The Christmas Story

 Luke 2:1-21 (New International Version)

 ¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

 ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 ²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

The Christmas Story

Matthew 1:18-25 (New International Version)

 ¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

 ²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ 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.”

 ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

 ²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Christmas at Light of Christ

We will celebrate Christmas this Sunday, December 19 in both the 9:30 AM and 11 AM worship services.  There will be a children's program and a Christmas message. 

The Greater Vision congregation and Gospel Choir will join us for the Christmas Eve service at 5 PM.  Live Christmas music begins at 4:30 PM.  Childcare will be provided for children age 3 and under. 

Merry Christmas!

Is God a Steelers Fan?

Stevie Johnson, a wide receiver for the NFL's Buffalo Bills, recently made headlines with a post on his Twitter account.  Johnson dropped a winning touchdown pass in overtime that would have given the lowly Bills a surprising upset over the six-time SuperBowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  In his tweet Johnson blamed God for the dropped pass.

Many people came down hard on Johnson for playing the divine blame game.  God likely has more important things to do than to help an overpaid millionaire catch a piece of pigskin.  There are after all millions of people starving to death all over the world right now. 

Before we get too high up on our horse, are we much different than Mr. Johnson?  How often do we blame God when things don't go the way we want them to in life?  When we get a bad grade on a test.  When we are passed over for the promotion.  When relationships fall apart.  When someone we love dies. 

As we prepare for Christmas, the Bible reminds us of one of Jesus' titles, Immanuel, which means God with us.  God chose to become human to help us through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  God's Holy Spirit is with us always in our everyday lives.  When things don't go our way, instead of blaming God maybe we could ask God to reassure us that we aren't going it alone.  That God is right there with us, to comfort us and to bring joy and peace into our lives.  That Jesus is Immanuel.

Christmas Worship Series

Join us at Light of Christ during December for the worship series A Christmas Story.  Click here to listen to the sermons online.