BIG IDEA

God plan pushes us out of our comfort zone.

MESSAGE NOTES:

WHAT: 

The very first Christmas (the day Jesus was born) probably wouldn’t be something we would call “comfortable.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, her husband, had to get really uncomfortable in order for the first Christmas to happen.

SO WHAT:

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38

Mary did what God asked, even though it meant giving up her comfort.

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Joseph did what God asked, even though it meant giving up his comfort.

On the first Christmas, Mary and Joseph gave up their comfort.

NOW WHAT:

Because Mary and Joseph chose to give up their comfort, they gained something incredible. They became part of the greatest moment in history —the birth of our Savior!

You and I may never be visited by an angel, but we all have the same choice to make: how can I get uncomfortable in order to join what God is doing in the world?

 Christmas isn’t about you, me, or our comfort. It’s about the Savior who got really uncomfortable  in order to save us, and the many people who followed His lead because of something so much  bigger than themselves. 

 So, this Christmas, how can you get a little uncomfortable in order to be part of something  bigger than yourself? Maybe you could . . .  

•  Be kind to a family member you struggle to like. 

•  Volunteer to serve someone who’s hurting or in need. 

•  Spend time with someone you know who could really use a friend right now.  Ask for less and give away more. 

•  Talk with someone about what the story of Jesus’ birth means to you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Q1: What would be the most comfortable Christmas morning for you?

Q2: In what area can you put your comfort aside to be a part of something bigger than you?

Q3: Is there someone specific you can think of, that you could use more of your friendship?

Q4: On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying one of the examples above (or one that you’ve thought of?)