Proclaiming… Wondering…Pondering…                            Glorifying... are all reactions by the Shepherdto the birth of Jesus Christ – Immanuel – God with Us

K In our society certain activities fit certain periods of the year…            

• Christmas to many means holly and mistletoe, parties, gifts, carols, eggnog, big meals, a decorated tree, and last-minute shopping.
• While I would venture to say that these things are not objectionable in themselves, none of them (with the exception of giving gifts) has anything to do with the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ.
• No one knows for certain when Jesus was born. It might have been December 25 but there is no way to be sure.
• And it doesn’t matter since the New Testament doesn’t say anything about it.

J The principle of celebrating the coming of Christ to the world is certainly a good idea.

• Actually, some Christians frown on Christmas for various reasons and some even oppose it altogether.
• It is easy to decry the commercialization of Christmas and to bemoan the Christmas parties that cater more to drunkenness than to anything relating to the birth of Jesus.
• But as bad as those things are, we who are Christians ought to enjoy this season of the year.
• It would be a double shame if we allowed the world to take this holiday (a word that really means “Holy Day") away from us.

K Should we celebrate Christmas?

• Celebrating Jesus is always in as far as I am concerned.
• How should we celebrate this great day?
• The first and most obvious answer is this – You should celebrate Christmas first by becoming a Christian.
• After all, this is why Jesus came to the earth.
• He was born to be a Savior for all mankind who would trust in Him
• Until you can call him “my Savior,” you will never fully understand what Christmas is all about.

• Many of our ‘Christmas’ carols speak to this point:

Would you like to become a Christian?

• You must give assent to three propositions:
• Œ Are you a sinner?                                                                                                                   v All sinners need a Savior                                                                                                                       Ž Christ is the Savior you need – the only path to eternal life

J So are you willing to trust Christ with all your heart as your Savior and Lord?

• Then you can be saved right now.
• It’s truly as simple as reaching out in faith and believing what God has said about His Son – Those who trust in Christ are saved forever.
• This is where Christmas should begin for all of us.
• What should be added to this? – Let’s look carefully at our text to find out…
• Our text describes four responses of those who first heard the news that Christ had been born.
• Each verse tells of a different response, and the four responses together tell us how to celebrate Christmas—and not just in December but all year long.

Proclaiming… Wondering… Pondering…                            Glorifying... Jesus Christ – Immanuel – God with Us!