Many people don’t want to see the baby grow up to be the King, because that would mean they would have to be committed to doing things His way, and they want to keep doing things their way.
IF I SEE THE HAND OF GOD, I DEVELOP FAITHFULNESS AND IN TIME I AM REWARDED
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Luke 2:25 (NIV)
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: [29] "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. [30] For my eyes have seen your salvation, [31] which you have prepared in the sight of all people, [32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." Luke 2:28-32 (NIV)
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, [37] and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 (NIV)
Communion Worship Response
In Remembrance of Me
O Come Let Us Adore Him
Sweetly Broken
Offering/Send Out
