Christmas Eve over and over again!
Message for CHC School Christmas Program 2019:
Summary of play:
Gideon – stuck in time – stuck reliving the same day over and over (Christmas Eve) until he learns the lesson God wants to teach him – which is the true meaning of Christmas and the reason Jesus came to this earth as a baby – It is found in John 3:16!
Illustration our play and “Groundhog Day” the movie:
Our Christmas play tonight reveals a similar theme to the iconic movie, “Groundhog Day” starred in by Bill Murray – the classic popular film called by some, “the most spiritual movie of all time!” Follows Phil Connor a weatherman sent to Punxsutawney Pa. to cover Groundhog Day on Feb 2nd. This is a local Dutch celebration of this town in Pa every year. By the way the movie was not filmed in Punxsutawney, Pa. but in Woodstock Il. a little trivia for you!
Phil’s a weatherman who has lost the joy of life – He does not really know how to live life with eternal meaning and value – He is so similar to our character Gideon – life has stolen his joy and his ability to find peace and meaning in life.
Out main character Gideon is miserable, he has no joy, life has become a chore for him, the death of his father has plunged him in a grief that sees no hope, the difficulty of life has robbed him of cheer, there is no enthusiasm for life or for the meaning of life. He is a Buh Humbug Scrooge when it comes to Christmas’ to its meaning and message. His grief and joylessness blinds him so he sees no hope – no joy – no peace! His attitude gets him trapped in the time warp of a day with no meaning or purpose.
Phil Connor’s from “Groundhog Day” is a self-centered, conceited, and pompous person. He’s sarcastic and pessimistic to everyone about life – about the tradition of the holidays. He doesn’t care much for people, for celebration, for fun, for community except when he can manipulate and use them for his own personal advantage – he resents his assignment to report on a Groundhog coming out of its cage to predict the weather? It’s beneath him!
But something happens to Phil Conner’s similar to our character Gideon he gets stuck in a time warp. For days-weeks-months years - the writer of the movie said it’s about a 30-40 year time warp – He wakes up everyday at 6am to Sonny Cher’s song “I got you babe” – but it’s the same day over and over – It’s as if God is saying to Phil and to our character Gideon “You are going to repeat this day until you get it right , until you learn how to live the right way and discover the true meaning of life – until you discover Joy in the journey of life.”
Wow – How many would like to have an opportunity like this? Repeat a day until you get it right? Seriously?
I. The movie and play communicate to us to live the right kind of life so you don’t get stuck in time warp of a meaninglessness life filled with no joy, no peace and no real relationships.
a. The iconic movie Groundhog Day has changed the name of the words “Groundhog Day” –
i. The Urban Dictionary - states it’s a NOUN referring to February 2, when the groundhog is said to come out of its hole at the end of hibernation. If the animal sees its shadow—i.e., if the weather is sunny—it is said to predict six weeks more of winter weather.
ii. But they added another definition to their dictionary – “it’s a situation in which a series of unwelcome or tedious events appear to be recurring in exactly the same way.”
1. For example: "she lived an unrelenting Groundhog Day of laundry, shopping, and rearing us kids"
2. In the war in Bosnia many troops referred to their time of duty their as Groundhog Day!
3. The same thing over and over again – stuck in time!
a. A life filled with No joy – No peace – No purpose!
b. Have you ever had one of those days that you just wish you could do over again?
i. Would it not be nice to have thousands of days to get it right? Thousands of do overs?
ii. The truth about time:
1. But you and I live in reality not like Gideon or Phil Connors – the truth is when we use our precious time up you use it – it’s gone forever never to return – time is a one time deal – once you use it is gone never to return again - so we need to make the most of our precious time – we never to get it back again in real life!
a. I wish we did – How about you? – but you don’t get to reuse it and do something different with it.
iii. The movie and our play tonight’s 1st meaning is about how our life is to get it right.
1. How we are to live life through the holidays with the right focus and right framework and mindset.
2. To see and discover the true meaning of Christmas – or life and how to find joy in the journey of life.
c. We discover from our play and from the movie Groundhog Day that life is about finding joy in the journey – finding true meaning in life – discovering happiness in life – by the way this comes by serving and living for others, by helping others – we see at this time of the year a resurgence of serving others at Christmas time because this gives true joy and meaning to life!
II. The second message from our play and the movie is about finding true love in life!
a. But the other message we should discover is how to find true love and joy in life – Christmas is about True Love and real joy – inner joy – not the kind of love some of you may be thinking – we just need to read John 3:16 to be reminded why Jesus came – The reason for Christmas is so we can experience True Love – Real Joy – Genuine Peace!
i. If you dig deep into the nativity and see and embrace Jesus you get all these things in your life - you also find your self-identity – your destiny and your relationship with God if you believe in Jesus too – wow that’s a lot of good stuff!
b. I opened referring too the famous verse John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
i. Note scripture section for this part of the Message is John 2:13 - John 3:21:
ii. Our verse John 3:16 is called the PARADE OF HOPE, LOVE AND JOY (following Quotes by Max Lucado from his book 3:16)
1. Max Lucado stated, “It’s the Hope Diamond of the Bible. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
2. Ann Graham Lotz said, “John 3:16 is the North Star of the Bible. If you align your life with it, you can find the Way home.”
3. Delilah, a radio host worded it this way, “There it is in black and white. As simple and gentle as 1+1=2. For God so loved the world that He gave His only son and whoever believes in Him shall NOT perish, but shall have everlasting life. That’s it. Admission is free.”
4. Kenneth Cooper, MD and author noted, “Without hope, the fear of death is overwhelming. But as Christians, the Bible verse John 3:16 assures us that there is everlasting life-and this promise alone should give all of us hope at the time of death.”
c. Max Lucado adds in His book 3:16 the importance of this verse, the impact of this famous conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus continues to echo through time and through open hearts.
i. “A twenty-six-word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions. If you know nothing of the Bible, start here. If you know everything in the Bible, return here. We all need the reminder. The heart of the human problem is the heart of the human… And God’s treatment is prescribed in John 3:16. He loves. He gave. We believe. We live… The words are to Scripture what the Mississippi River is to America—an entryway into the Heartland. Believe or dismiss them, embrace or reject them, any serious consideration of Christ must include them…
1. The verse is an alphabet of grace, a table of contents to the Christian hope, each word a safe-deposit box of jewels.
2. My Challenge: “Read it again, slowly and aloud, and note the word that snatches your attention.”
a. The above from Lucado, Max (2007-09-11). The 3:16 Promise: He Loves. He Gives. We Believe. We Live. (p. 3). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
d. Question - But what preceded in the life of Jesus and those around him to share this diamond of hope at this moment in time so late into the evening? Why here? Why now? Why to Nicodemus a Pharisee? Why in private? Private words which become the most famous words from the Bible!
i. A man came looking for truth, for the true meaning of life – of Christmas – of Jesus – Nicodemus the seeker – and Jesus told him were to find it – In Him!
1. The story:
a. So, he (Nicodemus) decides in the shadow of darkness to go talk to this guy. He does it at night to be hidden – it was dangerous for him to do this –if he was spotted, they may kick him off the council. But he had to ask Jesus some personal questions and find out for himself if Jesus was from God or not. So, he goes to the house knocks on the door, a lady answers – she escorts him back to Jesus and His followers. He walks in and there is a gasp even a hush over the crowd. They all look at the religious leader and he sits down across from Jesus. And Nicodemus addresses Jesus: He says, “We know you came from God because only God can do the miraculous things, we see you doing! Notice he said we – is he on a mission from the council? – were there others asking the same question – “Is He the Messiah?” Jesus replies to his observation and says, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
2. Lucado notes this about these two words from the Greek “Born Again”:
a. Born - Palin, which means a repetition of an act, to redo what was done earlier.
b. Again - Anothen, which also depicts a repeated action, but requires the original source to repeat it. It means ‘from above,’ from a higher place, things come from heaven or God.” In other words, the one who did the work the first time does it again.
c. “Born Again” is the word Jesus chose by the way – do over – a chance to get it right in life – a second chance!
3. This is the act Jesus describes according to Lucado:
a. Born: God exerts the effort.
b. Again: God restores the beauty!
i. The above from Lucado, Max (2007-09-11). The 3:16 Promise: He Loves. He Gives. We Believe. We Live. (p. 2). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
4. We progress through Jesus teaching and dialogue with the religious leader and then he launches from His mouth – His Mission – God’s Mission - God’s point for Jesus being here and being born in manger!
a. 16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
i. Are their words in this verse jumping out to you?
ii. Do you hear Jesus saying this to Nicodemus? In that house in the middle of the night?
iii. Did Nicodemus even understand that these words would become the most quoted words of the Bible?
1. That they would be global and transcend time and generations and cultures and empires.
2. Are you hearing these words today?
3. Is the Holy Spirit prompting and saying them back to you today?
5. Jesus puts it out in the open, the claim to fame and the mission is out- it hits Nicodemus right between the heart and the ears. The bystanders hear these words! They hear Jesus say:
a. God loves
b. God gave a precious gift to you Jesus – born on Christmas Day!
c. Whoever believes in Jesus the Son of God as the Messiah, the Savior of the world
d. Will not perish but live eternally – they will live forever!
i. The message is so simple and clear in these few words, but it is the core truth of the Bible, it’s the center piece of all history, and it promises restoration, renewal and a relationship with God. Do you hear it?
ii. As Jesus answers Nicodemus questions and his observational inquiry – Jesus says, “Yes, I am sent by God to redeem the world back to God – Yes, I am the Messiah! Yes, I am on a mission from God! Yes, I have come –sent by God – to save you and the world from sin and shame – but you have to believe that Nicodemus!”
Conclusion:
What do we need to know? Answer: We need to believe in Christmas – in its meaning in association with John 3:16!
By the way so do you! You have to believe it too! You have to believe in Christmas – Christ is at the center of Christmas – do you see it – do you hear it – do you believe it?
To find Joy in the journey of life – to find your self-identity – your destiny and your relationship with God the Father is only found in John 3:16 and in the message of Christmas!
So, do you believe in the message of Christmas? Tonight?
o Do you believe in Grace represented in John 3:16? Which means we can not earn our way into Heaven it’s a free gift from God through Jesus to each of us who believe?
o Do you believe Jesus is the one that gives meaning to life – that serving as He did brings joy to life – that focusing on others is the way to Real Love?
o Do you believe that you can only experience true love through a relationship with Jesus?
o Do you know and understand that faith – believing in Jesus and Christmas – sets you free from the time warps of life and the phenomena of “Groundhog day?” of being stuck?
o Do you believe you can be freed from a meaningless life?
o Do you want to live a life with eternal meaning and value?
o Do you want to find joy in the journey of life?
o Do you want to know who you really are – that you have a divine destiny in your life – that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus and God the Father?
Why do we need to know this? Answer: When we believe we receive a life with joy, peace and love – we get a life that reveals our self-identity (A son or daughter of God) we understand our destiny (Our purpose in life – our call – it comes from the Holy Spirit He reveals it to us) we get a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus! Wow great gifts from Jesus!
What do we need to do? Answer: We need to Believe – Receive – and get set free from being stuck in time warp!
