Are You Satisfied with Christmas?

Hello. Here is my Christmas Sermon for this week. I watched a movie today and people had lost sight of the reason we celebrate Christmas. I guess in today's world that is easy to do. As Christmas approaches who or what are you seeking?

Matthew 2:1-12
2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6 "`But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Many songs we sing at Christmas are reminders that Christmastime is supposed to be happy. Songs like "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire," "Jingle Bells," and "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" all communicate that Christmas time is to be a joyous season.

But let me ask you honestly: Is that what you are experiencing this season? Maybe or maybe not. For some of you, personal problems are keeping you from experiencing the joy of the season. You feel like one crisis after another has run you over. With such an avalanche of problems it is hard to have a holly-jolly Christmas.

Some of you are so busy and working so hard that there is no time for sitting around a fire roasting chestnuts. Or, maybe there is not anything really wrong, but for some reason you are just not enjoying Christmas. It is not providing the emotional lift that you expected. In fact, it is almost depressing. The world does not look like a winter wonderland. It just looks like winter.

Disillusionment at Christmas is not an unusual thing. We get so hyped up with expectations about what Christmas is supposed to be that often the real thing doesn't measure up, and we are disappointed.

How can you improve your level of joy this Christmas? The answer is found in the story of the magi in Matthew 2. The Magi, wise men from the East, saw a star that indicated the birth of a new king in Israel. Wanting to honor Him with gifts, they set out on a journey following the star to find this newborn King. The attitudes of these wise men and the events that surrounded their journey, show you how you can raise your level of joy at Christmas.

Let's take a look at Matt. 2:1-12 and see what we can find.

1^st - What do you seek? 

Your level of joy at Christmas is directly related to what it is you seek. Ask the question: What is it I want to get out of Christmas? What is it that would make your Christmas wonderful and satisfying? Snow? All the family together and happy? A feeling you define as the holiday spirit? Finding the right present to give? Getting the present you have been hoping for? The problem with all these is that they can leave us disappointed. Have you ever been disappointed by Christmas because it did not deliver what you thought it would? The problem is not Christmas. It is in our expectations. We are looking for the wrong thing.

The magi show you how to increase your level of joy at Christmas by looking for the right thing. What was it they were looking for? Verse 2 tells us. They came to Jerusalem and said, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They were looking for Christ Jesus. Christmas for them was an opportunity to worship the new born king, Christ Jesus. This is what you need to be looking for and expecting this Christmas. If your goal this Christmas is to worship Christ Jesus, then I doubt very seriously you will be dissatisfied with your Christmas.

2^nd - Where do you look?

Your level of joy at Christmas is directly related to where you look. We learn from the magi that there is a wrong place and right place to look for Christmas. They started by looking in the wrong place. They looked where their own human reasoning said they should look. The star indicated the birth of a new king in Israel. The magi went where kings should be born - to the palace of Herod the Great in the capital city of Jerusalem. But that was a mistake. When Herod heard of the birth of a new king, he jealousy sought to destroy him.

We, too, are tempted to look for joy at Christmas in the wrong places. We think by getting or giving the right gift we will be satisfied. We imagine that being with family will be joyful. But, you may not be able to afford the right gift for a loved one. Family members may be missing from your holiday celebration. Looking for joy in the wrong place can easily disappoint you.

The magi looked in the right place when they looked to God. The trip to Jerusalem was not a total loss. While there they discovered where they should have looked in the first place: Scripture. The scribes in Jerusalem said that, according to the prophet Micah, the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. With this new information, they looked again at the star and followed it to Bethlehem until it stood over the house where the Christ Child lived.

3^rd - What do you give?

Your level of joy at Christmas is directly related to what you give. The magi came to Jesus' house bearing gifts. The gifts they gave were entirely appropriate.

1.  They gave gold, gift for a king. By giving it they acknowledged that Christ Jesus was and is the King.

2.  They gave frankincense, a gift for a priest. This was incense the priests used in Temple. By giving it they acknowledged that Christ Jesus was a priest - the One who brings you to God.

3.  They gave myrrh, gift for the dead. This was a fragrant ointment used to anoint a body before burial. By giving it they acknowledged that Christ Jesus had come to die for the sins of the world.

We ought to give appropriate gifts this Christmas as well. No, I'm not talking about material gifts. I am talking about more important things. We ought to give the gift of our love and kindness to our friends and family. We ought to give the gift of our help to those who are hurting. We ought to give the gift of forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Giving these kinds of gifts will result in a joyous and meaningful Christmas.
 

Conclusion

What are you giving for Christmas this year? Why not consider giving yourself? Give your heart to Christ Jesus? I promise you, when you do you will have joy at Christmas.