{"id":771,"date":"2012-12-23T04:06:47","date_gmt":"2012-12-23T04:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=771"},"modified":"2012-12-24T04:15:00","modified_gmt":"2012-12-24T04:15:00","slug":"the-perfect-mess-of-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=771","title":{"rendered":"The Perfect Mess of Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Message by Chad Kelly<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0rec1223-113112<\/a><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Where did we get the idea that Christmas needed to be \u201cpicture-perfect\u201d<\/em>?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How many of you stress<\/span><\/em> over the holidays because you want to be sure to give that perfect gift(s), set that perfect table, serve that perfect meal, or say that perfect thing?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maybe, despite your best efforts to \u201cget it right\u201d, things just didn\u201d\u2122t go like you wanted them to.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Or maybe, life just happened and seemed not to care that Christmas was right around the corner!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Especially this Christmas, that is true for so many!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Multitudes are out of work this Christmas.\u00a0 An entire Connecticut town, but 27 families, in particular, emotionally traumatized with grief unexpected and unnecessary.\u00a0 Health problems you didn\u201d\u2122t see coming\u201d\u201dand whose timing couldn\u201d\u2122t have been worse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Perhaps we miss the very heart of Christmas because we\u201d\u2122ve cleaned it up so nicely and do our best to make it \u201cperfect\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Christmas is a mess<\/em>!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And, in fact, that\u201d\u2122s how Christmas started \u201d\u201c it was messy!<\/p>\n

The Perfect Mess of Christmas<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 1:27-31<\/p>\n

Advent is the messy, and yet perfect, arrival of God\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 1:27-31<\/strong> (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

27<\/sup> Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28<\/sup> God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29<\/sup> As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.<\/p>\n

30<\/sup> God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31<\/sup> Therefore, as the Scriptures say, \u201cIf you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

God doesn\u201d\u2122t do things the way we think He will!\u00a0 God delights to do His best work in ways that make the least sense to us!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Advent is the messy, and yet perfect, arrival of God\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The STABLE<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke 2:7<\/strong> (NLT)<\/p>\n

7\u00a0<\/sup>She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.<\/p>\n

Lucado<\/strong><\/p>\n

The stable stinks like all stables do.\u00a0 The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air.\u00a0 The ground is hard, the hay scarce.\u00a0 Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor.\u00a0 A more lowly place of birth could not exist\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

And yet\u201d\u00a6it was right there<\/span> in that messy place that God\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace perfectly arrived!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Throughout the year, you might find God\u201d\u2122s grace at work in places (or situations) where you\u201d\u2122d least expect it\u201d\u201dso keep your eyes open! <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Advent is the messy, and yet perfect, arrival of God\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The MOTHER<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke 1:26-38<\/strong> (NLT)<\/p>\n

26\u00a0<\/sup>In the sixth month of Elizabeth\u201d\u2122s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27\u00a0<\/sup>to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28\u00a0<\/sup>Gabriel appeared to her and said, \u201cGreetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!\u201d<\/p>\n

29\u00a0<\/sup>Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cDon\u201d\u2122t be afraid, Mary,\u201d the angel told her, \u201cfor you have found favor with God! 31\u00a0<\/sup>You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32\u00a0<\/sup>He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33\u00a0<\/sup>And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!\u201d<\/p>\n

34\u00a0<\/sup>Mary asked the angel, \u201cBut how can this happen? I am a virgin.\u201d<\/p>\n

35\u00a0<\/sup>The angel replied, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36\u00a0<\/sup>What\u201d\u2122s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37\u00a0<\/sup>For nothing is impossible with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

38\u00a0<\/sup>Mary responded, \u201cI am the Lord\u201d\u2122s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.\u201d And then the angel left her.<\/p>\n

But that was only the beginning for Mary!\u00a0 Nearly nine months of waiting\u201d\u00a6and growing.\u00a0 And then, an unexpected trip!<\/p>\n

Think about it:\u00a0 a full-term teenage mother to be traveling for nearly a week on foot or the back of a donkey to fulfill the government\u201d\u2122s requirement for a census.\u00a0 80 or so miles from home, no doubt somewhat frightened and anxious\u201d\u201despecially when she ends up without a hotel room!\u00a0 Her mother, nor a midwife is there to assist in the birthing\u201d\u00a6just her carpenter-husband.<\/p>\n

And yet it is this mess of a girl\u201d\u00a6young Mary\u201d\u00a6that God picked!<\/em><\/p>\n

Lucado<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

God uses the most unlikely folks for His biggest and best stuff!\u00a0 He can use YOU!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Advent is the messy, and yet perfect, arrival of God\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The CHRIST-CHILD<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke 2:11-12, 16<\/strong> (NLT)<\/p>\n

11\u00a0<\/sup>The Savior\u201d\u201dyes, the Messiah, the Lord\u201d\u201dhas been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12\u00a0<\/sup>And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.\u201d<\/p>\n

16\u00a0<\/sup>They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.<\/p>\n

John 3:16<\/strong> (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

16<\/sup> \u201cFor God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.<\/p>\n

John 1:14<\/strong> (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

14<\/sup> So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father\u201d\u2122s one and only Son.<\/p>\n

But who would have ever thought that it would have all started THIS way?\u00a0 Who would have imagined such a lowly birth?\u00a0 Who would have imagined God coming as a helpless infant?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lucado<\/strong><\/p>\n

Majesty in the midst of the mundane.\u00a0 Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat.\u00a0 Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.<\/p>\n

Jesus often shows up in the messes of our lives!\u00a0 Do you look for Him THERE?<\/em><\/p>\n

If you look for Me at Christmas<\/p>\n

You won\u201d\u2122t need a special star\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u201d\u2122m no longer just in Bethlehem,<\/p>\n

I\u201d\u2122m right there where you are.<\/p>\n

You may not be aware of Me<\/p>\n

Amid the celebrations\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u201d\u2122ll have to look beyond the stores<\/p>\n

And all the decorations.<\/p>\n

But if you will take a moment<\/p>\n

From your list of things to do<\/p>\n

And listen to your heart, you\u201d\u2122ll find<\/p>\n

I\u201d\u2122m waiting there for you.<\/p>\n

You\u201d\u2122re the one I want to be with,<\/p>\n

You\u201d\u2122re the reason that I came,<\/p>\n

And you\u201d\u2122ll find Me in the stillness<\/p>\n

As I\u201d\u2122m whispering your name.<\/p>\n

Love, Jesus<\/p>\n

Advent is the messy, and yet perfect, arrival of God\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Maybe it is through the lens of messed up plans, messed up schedules, messed up finances\u201d\u00a6that we can best see the most needful reality\u201d\u201dGod\u201d\u2122s redeeming grace that has perfectly come in the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ!\u00a0 Maybe it takes a mess to clear the fog in our minds, to clarify our vision of what God\u201d\u2122s really all about!\u00a0 Maybe we should stop waiting for life to be \u201cpicture-perfect\u201d and start looking for Jesus and God\u201d\u2122s grace right there\u201d\u00a6smack dab in the middle of the mess!\u00a0 That\u201d\u2122s exactly where He\u201d\u2122s found!<\/p>\n

If you meet Jesus for the first time this Christmas\u201d\u201dor just truly embrace and enjoy His redeeming love and grace more than anything else this Christmas\u201d\u00a6then THAT will be the perfect Christmas!<\/p>\n

Communion<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Message by Chad Kelly \u00a0rec1223-113112 Introduction Where did we get the idea that Christmas needed to be \u201cpicture-perfect\u201d?   How many of you stress over the holidays because you want to be sure to give that perfect gift(s), set that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-messages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=771"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":775,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771\/revisions\/775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}