Dealing With Christmas I

Dealing with Christmas I “Stripping the power”

Intro: Dealing with Christmas

Setup the Story:

Luk 1:11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Luk 1:12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
Luk 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. Luk 1:14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, Luk 1:15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. Luk 1:16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
Luk 1:17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Luk 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Luk 1:19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. Luk 1:20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Prophecy:

Malachi 4:5
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

When you realize what Christmas is it will change the way you react to it.

Luk 1:76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, Luk 1:77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, Luk 1:78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high Luk 1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luk 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

-We hear the message for years and due to no response our hearts become callused
Tie a cat to the bedpost
-We then lose our understanding because we chose the festive over the faith
C.S. Lewis- Festive vs Religious children
-The Message takes a back seat and its poor is lost in a sea of festivities

Do you believe…Really
What do you worship on Christmas morning? Gifts, people and food atmosphere
What is your timeline during the Christmas season? How much is given to celebrating the birth of Christ?

This is why Christmas can be so difficult. It has no meaning for us. Hope, mercy strength and love were born on this day. Do you have that?

Life Group questions:


1. What is your best Christmas memory and why?
2. What are you scared of going into Christmas?
3. What does the birth of Christ offer us that can replace that fear?
4. How will this change your focus this Christmas?