Missing Christmas Big Idea of the Series: This three-week sermon series examines the nativity story by investigating the characters who either missed out on or almost missed out on the birth of Christ. As we learn from these stories, there are many things that can keep us from being transformed by Jesus’ birth—whether it be distraction, selfishness, or disappointment. Looking at the gospels of Matthew and Luke, this series warns us that we could miss out on the real meaning of Christmas if we aren’t careful. Week 1 Topic: Distraction Text: Luke 2:1-7 Big Idea: Like the innkeeper in the nativity story, we can be distracted by the pressures around us and miss out on the miracle of Christmas. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1.   “There was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). This small sentence contains a big message: Joseph and Mary tried to get into the inn, but they weren’t afforded a normal room. Instead, they were left to reside in a stable or small cave. Mary’s condition must have been fairly obvious. It leaves us to speculate: what was going on in this innkeeper’s mind? Perhaps his or her sense of compassion was overshadowed by the distraction of making money—it wouldn’t be good for business to have a woman giving birth in close quarters with other paying guests. Whatever his motives, he missed out on the miraculous entrance of God in human form.

2.   Christmas with the Kranks—a comical movie about how a couple almost missed Christmas because they forgot what matters most—shows how easily we can become distracted by outside pressures during the

Christmas season. Consider playing a clip from the film or offering a brief explanation.

3.   The hymn, “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne,” is an appropriate one to incorporate into this week’s service. It contains the line: “Come into my heart, Lord Jesus; there is room in my heart for Thee.”

4.   Provide your church with an at-home Advent calendar that will guide them as a family through the Christmas story during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

5.   Have your congregation write down their top three stressors/distractions during this season. Take time in your service to pray over these lists.

6.   You might consider reading Luke 2:8-20 as well. Shepherds were the least likely candidates (according to human standards) to first hear about the Messiah’s birth. Why didn’t the angels make their announcement to the some of the important religious leaders of Israel? Maybe it was because these individuals were distracted by their political expectations. They missed the Messiah at His birth and during His ministry. How are our rigid expectations blinding us to God’s working around us?

Week 2 Topic: Selfishness Text: Matthew 2:1-23 Big Idea: Because of his idolatrous selfishness, King Herod missed an opportunity to welcome the true King of Kings. We miss Christ, too, when we allow our pride to overcome our devotion. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1.   Herod tainted the season of Jesus’ infancy not only for Joseph and Mary, but also for everyone under his authority. As we see from this passage, Herod ordered the murder of many innocent infants. His broken selfishness devastated those around him.

2.   According to this article, 77% of shoppers in the 2014 holiday season bought an average of $126 in gifts for themselves.

3.   “Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and the death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find him, and with him everything else thrown in.” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

4.   This chapter points out an interesting side note. There were three different prophecies concerning the Messiah’s origin. Together, these might have

seemed contradictory when they were given. How could one person be from three different places? It wasn’t until God carried out His marvelous and mysterious plan that the truth was made plain. Christ was born in Bethlehem, came out of Egypt after a respite there, and resided in Nazareth. Only God could have connected all of those dots! In the same way, we can’t throw out a promise from God for our own lives because it doesn’t seem to make sense at the time. When we wait for God’s perfect plan to unfold, we will be in awe of how He carries out His promises.

Week 3 Topic: Faith, Reconciliation Text: Matthew 1:18-25 Big Idea: Joseph almost missed out on being part of God’s plan, but he overcame his fear and disappointment by placing his faith in God. We can be reconciled to God, His family, and His plan for our lives by trusting Him this Christmas season, too. Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1.   Joseph must have been disappointed in Mary’s unexplained pregnancy and all of the unraveled plans (and social stigma) that would have resulted from such news. He would have been justified in divorcing her and cutting himself off from all the complicated mess—until God told him otherwise. Can you imagine how the story would have unfolded if Joseph had ignored God’s instructions?

2.   Holidays provide fresh opportunity to grieve over our disappointments. Some even take holidays as an opportunity to express their pain of past disappointments, talked about in this article here: http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/christian-trends/parenting-kids-who-sabotage-big-days.html. We can choose to keep reliving past pain, letting it steal joy from our present. Or, like Joseph, we can entrust our lives to God, knowing He can heal our disappointments and is able even to “do immeasurably more than all we ask for or imagine.” (Eph. 3:20)

3.   “Look at what God has done to get you to know Him personally. If the Son would come all this way to become a real person to you, don’t you think the Holy Spirit will do anything in His power to make Jesus a real person to you in your heart? Christmas is an invitation to know Christ personally. Christmas is an invitation by God to say: Look what I’ve done to come near to you. Now draw near to Me. I don’t want to be a concept; I want to be a friend.” (Tim Keller, “Why Christmas Matters,” 10 Dec 2011, Relevant Magazine, accessed 19 Oct 2016, <http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/worldview/why-christmas-matters-0>).

4.   Consider giving an invitation for those who need to respond to the reality of the Gospel for the first time.