How to Celebrate Christmas!

                                                 4th Sunday of Advent

 Intro:

A.   Watch this clip:

 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6STwWivxvm8

 

B.   We are used to a society where everywhere we look there are nativity scenes to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas, but before our blood begins to boil too much, whose responsibility is it to teach the true meaning of Christmas?

     1.   In the Hebrew culture, it was a very personal thing to pass on the faith.  Teach your children and your children's children!

     2.   In early Christianity, Christians did not rely on Rome to teach their faith!

 

C.   I believe the responsibility is on us, so how do we

     celebrate Christmas?

 

Trans:  I believe as we look at "How to Celebrate Christmas" this morning, we can find the answer by looking back to these shepherds on that first Christmas!

 

                    Prayer

                  Luke 2:8-20

 

I.   How did they celebrate Christmas?

A.   By "glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and  seen, as it had been told them."

1)   "Heard." for the promise of a Savior!

2)   "Seen." for the proclamation by the angels that this was

     the Savior!

 

B.   How did they glorify and praise God?

1)   They probably sang songs, and they told what they had  heard and seen!

2)   They came before him.

 

II.  How should we celebrate Christmas?

A.   We too should be glorifying and praising God for sending a  Savior and giving us a new chance at life!

 

B.   How can we do this?

1)   By singing songs!  If we listen to the words of Christmas songs, they glorify and praise God!

- "Joy to the world the Lord has come!"

- "Silent night, Holy night, ron yon virgin mother and

   child."

- "Hark the Harold angels sing! Glory to the newborn

                 King!"

2)   By praying and saying thank you!

3)   By being available in our service to God!

4)   By making sure that God is magnified in our family's  

Christmas!

a.   With the hussle and bussle of the contemporary

Christmas, many get so busy that Christ is the

last thing they think of around Christmas. 

b.   We must make sure that Christ does not get

forgotten in our homes!

1.   Develop a tradition that glorifies and

praises God for sending Jesus!

2.   Help your children know what Christmas

is all about.

3.   Use the symbolism of Christmas to make the

real meaning of Christmas very real to them!

4.   The sad thing is that many "Christian" homes

rely on outside influence and teaching to get  the meaning of Christmas across to their children!

 

III. When we celebrate Christmas the right way, our children will join      in!  The angels in heaven will rejoice because the children are      celebrating Christmas, and we can rejoice because they have also!

 

Suggestions:

A.   After the kids have opened their presents and have settled down, gather around and talk about why we exchange gifts.

(because God gave us the greatest gift, Jesus)

 

B.   Talk about some of the symbolism of the Christmas Tree, tying it in to the Christmas Story.

1.   Evergreen - Jesus brings everlasting life!

2.   Lights - Jesus is the light of the world!

3.   Star - Star that led the Wise men

4.   Angel - Angel that proclaimed to the shepherds that Jesus was born!

5.      Candy Cane - Shepherds staff!

6.       

C.   Read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and Matthew 2 about the

     Wise men. While reading the Christmas story, move nativity

     figures around to help visualize it for younger children.

 

D.   Make a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.  This

     idea comes from some Catholic neighbors that I had while growing up.  They always invited us over and . . . .

 

E.   One of our children always left a snack for Santa and wrote a  note to Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Santa always wrote back, and somewhere in Santa's response was something like always               remember that the reason we give gifts is because God gave us the greatest gift Jesus.  Our kids got the true meaning of  Christmas straight from Santa himself.

F.   When we do these things, the children will understand the real meaning of Christmas, it will become something special for all  the right reasons, and it will reinforce the meaning of  Christmas for us as well.

 

     Remember, all these things don=t have to be done on Christmas day; you have the twelve days of Christmas!  Maybe have the Birthday party for Jesus on Epiphany for example!

 

 

Conclusion:

A.   The challenge of this sermon is for us to make sure we are  doing something during our Christmas that glorifies and praises God for sending Jesus, for forgiving our sins!  That is how to celebrate Christmas!  Don't leave it for someone else to do it, but be proactive!  Make sure your children and your children's children know the true meaning of Christmas!

 

B.   If we aren't doing something during our Christmas that does this, maybe it is time to make some new family traditions this Christmas.

 

     C.   Many of us have computers in our homes, which gives us another tool for getting the true meaning of Christmas across to our families. I'd like to leave you with this clip from YouTube:

 

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PURToRRq7gM

 

 

 

                 Benediction