Recapturing the Wonder of Christmas: Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah 9:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called WONDERFUL, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
LOST SENSE OF WONDER & AWE
• Even At Christmas. If We Aren't Careful We Become
• TOO STRESSED, TOO MUCH OF A SCROOGE,
• MORE CONCERNED ABOUT COUNTING DOLLARS & COUNTING CALORIES & MISS THE MAGIC.
• If we aren't careful we will reduce Christmas to LITTLE MORE THAN AN ELABORATE FABLE. & WE WILL WRITE JESUS OUT OF THE STORY.
• We will SECULARIZE The Holy Day To The Point That People Couldn’t Get the Message of CHRISTMAS
• Too Many People Are Already Saying:
• "IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS."
• WHY DOES IT NOT SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS?
• Is It because of the RAT RACE& theAdult Responsibilities?
• Is It Because the Newness & Freshness Has Worn Off?
• Because There’s NO MORE MYSTERY, NO MAGIC?
• Because the Light Has Dimmed &the Music Has Faded?
• I INVITE YOU to SEE CHRISTMAS THROUGH the EYES OF A CHILD Look At Christmas AGAIN, As Though You’re Seeing It For The First Time. See The Lights & The Decorations Anew.
• Hear The Music, The Sounds, & The Carols Afresh.
• Tell The Story Of Jesus' Magnificent Birth …. Like It Is The First Time You Have Told It.
• LET THIS CHRISTMAS REAWAKEN YOUR WONDER.
I HOPE YOU NEVER LOSE YOUR SENSE OF WONDER: LEANN WOMACK
“I HOPE YOU NEVER LOSE YOUR SENSE OF WONDER,
You Get Your Fill To Eat But Always Keep That Hunger,
May You Never Take One Single Breath For Granted,
God Forbid Love Ever Leave You Empty Handed,
I Hope You Still Feel Small When You Stand Beside The Ocean,
Whenever One Door Closes, I Hope One More Opens,
Promise Me That You’ll Give FAITH A Fighting Chance,
& When You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance.
I Hope You Dance I Hope You Dance
I Hope You Never Fear Those Mountains In The Distance,
Never Settle For The Path Of Least Resistance.
Livin’ Might Mean Takin’ Chances, But They’re Worth Takin’,
Lovin’ Might Be A Mistake But It’s Worth Makin’,
Don’t Let Some Hell Bent Heart Leave You Bitter,
When You Come Close To Sellin’ Out Reconsider,
Give The Heavens Above More Than Just A Passing Glance,
& When You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance.
I Hope You Dance I Hope You Dance”
WONDER OF IT ALL GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA
There's The Wonder Of Sunset At Evening,
The Wonder As Sunrise I See;
BUT THE WONDER OF WONDERS THAT THRILLS MY SOUL
IS THE WONDER THAT GOD LOVES ME.
O, The Wonder Of It All! The Wonder Of It All!
Just To Think That God Loves Me.
O, The Wonder Of It All! The Wonder Of It All!
Just To Think That God Loves Me.
There's The Wonder Of Springtime & Harvest,
The Sky, The Stars, The Sun;
But The Wonder Of Wonders That Thrills My Soul
Is A Wonder That's Only Begun.
I WONDER AS I WANDER
I Wonder As I Wander Out Under The Sky,
How Jesus The Savior Did Come For To Die.
For Poor On'ry People Like You & Like I...
I Wonder As I Wander Out Under The Sky.
When Mary Birthed Jesus 'Twas In A Cow's Stall,
With Wise Men & Farmers & Shepherds & All.
But High From God's Heaven A Star's Light Did Fall,
And The Promise Of Ages It Then Did Recall.
If Jesus Had Wanted For Any Wee Thing,
A Star In The Sky, Or A Bird On The Wing,
Or All Of God's Angels In Heav'n For To Sing,
He Surely Could Have It, ' Cause He Was The King.
• Movie: Wonder Awesome story of Young Boy
Not AWE BUT CYNICISM & SARCASM
AWESOME so overused it’s lost it’s meaning
G. K. CHESTERTON wrote,
"THE WORLD WILL NEVER STARVE
FOR WANT OF WONDERS,
BUT ONLY FOR WANT OF WONDER.”
• THE WONDER OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS
The first Christmas was FILLED WITH WONDER - FULL OF SURPRISES & UNEXPECTED TWISTS & TURNS
• The Unexpected & Extraordinary Were The Norm.
• ASTONISHING WONDROUS EVENTS: JOSEPH Chose To Stay With His Fiancé Pregnant with Child NOT His!
• Mary, The Fiancé, Was PREGNANT; BUT A VIRGIN.
• Mary Gave Birth To A Child.
• NOTHING IS MORE WONDER-FILLED THAN BIRTH.
• Even GROWN MEN SOMETIMES CRY!
• Wonder of Baby: SO INNOCENT & DEPENDENT
• Babies CAN Make MATURE ADULTS SAY & DO THE SILLIEST THINGS .
• ANGELS VISITED MERE MORTAL SHEPHERDS. TO MAKE DIVINE ANNOUNCEMENT.
• SHEPHERDS DROPPED EVERYTHING ELSE TO VISIT THE BABY BORN TO A VIRGIN IN A LOWLY MANGER WHO CLAIMED TO BE GOD. WOW!!!
• GOD CAME TO EARTH AS A HUMAN BEING! DIVINITY AMONG HUMANITY.
• WHAT,WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS!!! OH MY SOUL!!!
• SHEPHERDS WERE IN The VERY PRESENCE OF THE KING OF KINGS & THE LORD OF LORDS.
• YET, He Was A HELPLESS & DEPENDENT INFANT,
• But He Was ALSO THE INCARNATION OF GOD.
• They Had SEEN THE LIGHT, FELT THE GLOW
• THE CATACLYSMIC SOUND HAD RATTLED THEIR BONES. THE WONDER OF GOD HAD PENETRATED TO THE CORE OF THEIR BEING.
???How Do We Revive This SENSE OF WONDER??? WONDER BEGINS IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
• Regardless Of Our Geography Or Status Or Age, When The Lord Is Present, THAT PLACE IS ALIVE WITH WONDER.
• WONDER LEADS TO THE WORSHIP OF GOD
The shepherds SAW, HEARD, & FELT GOD. (Luke to:20). "Shepherds Returned, Glorifying & Praising God For All They Had Seen & Heard, Just As They Had Been Told"
• THEY DISCOVERED GOD & THEN DELIGHTED IN GOD.
At Christmas we have the Opportunity to meet the WONDER of God. BUT WE CAN'T STAY THERE. CHRISTMAS IS A GOOD BEGINNING.
But At Some Point We Have To ….
• GET JESUS OUT OF THE CRADLE & INTO OUR HEARTS.
• We Have To Move From WONDER TO WORSHIP.
• We Have To MOVE BEYOND CYNICISM & SKEPTICISM TO CELEBRATION & SALVATION.
• We Have To GO BEYOND
BEING CHARMED BY IT & BE CHANGED BY IT.
• We Have To See BEYOND THE TRADITION OF MEN & BE TRANSFORMED BY THE MIGHT OF GOD.
• We Have To Go BEYOND THE ADMIRATION OF A CHILD
• TO THE ADORATION OF A SAVIOR.
• We Do Not Truly Understand Christmas …
• Until We Find Ourselves ON OUR KNEES IN WORSHIP.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
• I want you to Take A Deep Breath & REMEMBER What It Was Like To Be A Child With Eyes Wide Open, Taking In Something Greater & More Wonderful Than Any Sight You Had Seen Before.
• What was it for you? Christmas Morning At Five? An Electric Train That Filled The Room? Bike? Doll?
• Realizing That Jesus Paid
• For ALL YOUR SINS & OFFERS FORGIVENESS FREE OF CHARGE?
• CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL DAN MILLMAN story:
Little Girl Was 4 Yrs Old When Baby Brother Was Born. She asked for time alone with the new baby, but her parents worried that often like most 4 year-olds, She MIGHT FEEL JEALOUS & WANT TO HURT HIM.
OVER TIME, since She Wasn't JEALOUS OR MAD they decided to let have her time with the baby. She went into the baby's room & shut the door, but curious parents COULD STILL PEEK IN & HEAR.:.
They saw her put her face close to his, & WHISPER "BABY, TELL ME WHAT GOD FEELS LIKE. I'M STARTING TO FORGET."
•
•
• CHRISTMAS SHOULD BE THE TIME …
• TO SNUGGLE UP CLOSE TO GOD…TO SEE, TO FEEL, & TO HEAR GOD ONCE AGAIN. TIME TO BE REMINDED OF GOD'S PRESENCE AMONG US.
• WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS SO
WE WON'T FORGET THE WONDER OF GOD.
• ???DO YOU NEED2 REAWAKEN YOUR WONDER???
• OPEN YOUR EYES - SEE THE LIGHT.
• OPEN YOUR HEART - FEEL THE EMOTIONS.
• OPEN YOUR MIND – TO THE MEANING
• OPEN YOUR EARS - HEAR THE CATACLYSMIC WHOOOOOOOOSH & THE MIGHTY HUMMMMMM OF GOD
• PIERCING THE DARKNESS OF YOUR LIFE
• TO GIVE NEW LIFE TO YOUR SOUL.
• EXPERIENCE & SEE THE WONDER OF IT ALL.
Pastor George Durham
Paynes Chapel United Methodist Church
Statesboro, Georgia
