Minister: Marcus Carlson

• We finish our series on who Jesus is by looking at his birth story.  We all know the story (review) but what is it really all about
• Each year and we celebrate the birth of Jesus--the one who came and showed us how to live, the Son of God, fully God and fully Man who died for our sins
• There is a lot of anticipation surrounding Christmas
  • There is the anticipation on children (and adults) of Christmas morning and waking to presents and this special day
  • There is the anticipation of being with loved ones
  • There is the anticipation of birth—we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and certainly in this time of the pregnancy there was some anticipation
  • There is the anticipation of what this baby will be like, what he will do, as his conception and his story and filled with mystery
  • He is to be the savior, the King, the Messiah
    • Mystery of this conception
    • It is a secret, yet it is the biggest event in the history of humanity
    • Christ, the savior, God’s son, the messiah is born
• Its funny because no matter how we celebrate or what it is about Christmas, it fills all of us with anticipation
• Imagine what it must of have been like then
• Yet there was no big party, there was no take over of the world, in fact, the Jews missed it completely because it was hidden and it was simple
• And even though everyone was looking for it, no one anticipated it this way, no one saw this coming
• That’s the way it is with God, he comes and reveals himself to us constantly, and sometimes we catch it, and sometimes we don’t
• Sometimes we are looking and listening, other times there is too much noise
• The first cry of this little baby---God in the flesh—the hopes, the dreams, it was a tall order
• Christmas is a reminder of the God who sent his son to live among us and to die for us, but most of all this evening, I hope that it reminds us to anticipate
• To anticipate the revealing of God to us and around us
• The presence of God in our lives and in the people and creation around us
• God is always present, but we don’t always catch him---he often reveals himself in the small and the secret
• But what would happen if we loved with anticipation, earnestly looking for this God who wants to show himself to us?
• Do you anticipate God?  Tonight, let us start life anew…living in anticipation of the coming of the God of the universe in and around us, bringing us life and love everlasting