Three Fourths of Christmas is NOT Christmas

“Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, the Savior, and the Lord. If we lose any one of the four, the Christmas story falls apart.”

Sermon Summary

The Scriptures teach that the Christmas story is not a gentle moment of divine courtesy, but an overwhelming announcement of who this child truly is.

The Scriptures lead us to Luke 2 and the message of the angels, calling us to listen carefully to what heaven says about Jesus. The birth of Christ is not presented as a nostalgic or polite gesture, but as good news of great joy that confronts the world with divine authority. The angel announces that the child born in the city of David is Christ the Lord—Messiah, Savior, and King—encapsulating the heart of Advent’s message . The Scriptures emphasize that this announcement comes not to the powerful or religious elite, but to shepherds working the night shift, the most common of the common. An angel stands near them, followed by a multitude of the heavenly host—not a choir, but an angel army—declaring glory to God and peace on earth. This scene reveals that the incarnation is a show of divine purpose and power, not mere courtesy or sentimentality .

The Scriptures teach that peace is proclaimed to all people, yet peace with God is found through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The shepherds respond by going with haste, seeing the child, and making known what had been told them. Mary treasures these things in her heart, while the shepherds return glorifying and praising God . The Scriptures call us to believe that Jesus is fully God and fully human, the Messiah who fulfills all hope, the only Savior who bears sin, and the Lord before whom every knee will bow. This is the astonishing truth at the heart of Christmas.

Sermon Text: Luke 2.8-20

Date: December 21, 2005

Preacher: Todd Pylant

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