Getting This Christmas Right: With Those We Love

December 9, 2007 - Rev. Rurel Ausley, Rev. Kevin Kelly

Matthew 1:18-25 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

"Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to call off their engagement quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will save people from their sins.'

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said to the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel'--which means--'God with us.' When Joseph woke, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. He took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Think back to the photo that we put up at the beginning of the sermon depicting Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. What does this photo reveal about Mary and Joseph? What emotions are depicted in their faces? Photos tell stories, but may not always reveal struggles that have been experienced to get to the point of what is seen in the photo. List all the joys and sorrows you can that Mary and Joseph experienced that led to the moment when Jesus was born.

Think about your family Christmas photos. What is seen in the pictures? Do the photos reveal the struggles behind them? When people view your Christmas pictures 10 years from now, what will be the struggles, joys, sorrows, etc. that are behind the pictures?

We must fight at least three battles in our lives to see that we get this Christmas, and future Christmases, right. Let's look at each.

1. Read Matthew 1:18-25. First we see that Mary and Joseph had to fight and win the battle for righteousness. They lived in a world where fighting for sexual purity and avoiding immorality was difficult. We have the same struggles. What struggles were experienced by Mary and Joseph that would challenge their beliefs and moral values? How was Mary's pregnancy a threat to all they believed about living righteous lives?

What struggles do you face today that threaten your desire to live a righteous life? How do many in our culture view sexual purity? What temptations are you bombarded with daily that challenge your integrity and desire to live a righteous life?

Read 1 Peter 3:12. Why is battling for righteousness so important? How does God respond to our choosing to live this type of life? God is looking for those who are living righteously so that he might pour out his favor upon them. Can you name some times and situations where you chose to compromise your integrity and values and may have missed a blessing from God as the result of your choices? With God's help as we win these battles for righteousness in the area of sexuality, or any other areas in life that call for integrity, we can wind up living with a clean conscience. We can live with a buoyant spirit. We can live with a peace that passes human understanding.

2. The second battle we must fight and win is for graciousness. Look back at our text for today. What was Joseph's response to Mary's pregnancy? How could he have responded in light of the revelation? What was he risking by being gracious toward Mary? What did he gain as a result of his choice? Had you been Joseph, how would you have responded?

Joseph responded well to Mary and the message given to him by the Angel. I bet he was glad that he did not humiliate and discard Mary. He would have missed out on quite a blessing. Think about your family relationships. People do things to hurt us and we hurt other people. Who might God be calling you to reconcile with and demonstrate a gracious spirit toward this Christmas? Will your Christmas photos several years from now reveal that you lived a life of graciousness? Why or why not?

3. The third battle is for trust. How did both Mary and Joseph demonstrate great trust and faith in God? In one another? Why was the battle for trust so important in their situation? In your situation right now?

We are called to believe and have faith in Jesus—his birth, life, death and resurrection. Why is this so hard? How has your faith in Christ made a difference in your life? What challenges to your trust and faith in God are you experiencing this holiday season—loss of loved one, tragedy, etc.? Will you continue to trust?

We must win the battle for righteousness, graciousness and trust to get Christmas right. How might you go about this Christmas a little differently as a result of what you have heard in the past two sermons?