Ideal Christmas

Home for Christmas Week 3

PROBLEM: We are all trying to create our “ideal” Christmas –

• sometimes reacting to what we didn’t get growing up,
• sometimes trying to recreate what we had (but frustrated it’s never quite what we want it to be)

”Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.“ Isaiah 7:14 NIV

“You could've come like a mighty storm With all the strength of a hurricane You could've come like a forest fire With the power of heaven in Your flame But You came like a winter snow Quiet and soft and slow Falling from the sky in the night To the Earth below”

1. TO GIVE US A PICTURE OF HUMILITY ”In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ Philippians 2:5-11 NIV

”She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).“ Matthew 1:21-23 NIV

2. BIG IDEA: TO SHOW US THE POWER OF “WITH”

• HOW DO WE CREATE THE IDEAL CHRISTMAS? 1. JUST SHOW UP 2. GIVE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE THE POWER OF “WITH”