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Upside Down Christmas: Whats the Big Deal?

Dont miss an opportunity to worship with your family in your

home this Sunday morning. We are the Church, whether we

are gathered together on Sunday morning or not. Use thissimple guide in your homes Sunday morning and honor the

Lord Jesus.

Prayer Time:

Prayer for those who are less fortunate during times of tough

weather conditions as well as those who must work in these

conditions to keep the rest of us safe and warm in our homes.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide your family during its time ofworship.

Pray for other families worship in their homes today.

Time of Worship:

There are several worship videos on Youtube or Vimeo or just

sing your favorite songs that you know by heart.

Devotion and Bible Lesson:

Over the next couple of weeks we want to focus in on the

coming of God through a baby named Jesus. This week I want

to examine why weve made Christmas into such a big deal

each year. We use so much to celebrate Christmas, which is

not a bad thing, but lets take some time to boil it down to the

simple parts of the story and begin by simply asking why we

celebrate this time and why we celebrate it so much.

Lets get to thinking:

Can you be a Christian without celebrating Christmas?

What would make you upset about skipping Christmas?

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If we didnt know all the traditions how might the bible shape

the celebration of Jesus birth?

Read the following Scripture:

Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeths pregnancy, God sentthe angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to avirgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, adescendant of David. The virgins name was Mary. 28 Theangel went to her and said, Greetings, you who arehighly favored! The Lord is with you.

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wonderedwhat kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel saidto her, Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favorwith God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son,and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will

be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will givehim the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reignover Jacobs descendants forever; his kingdom will neverend.

34How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am avirgin?

35 The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come on you,and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Sothe holy one to be born will be called[b]the Son of God.36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child inher old age, and she who was said to be unable to

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conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from Godwill ever fail.

38I am the Lords servant, Mary answered. May your

word to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her.

Questions to Consider:

How do you think Mary felt about the Angels message to her

after he left? Do you expect God to do big things in your life?

What do we learn about Jesus from the Angels message?

Two other names are mentioned: David and Jacob. What do

these tell us about Jesus identity? Why mention them?

Dig in a little deeper:

Give each family member who can read a bible and have them

search for bible verses that talk about Jesus before he was

born.

What do these verses tell us about Jesus?

Illustration:

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. Heloved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. Hewanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressedin the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went tothe homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thoughtthat he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor

man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food thepoor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him.Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again anddisclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!" Theking thought the man would surely ask for some gift orfavor, but he didn't. Instead he said, "You left your

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palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, drearyplace. You ate the course food I ate. You broughtgladness to my heart! To others you have given your richgifts. To me you have given yourself!"

God is willing to make most any accommodation to havefellowship with us. Even becoming human.

The Big Question:

Whats the Big Deal?

Why is the coming of Jesus such a big deal?

Does our celebration do Him justice?

What can we do to celebrate Jesus better?

Closing Challenge:

Talk about your Christmas traditions, schedule, and activities

together. What points toward Jesus best? What can be done

better?

What new tradition can you start this year that will point

toward Jesus and his coming?

Share your new idea on FaceBook, Twitter, or other social

media.