The Love Of Christmas Series

Philip Griffin, senior pastor of the Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, describes a lost dog sign he once saw. There was a big cash reward for whoever found the lost dog, and a description of the dog. It read: "He's only got three legs, he's blind in the left eye, he's missing a right ear, his tail has been broken off, he was neutered accidentally by a fence—ouch!—he's almost deaf, and he answers by the name “Lucky” (Philip Griffin, from the sermon “A God Who Redeems,” www.PreachingToday.com).

How did such a dog get the name “Lucky?” Maybe, it’s because he has an owner who loves him and wants him back.

You may not feel lucky today, but you have a Creator who loves you and wants you back, as well. Only, He’s gone way beyond putting up signs. He came Himself to look for you and me. And that’s what we celebrate at Christmas. We celebrate God becoming a human being, entering our world to seek and save the lost.

Are you feeling unlucky and lost today? Then I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 1, Luke 1, where an angel announces God’s coming to Mary, through whom God entered our world.

Luke 1:26-30 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God (ESV).

Mary found favor with God. Literally, she found grace with God. She found unmerited approval in God’s eyes even though she was unlucky in the world’s eyes. She had a very common name with no less than six “Mary’s” in the New Testament.

On top of that, she was a poor, peasant girl from a town known for its wickedness and immorality. One of Jesus’ disciples once asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). The world would call her unlucky and unfavored, but the angel called her “favored one” (verse 28)—I.e., one that God fills with His grace, or one that God loves in a special way.

In the same way, you too can find favor with God. Even though the world might call you unlucky and unfavored, God calls you a “favored one” if you believe in His Son. The New Testament uses the original Greek word for “favored one” only twice—here and in Ephesians 1:6. In Ephesians 1:6, God calls every believer “favored,” or “blessed,” as its translated there. That means when you trust Christ with your life, God blesses you; God favors you; God fills you with His grace even when you don’t deserve it.

One of the most loved Christmas songs started out as an advertising gimmick. In 1939, Montgomery Ward tapped advertising executive Robert May to write a poem that their store Santa Claus could give away to children who came to visit him. That poem was “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, which first appeared in a little booklet published by the department store chain. They handed out more than 2.5 million copies that year; and by 1946, they had distributed more than 6 million copies.

Rudolph's story was made into a song in 1949 when May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, added music to the poem. Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore turned it down, but singing cowboy Gene Autry recorded it, and the rest is history. Today, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is the highest-selling Christmas song, at more than 25 million units.

Why is the song so popular? Some people might say that it's the pluckiness and courage of Rudolph, the alleged hero of the story. But the real beauty of the story focuses on grace. By grace, Santa chooses Rudolph even though he has been rejected by everyone else. Rudolph has a defect—his big, annoyingly shiny red nose—that disqualifies him from participating in all the “reindeer games.” But when the fog rolls in, Santa chooses the one with the weird, shiny red nose to lead his sleigh. He turns Rudolph’s “weakness” into a “strength”, which he used to accomplish his mission (Kristen Parrish, No Cape Required, Thomas Nelson, 2013, pp. 219-220; www.PreachingToday.com).

God wants to do the same for you. Just…

BELIEVE THAT HE LOVES YOU and trust His Son with your life.

Accept His grace. Rely on His unmerited favor. Then…

BELIEVE THAT HE WANTS TO USE YOU to accomplish his mission.

Believe that God wants to use you to introduce His Son to the world. That’s what the angel said to Mary.