When I was an 18-year-old boy I saw a song on MTV that claimed my heart and mind. It was so beautiful I wanted to listen to it again and again very badly. Unfortunately, however, there was no YouTube or Spotify at that time. You had to purchase the Audio CD which I couldn’t afford. Still, I was so obsessed with the song that I bought a pirated copy for a fraction of the price after combing the black market. “Hope” is the name of that song and the artist is known as Shaggy.
A blessed Christmas to all of you! By no stretch of the imagination, this year has been an easy one. Still, we are gathered here today in celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for God has been gracious to us. There are many religious holidays around the world. Still, Christmas is unique because it’s the only celebration in the entire year that brings people together, regardless of their gender, beliefs, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, language, and, social status.
Luke’s narration of Jesus’ dedication in the temple (Luke 2:25-38) isn’t exclusively about Jesus’ birth and there are many other passages one can use for preaching a Christmas sermon. Still, I decided to preach from this passage because in the words of Simeon and Anna recorded in it, we discover God’s true purpose for the season we call Christmas in a nutshell. We discover that:
This morning I do not intend to complicate your Christmas by choosing to preach a heavily theological message with a theological title. It should be noted however that Christmas is surrounded by so much of biblical truths that it’s not just another simple festive event as the world likes to think. I do believe understanding these truths about Christmas surely helps us to understand why we need Jesus.
An age-old tradition is to go wait in line to sit in Santa’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas. You eagerly sit on his knee and listen attentively to what he says, hoping he will promise you the things you want.
Sometimes, on Christmas morning, you find that you can’t always trust Santa. But, there was a promise given over 700 years before Christ that you can take to the bank. Under the anointing and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah promised that a child would be born and His name would tell His character. [A sermon preached by Dr. Arnold Lastinger. Publishee with permission]
Alex Haley became a household word and an instant millionaire when he wrote a book tracing his ancestry back to his “Roots: The Saga of an American Family.” Most of us have some interest in our genealogy because somehow it connects us to our ancestors. Most of us also find some ancestors we would rather not be identified with. Jesus had such ancestors, but he chose to identify himself with them, (Matthew 1:1-17). I would like for us to look at several of them today. [A sermon by Dr. Arnold Lastinger. Used with permission.]
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