Sermon
(Dec. 18) – “Christmas Around the World:
Vietnam”
Luke
1:46b-55
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What
news would make you celebrate with dancing and singing? That’s what is going on with Mary and this
Magnificat scripture. (Latin word for magnify)
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Why
such happiness? The birth of Jesus is the
beginning fulfillment of Israel and God’s salvation story.
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Almost
every word of the Magnificat comes from the Old Testament which Mary and
Elizabeth would have known by memory from their Jewish upbringing.
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Echoes
from the Old Testament include Samuel and the Hannah story.
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The
story of Christmas is a story of the beginning of God’s good news in Christ!
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Question:
When we celebrate Christmas, is our focus only on a cute baby story or on the bigger
story of the launch of God’s good news through Christ?
Luke
1:26-38
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This
is an amazing story. Mary conceives through the Holy Spirit.
Just as this story is amazing today, it would have been equally amazing
for them. Even without modern day
science, the ancients knew that this
conception was beyond explanation.
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Unlike
ancient myths of virgin birth stories that lack purpose, this virgin birth
story happens because of God’s love and God’s desire to redeem the world.
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The
virgin birth story sometimes gets more attention than the
crucifixion/resurrection stories. Just
look at how popular Christmas is in our culture! The Apostle Paul never mentions the virgin
birth story and it only appears in two of the four Gospels.
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The
main message of this story is that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised King of
Israel. And this King is also God’s Son
which reminds us that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. See II Samuel 7:14, Psalm 2:7, Psalm 89:27
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Far
from a heart-warming baby story, this is an explosive story of how this newborn
King is the launch of God’s kingdom in rescuing the world from sin and death
once and for all.
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