Have you ever stopped to think about the night Jesus was
born? I mean really thought about it? We get this image (mostly
from our Christmas carols) that leave us all warm and fuzzy as we song “Silent
Night, Holy Night, all is calm…” Really? Was it? Was it
really a calm night there in the cattle shed where Mary and Joseph were
spending the night? We get this image, “The cattle are lowing the baby
awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes…” Are you kidding me!?!? I
have to believe that the night Jesus was born was anything but calm, and
anything but silent.
This season we are going to look at the birth, life and
death of Jesus through the eyes of Mary – the one who was closest to him
throughout all of his years of ministry. And we’re going to do something
a little different in that we’ll look at their lives in reverse.
First,
we will examine Christ’s death and how it affected Mary. What did all of
those promises given to her from an angel years before mean as she was watching
them being fulfilled now? Next we will examine the scene from Luke when
Jesus goes to the temple and begins to teach. Mary was surprised,
astounded and astonished as she must have, maybe for the first time, realized
there was something very different about her child. Following that we
will look at the miraculous announcement that she would be pregnant and what
those first few months looked like as she went to Elizabeth’s house.
Overall, my prayer is that we, as a church, will engage the
different texts that we talk about and that we will examine our own lives and
what the coming of Christ means for us, even as we watch it unfold in Mary’s
life as well. I hope you will join us every week throughout this Advent
season and allow the glory of the Lord to be seen in how you worship Christ,
the newborn King.
Blessings,
Matt
| DATE | SERMON TITLE | SCRIPTURE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/30/2014 | The Piercing of Mary's Soul | Luke 2:33-35 | |
| 12/7/2014 | It Was NOT a Silent Night | Luke 2:41-51 | |
| 12/21/2014 | There's Something About Mary | Luke 1:39-55 | |
| 12/24/2014 | Christmas Eve Message | Luke 2:1-8 | |
| 12/28/2014 | Another Year in the Vineyard | Luke 13:6-9 | |
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