Christmas Day Devotion

 Christmas Day Devotion

Merry Christmas church. My name is Stuart Davidson and I am the pastor here at Eastern Shore Baptist Church. What a delight it is to see all of you here this morning. How many of you have already begun some of your family Christmas traditions? Maybe you have a specific food that you only cook this time of year? Perhaps there is a certain order of opening presents. You know that there really is no wrong way to celebrate Christmas. I did some thinking the other day as I was preparing for this message. I wonder how other Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is what I discovered. 

Naturally here in America, we decorate trees, put lights on our homes, and enjoy numerous Christmas parties and get togethers. 

Well in Italy they have no Christmas trees, instead they decorate small wooden pyramids with fruit.

In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is customary for the streets to be blocked off on Christmas Eve so that the people can roller-skate to church.

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction.

Sending red Christmas cards to anyone in Japan constitutes bad etiquette, since funeral notices there are customarily printed in red.

By far this is my favorite. I think that we will do this next year in the Davidson household. In Yugoslavia, on the 2nd Sunday before Christmas, children creep in and tie their mother’s feet to a chair, shouting ’Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day, what will you pay to get away?’ She then gives them presents. Children play the same trick on their father the following week and get more presents.

Message

Again good morning friends and family and merry Christmas. I hope that all of you have had a wonderful morning. Some of you have been up earlier than others. If you have children or grandchildren this morning was probably very exciting. Presents were opened. Stockings were pilfered. Cookies were eaten!

For the kids, Santa broke in and delivered their long expectant gifts. 

You know break ins are not always so merry and cheerful. Angela and I experienced a break in years ago. We were living in our house in Montgomery. It was in the middle of the day. Neither of us were home. Intruders broke in around one o’clock in the afternoon. They did not leave presents but they sure did take a lot of stuff. 

Computer…gone.

iPad…see ya later. 

You enjoy your plasma tv Stuart? Not anymore because it’s outa here!

Church, do you know that they even took the strawberries that were in our refrigerator? Who takes strawberries?

That break in led to us feeling violated, unsafe, and insecure. 

Break ins don’t have to be all bad though. Some break ins are…well…beautiful. 2000 years ago the entire human race experienced a “break in”. 

This break in was not perpetrated by a villain. 

It was not conducted by a convict. 

It was not planned by a criminal mastermind. 

Hardly. 

This break in to humanity had been long foretold, expected by a few, and carried out by the Creator of the Universe. 

God broke into to humanity when He sent Jesus Christ and this world has never been the same. That is what we are going to briefly talk about this morning. A break in of heavily proportion.

This morning I am going to read briefly from Matthew 1:18-25. 

As members of Eastern Shore Baptist Church, We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and the authoritative Word of God. We believe that the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and for training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word has the power to give life. It provides peace in times of trouble and protection in days of tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the very core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect. 

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)

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.

You see friends Jesus broke into this world as a small baby. A lowly child. An unexpected King. Herod couldn’t kill Him, although He certainly tried. The shepherds were invited to worship Him by means of an angelic birth announcement. The Magi came bearing gift by means of a celestial abnormality. A miracle in the skies that moved and they followed. Creation testifying that God’s presence had become flesh. God had made His home among men! 

This break in did not leave humanity feeling violated, unsafe, and insecure. In fact this break in, which we call Christmas leaves us today feeling assured, secure, and safe. God showed His love for us by becoming Immanuel, God With Us!

Jesus, the heavenly intruder and King of the Universe is the incarnate God. He is the perfect mixture of Omnipotence and Helplessness, 

Omnipresence and Home Bound and 

Omniscience and Humility. 

In other words, Jesus is completely man and completely God. I don’t understand it but I do, in faith, believe it. 

Friends, I want to ask you a question this morning. God may have broken in to this human existence, but He will not break in to your heart. He will not kick down the door of you heart and make a home in your spirit. That is not how this works. He will only go where He is invited. Have you invited Jesus to come in to your life, change your heart, and give life to your dead spirit? 

Revelation 3:20 captures the words of Christ saying, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

You see friend, Jesus wants to have a relationship with you but He won’t force Himself on you. If you want to have the greatest Christmas experience of your life, turn your eyes to Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of this earth will grow strongly dim, in the light of His glory and grace. 

Will you pray with me this morning. 

Prayer

Invitation