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Christmas Sermon

Christmas is Coming: Mighty (Lk. 1:46-55) Chris Altrock – Dec. 23, 2018

This entry is part [part not set] of 2 in the series Christmas is Coming

The Christmas story, and the very first Christmas song, is about a world filled with problems. It’s about a God who used his Spirit of power to send his son to earth as a baby in order to do something about all those problems. But the song and the story doesn’t end there. That same Spirit of power has been given to you so that you might be given to the world, just as Jesus was given to the world. Jesus was not the only gift given at the first Christmas. We, each, are intended as gifts to be given to the world, empowered by the mighty Spirit, in God’s ongoing quest to make this world a better place for all.

The Good News of Christmas – Part 2 (Luke 2:7) Chris Altrock

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A friend of mine has a nativity set which he displays each December in his home. Mary’s face is serene. Joseph’s is solemn. The sheep are meticulously shorn and mercifully silent. The wise men appear as if they stepped out of a first-world fashion shoot.

But one December the manger was mangled. My friend’s toddler grabbed some Sharpies in one hand, baby Jesus in the other and splashed lines of permanent color all over the scene. When his father stumbled upon the demolition he could hardly recognize the familiar display. Never had such saintly figures been so sadly soiled. A polished and perfect nativity became a mess in a matter of minutes.

In a way, that mangled manger is more true to life than most of our refined sets. Entering our world as an infant was risky for Jesus. It was no walk in the park. The manger was more mayhem than magnificence. More danger than delight. Nothing could be more perilous. Yet nothing created intimacy with us than Jesus’ infancy.Read More »The Good News of Christmas – Part 2 (Luke 2:7) Chris Altrock