Sermon Tone Analysis
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(S1) — Advent
The Wonder of HOPE —
Jesus is the FULFILLMENT of things to come — FORGIVENESS we need — The one to FOLLOW
The Wonder of PEACE — Sheep…who like us need a Shepherd
Jesus CALLS us by name — LEADS us out — GATHERS us in — GOES ahead
Is it Christmas yet?
Anxious — Advent (waiting) — Carols?
Today we jump ahead — After the birth of Jesus —Familiar WISEMEN in our manger scenes.
What can theses three from foreign lands teach us about the WONDER of Christmas?
That there is JOY to be found, in the waiting because, the Journey is always leading us to Jesus
VIDEO
(S2) — The WONDER of JOY
What the Wise men ultimately found Following a sign given by God.
It was a difficult, long, and arduous journey, that came with great cost — TIME, RESOURCES and RISK.
After many months, miles upon miles of searching, the star in the night sky guided them to a child who had been born in a stable.
Their reward?
They would come face-to-face with the one who came to SAVE
Matthews gospel (2:10), tells us that when they arrived, they were overcome with emotion — Filled with the WONDER of JOY when they saw the star....
(S3) —
Matthew 2:10 (NLT)
When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!
Yet the wisemen show us that getting there is sometimes difficult
Those who find Christmas hard — Loss — Illness — Financial hardship — Personal struggles
The last statement from the video today is a powerful reminder of the WONDER of JOY —When the journey is always leading to Jesus.”
Can it be the same for us in our waiting to experience this Christmas, when you realize the road you have been traveling intersects with the Savior who was born for you.
What I have discovered…the more difficult the journey, the greater the JOY, in knowing that Jesus came for me.
We are all on this journey called life — Like the wisemen, in search of Christmas JOY
Joy…in the tinsel, decorations, lights hung all aglow, the mantle filled with stockings, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire...
Joy...In the hustle and bustle of shopping for the perfect gift, and those songs we hear and sing that take us back to our own childhood days
Joy...In the face of a child or the smile of the elderly
Joy...In the heart of the poor or the generosity of the rich
Joy…in celebrations with family or friends
A GREATER JOY found in the WONDER of Christmas — The Wise men’s journey...
Their JOY in finding Jesus!
Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
There is WONDER in JOY when its leading us to Jesus
PRAY
(S4) —
“Getting there is half the fun.” — Said by someone who never traveled with children (Griswald’s)
“There is joy in the journey” — Youth mission trips (middleschoolers)
While there can be some truth... the journey of the Magi is what they found…Joy in Jesus.
There response to finding Jesus can lead us to discover — the wonder of Joy EVERYDAY.
(S5) —
We begin with what we know about the Magi and their journey?
Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT)
(After) Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.
About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
East (Persia) — Gentiles — priestly order (Greek philosophers)
Their knowledge — Astronomers — Interpreters of signs
Their affluence — The means to make the journey
Following the light of a star, a divine sign, they find their way to Jerusalem — seeking the newborn king.
The Magi’s travel — 900+ miles — by the time they found Jesus he was a child, more than a baby.
While they make a fascinating addition to our nativities, their presence teaches that Jesus wasn't born as savior only for a certain people — He had come as a savior to all
Isaiah 49:6 “ I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.””
We can only imagine the faith of the wisemen to travel this hard journey for months, exhausted...guided by a light in the sky that kept moving.
Exhausted just making it to church
It was Joy that lead them to Jesus — The words the angel spoke to the shepherds
Luke 2:10 “the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said.
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”
What if that was our focus for the remainder of ADVENT — EVERYDAY — Joy is leading us to Jesus.
Joy kept them going when the journey got hard — when they were confronted by King Herod — Motives.
They kept looking to the signs of HOPE and PEACE — They kept following JOY until they found it.
Could you use a little JOY for the Journey?
(S6) —
9 After this interview the wise men went their way.
And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.
It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were filled with JOY
How exhilarating it must have been to see that star finally stop…
When we get through a long and difficult time in life — Thank you Jesus!!
...they were overjoyed to find Jesus in THE PLACE the star had lead them.
(S7) —
Matthew 2:11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary
The place where Jesus was.
Not a stable…but the HOME of this young mother and her husband.
The Joy the presence of a child brings to the home
2 yrs old — The boy Jesus in the flesh — Imagine for a moment what that home was like?
(S8,9) —
I.
They found JOY in the PRESENCE of Jesus!
Where Jesus was! His presence filled the home with JOY
Story — Jesus in the home
How blessed is a home filled with Jesus — Love, forgiveness, healing, grace…and JOY
Joshua 24:15 “Choose today whom you will serve.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
How much more JOY would there be if our homes became a PLACE for Jesus?
Not just one room but every room was filled with love, mercy, healing, grace and joy?
I wonder how that changed the wisemen’s perspective of their homes?
Did they instantly realize the JOY they had been missing?
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you?
JOY is where JESUS is — Where we invite him
(10)
Matthew 2:11 ...and they bowed down and worshiped him.
II.
They found JOY in WORSHIPING Jesus
In the ancient Middle Eastern world, Magi were trusted advisors to kings.
As far back as 604 BC, king Nebuchadnezzar summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.”
(Daniel 2:2)
These magi, knew how to respond in the presence of a king — Worship!
Yet this time it is different — They traveled this far to pay homage to a child who they understood was of God!
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