The Christmas Cast
Luke 1:26-27
When you watch your favorite movie or see a Broadway play you will also see a list of characters, whether scrolling on the screen during the credits or printed on a playbill.
If you were to go and visit any nativity scene, you would see the important characters of the story. Some scenes would display shepherds coming to see the baby with their sheep. Others would display the three wise men bringing their gifts. Even still, other nativity scenes would feature the many types of animals that you would possibly find in a barn on any given night.
But one thing all of these nativity scenes would have in common: the three main characters of this story.
Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus
Luke gives us several characters in this story of the birth. He gives us the perfect setup to the dialogue and he also paints the picture in such a way that you know what each character is feeling and thinking.
Each person gives us a life lesson with his or her actions and way of thinking.
Lessons that will:
· Help us become more aware of how we live our lives for God.
· Show us ways to improve our relationship with our Heavenly Father
· Guide us into the process of receiving a greater blessing through our work for Jesus Christ.
o Have you ever heard the Christmas story?
o Has it just been another dialogue that you can quote from memory?
o Have you ever stop to think what lessons could be learned from each character that Luke describes so well?
1. The Lesson learned from Mary
Background:
o She was a resident of Nazareth
No doubt she grew up hearing the prophecy of the coming Messiah that was told in Isaiah 7:14.
o She was a young woman who was engaged to Joseph
Imagine Mary planning for her wedding day.
o She was “high favored with God” (verse 30)
Mary knew what it was like to live a life pleasing to God. To have favor with Him she had to recognize that He was God and was in control of all things
So we have a young virgin, engaged and planning for her special wedding day until she gets a visit from an angel in a dream. *(Tell about the dream)
We could learn a lesson from the young girl who was faithful enough to still be a virgin…
We could learn a lesson of a young girl who had a strong belief in God to accept what the angel Gabriel told her
We could learn a lesson of Mary as a mother of our Savior
But I feel that the lesson to learn from Mary is right there in front of us but we fail to stop and realize what she actually had to do to have this baby.
We must be careful not to make too lightly of the character of Mary but at the same time we need not exalt her too highly.
So what was so special about this girl that she could teach us a lesson here in 2005?
The lesson is simple to see but harder to put into action.
Mary’s lesson is: To live outside of your comfort zone
Comfort Zone – our place of safety and security.
It’s predictable
No “what ifs” or “the unknowns”
You are familiar with what is going on around you and you know what to expect at any given time.
You know:
o Where your next meal is coming from
o When you will be getting your next paycheck
o What time you go into work and what time you get off of work
o You have a warm coat in the closet for when you go outside
And anytime that something happens that get us out of our comfort zone = we start to panic!
Living outside of your comfort zone is nothing more than living on faith.
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Mary was a young virgin who is not pregnant.
a. She has to tell her parents
b. She has to tell Joseph
o Imagine the stares from other people
o Imagine what was being said behind her back
o Imagine her thoughts when Joseph wanted to leave
Living outside your comfort zone will have you:
o Feeding 5000 with two fish and five loaves of bread
o Stepping out of the boat as Peter did to walk on top of the water toward Jesus
o Leaving your tax business as Matthew did to follow Jesus
o Having your head chopped off as Stephen did, standing up for the gospel of Christ
o Building a boat when there hasn’t been rain
o Moving your family to a foreign land to serve as missionaries
Living outside your comfort zone could be:
o Paying that tithe every week
o Deciding to double your tithe each week
o Sharing your faith with a co-worker
o Taking one hour everyday to spend in prayer
o Signing for our visitation program when you have a fear of talking to people
So when did Mary started living outside her comfort zone?
When she accepted God’s Word through the angel
We start living outside our comfort zone:
The moment we accept God’s Word for what it says and start believing it by living by it.
The Word of God that says:
o Hebrews 10:23
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
o 1st Timothy 4:4
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected…”
o Galatians 6:9
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
o Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
o Philippians 4:19
“My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
What God is calling you to do doesn’t make sense to this world. It might cause you to be a little uncomfortable.
I’d rather be uncomfortable and saved than to be uncomfortable and lost.
Mary teaches us the lesson of living outside of our comfort zone for the sake of Christ. And oh, what a reward!
2. The Lesson learned from Joseph -
Joseph is excited about getting his bride.
Counting down the days until he has her to himself
Planning those romantic nights to show his love
Getting giggly every time he thinks about his Mary
So what could possibly be the lesson that we learn from Joseph? If you could ask him today, I am sure he would say: “Don’t freak out when your plans have been changed”
Joseph is a perfect example of God’s will coming in and destroying the plans of a man.
You’re plans that you have for your life may not be what God has in store for you.
o Your degree maybe in one thing but God is going to use you in another
o Your family business maybe handed down to you but God wants you in His service
o You maybe ready for retirement and God already have a position lined up for you doing His work
o You may want to work with one group in the church and God is sending people in another age bracket that needs your guidance and leadership
QB Danny Wuerffel was named Heisman Trophy winner in 1996. Drafted in 1997 by the New Orleans Saints. Retired in 2004, to accept the job as associate athletic director of Desire Street Ministries, which works with inner city youth in New Orleans.
Saul was at the top of his role but God had a plan!
Stephen had a full life ahead of him but God had a plan!
Zaccheus had a gravy job making lots of money but God had a plan!
Lazarus was already dead – but God had a plan!
Your plans need to be: WHATEVER God wants me to do.
3. The Lesson learned from Jesus
So many lessons throughout the Bible that we can allude to that give us many life nuggets from Christ.
a. He taught us how to fight temptation with the devil.
b. He taught us how to love our neighbors as ourselves.
c. He taught us how to be disciples of the world
d. He taught us about our personal relationships
e. He taught us about fasting, the cure for anxiety, judging others, the encouragement to pray and so much more…
But what could the baby Jesus teach us?
o He teaches us a truth that goes against the world’s point of view.
o He teaches us that what the world thinks is important is not really important at all.
The lesson that Christ gives us through His birth:
It’s not what you have but rather who you are!
Here we see baby Jesus lying in a manger in a barn outside of Bethlehem.
o To the on-lookers this was a poor family who could not afford a room in the inn.
o To the keeper of the inn – this was just another poor family coming to pay their taxes that really have nothing.
But in this manger lies a baby who owns it all.
Mary knew it.
Joseph knew it.
The Shepherds knew it.
The Wise men knew it.
Herod knew it.
How much better off we would be if we would realize that our relationship with Christ is far more important than:
o Our earthly social status
o The money we have in the bank
o The staff working under us
o The structure of our houses
o The year of our automobiles and the price tags
o Where we were born or where we will die
Read Philippians 2:1-16
It’s not what you have that makes you important –
IT’S WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS!
I may not have much here – but look what’s waiting for me
I may not be popular here – but my name is in THE book
I may not get a lot of attention – but I have HIS attention
Mary taught us to get outside our comfort zone-
That’s where our faith is stretched and we become stronger
Joseph taught us that the plans we have for ourselves may not be what God has for us – So be ready to change
Jesus taught us that it’s not what you are perceived to have here on earth but rather it’s who you are in God’s plan.
