Doug Van Meter - 25 December 2023
The Story of Christmas (Matthew 1:1–25)
The story of Christmas is a true story, but one that too often becomes sentimentalised, sanitised, and/or secularised. The truth to be told is that that the Christmas story is both triumphant and tragic. It is a story of God breaking in to the darkness of a sin-cursed, and too often hopeless, world, but it is also a story filled with tragedy of suffering and persecution. Fundamentally, it is a story of God’s faithfulness. We consider this story, from Matthew 1, under four broad headings: 1. The Christmas Story is a Marvellous (and Messy) Messianic Story (vv. 1–17) 2. The Christmas Story is a Majestically Mysterious Story, (v. 18) 3. The Christmas Story is a Mercifully Miraculous Story (vv. 19–21) 4. The Christmas Story Needs to Be a Personally Meaningful Story (vv. 22–25)
Scripture References: Matthew 1:1-25
From Series: "Christmas Services"
These sermons form part of the Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve) services.