[Sunday] Oh Christmas Tree - Emmanuel: Joy in the Midst
Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners. He is there when the new little family almost splits up. He is even Emmanuel when the dreams of wonderful Christmas trees come crashing down.
QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK: EMMANUEL: JOY IN THE MIDST - Oh Christmas Tree
Describe a time when a Christmas celebration didn’t quite go as planned.
Read Matthew 1:18-25. How does Joseph’s life not quite go as planned? How does God work anyway?
Read Matthew 9: 9-13. Why did Jesus eat with Matthew’s friends? Why did the Pharisees complain about it?
Think of some shortcomings in your life? What does it mean that Emmanuel comes even for those times?
What Had happened at Grace this week.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Dec 15th. Starring Lauren Graham, Judy Greer, and Pete Holmes.
The Magi following the light of a star mirrors how God has always worked, giving a light to follow through the wilderness, away from the darkness that holds us down.
Christmas expectations are often Joshed. Yet the name Emmanuel breaks all expectations as Jesus comes to be with us.
Listen to the bells being rung, God’s promise of peace, hope, and salvation breaking into the world, even in the midst of suffering.