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Christmas Through Mary's Eyes
by Paul Smith
Text: Luke 1:46–55
Topic: What Mary declared as the core of Christmas
Big Idea: Christian celebrations of Christmas are only set apart from the rest of the world when they focus on Jesus.
Keywords: Celebration; Christmas; Holidays; Jesus Christ
Introduction:
- Illustration: Different cultures have celebrated the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st) for thousands of years, and several Christmas traditions stem from those celebrations.
Christmas as a celebration is not inherently Christian.
- We would probably recognize the celebrations of many ancient cultures around the end of December, even if Jesus hadn't been born yet.
-Illustration: Christmas was first celebrated as the birth of Jesus between A.D. 325 and 350.
- There is nothing intrinsically wrong with these celebrations.
-Illustration:When the Puritans first came to America, they outlawed many of the holiday traditions we observe today.
- Christmas means different things to different people.
Mary is central to the Christmas story.
- Illustration: Dr. Alexander Whyte said, "We must give Mary her promised due; we must not allow ourselves to obtain a grudge against the mother of our Lord because some have given her more than her due."
- Mary had a strong faith and was well-grounded in the Scriptures.
- Luke 1:46–55
Mary knew that Jesus would be mighty (v. 49).
- Mary knew that Jesus was God in the flesh.
Mary knew that Jesus would be holy (v. 49).
- Saying that Jesus' name was holy was very significant in the Jewish culture.
- Our world is craving for contact with something that is powerful and just.
Mary knew that Jesus would be merciful (v. 50).
- If it wasn't for God's mercy, we would still view Christmas in the same way that the ancient cultures did.
Conclusion
- Jesus is the core of Christmas for Christians.
-Illustration: If Mary were to see the way we celebrate Christmas today, she'd lament that we've missed both her son and the point of it all.
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