WELCOME START WITH VIDEO INTRO
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Welcome to our Christmas Cafe Church
It’s great to have you with us.
This morning we are going to be thinking about the Christmas Story and as its Cafe Church our format is different from a normal Sunday morning.
Couple of things to point out:
First - feel free to help yourself to snacks or drinks throughout the service.
Second - we will do a little singing as we go along, there will be some videos for us to watch,
a little comedy,
a quiz,
a drama,
a music video and even a little rapping - a Christmas Rap not wrapping paper.
And for the younger ones there are some colouring sheets for you to give to the old people if they get a little bored.
Did I get that the wrong way round, nope I’m sure that was right!
So, It’s the 3rd Sunday of Advent - it’s just 11 days to Christmas Day.
So let me ask you:
SLIDE01 Are you ready for Christmas?
“Are you ready for Christmas?” ....
What question am I really asking you this morning, when I ask are you ready for Christmas?
Do you think I’m asking: have you done all your gift shopping yet?”
Do you think I’m asking have you put your tree and decorations up yet?
Do you think I’m asking if you have ordered your Turkey, Goose or Vegetarian NutRoast?
When I ask “Are you ready for Christmas?”
What I am really asking is:
Are you ready to Celebrate the birth of Jesus?
Are you ready to celebrate the real reason for the season?
You see in all the busyness of getting ready for Christmas, the decorating, the shopping, the cooking, often the thing that so many in the world today ignore, is that Christmas is meant to be a time to celebrate the coming of Jesus into this world.
We can be so busy buying presents that we forget the greatest gift of all.
Let’s watch a little video of some people who were too busy until something wonderful happened.
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VIDEO01 Christmas FLASH MOB from YouTube (5min 36Sec)
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Maybe we can be so busy doing Christmas we forget what Christmas is really all about.
This morning we are going to take a journey back to the first Christmas,
to think again about what and who Christmas is supposed to be about.
We are going to take a little reality check and rediscover the truth about Christmas.
But lets sing a couple of Carols first:
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408 O come all ye faithful
243 In the bleak midwinter
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When we think about that first Christmas each of us probably have a picture inside our heads.
SLIDE02 Classic Nativity Scene Picture
When you think about the Christmas story maybe you imagine a manger scene like this,
with angels hovering, shepherds watching,
animals gazing, clean straw,
a strong looking Joseph,
a vulnerable yet invincible baby,
maybe a halo over Mary’s head,
a beautiful star in the evening sky…
everything a perfect scene
But the reality was quite different wasn’t it.
The events leading up to the birth of Christ were eventful to say the least.
It’s life in the raw, better than any reality TV show or TV soap.
Mary, the non-married pregnant young woman is engaged to Joseph.
Joseph, now Joseph knew he wasn’t the father but God had made sure Joseph knew what was really going on.
If someone asked you what is Christmas all about, how would you answer?
Someone asked a group of kids that question and here is the response they got.
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VIDEO02 - Kids asked the question "What is Christmas?"
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Kids are great. Some interesting responses there too!
Some people find it easy to talk about Christmas, some think they know a lot about it, others not so much.
Do you find it easy to talk to others about Christmas?
Do you know what your talking about or does it just sound like a load of old waffle?
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So it’s time for the quiz
SLIDE03a HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS? (10-15mins)
How much do you really know about Christmas?
10-15 mins to answer some questions about the Christmas Story
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Before I give you the answers lets watch a short video called Retooning the Nativity
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VIDEO04 - RETOONING (3m45)
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Surprising isn’t it - how different the reality is to the story we think we knew. Carols / plays / tradition / graphic licence / they can all distract us from what really happened can’t they.
Let’s find out How much we knew about Christmas
Quiz answers
Lets Sing another Carol 498 Silent Night
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SLIDE 04a Silent Night, All is calm all is bright, a nice picture but maybe the night was not that calm or silent.
That night came after a very long journey,
and what a journey it was.
From Nazareth to Bethlehem- it’s a very long walk
A walking holiday, maybe that’s Elaine’s idea of a good holiday.
But Mary and Joseph were not heading off on a final pre-birth holiday,
they had to take the journey to pay their tax bill.
A 50 mile walk when your 9 months pregnant, thats not exactly a good way to start Christmas is it.
And of course no telephones, or internet to pre book a nice little hotel, with 5 star reviews from trip advisor
Joseph could not call ahead and make a reservation.
So after a long and tiering journey, in need of a place to rest,
it looks like they are going to be homeless at least for the night and maybe the whole of the trip.
Still somehow they find their way to a stable – probably a cave of some type,
maybe a little drafty,
maybe a little noisy,
maybe a little smelly,
after all its where the animals live.
And there, in that cave, after a 50 mile walk that would test the strongest of people,
Mary begins to give birth.
No sedatives, no Gas & Air, no epidural, no doctor,
and she gives birth to a son – the Son of God, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The first bed for our Saviour was a manger, a feeding trough for animals… smelly, not very private…
yet that is where God choose to initiate a new relationship with His creation.
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VIDEO06 THE BIRTH (2m42)
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SLIDE 04b Jesus is the light in the darkness.
We have considered that first Christmas - we have thought about two very different pictures:
One a picture of perfect peace and the other - the other is the Real story.
Does your life ever feel like that?
Is the ideal picture of your Christmas different from the reality of what Christmas will really be like for you this year?
Everyone has dreams, everyone has hopes, probably each of us has at least one unanswered prayer that we are waiting for God to answer in His time. That is the reality of life.
Life - Real Life is what Mary and Joseph experienced.
Real life is what you and I face every day, and for those of us who are in a real relationship with Jesus, we do not face it alone.
Emmanual, God is with Us!
And He will be with us beyond this life, We will be with Him for all of Eternity.
PRAISE GOD!
Our journey through this life may seem difficult,
everyday life can be hard,
maybe along the way there have been a few tears, maybe some broken dreams,
maybe some missed opportunities,
maybe some disappointments,
But each of us have great Opportunities,
life is not always bad is it?
Why do we focus on bad days and forget the good?
Why do we find it so easy to forget the multitudes of blessings, the gifts God bestows on us everyday.
I’m pretty certain Mary spent less time complaining about the fact she gave birth in a stable than she did praising God for the birth of Jesus.
Life - real Life can be hard, but in the scale of eternity it is only for a moment
and maybe if we spent more time seeking God’s guidance,
if we spent more time trusting Him,
if we spent more time listening to Him,
Maybe the picture of our lives would show more of the reality of the presence and power of Jesus.
Emmanual, God is with Us!
SLIDE04c Emmanual, God is with Us!
Emmanual, God with us! but you need to look beyond the baby in the manger this Christmas?
The story does not end with the birth of Jesus,
the baby became a boy, the boy became a man, the man spoke spiritual truth to those who would listen.
He healed the sick, the lame, the deaf,
He gave sight to the blind,
Even the dead were restored to life,
then at the right time, He went to the cross...
He willingly died on the Cross so our sins could be forgiven.
And still the story did not end there!
Three days later He rose from the grave,
He conquered sin, He defeated death,
and He is alive today!
And in Him you have the power and the ability to live the way God wants you to.
To God it does not matter whether you are rich or poor.
Whether you are a success or a failure.
Whether you look like a beauty queen or a slob.
Whether you have a clean slate or a criminal record twenty pages thick.
Whether you have a clean home or a messy home.
Whether you have everything in order or your life is a complete chaos.
Whether you are always on time or habitually late.
In fact many of the standards we put in place, distract us away from God.
They can distract us away from God’s blessing if we put too much effort in them.
There is only one thing that matters to God.
Do you trust Jesus as Saviour and Lord?
Jesus can relate to the toughest things you go through.
Jesus is the one that can give you Hope.
Jesus is the one that can bring change into your life
Jesus is the one that gives us purpose
Jesus is the one that makes this life worth living.
SLIDE05a Are you ready for Christmas?
I started with the question Are you ready for Christmas?
Let me rephrase the question:
SLIDE05b Are you ready for Christ this Christmas?
Will you listen to Him?
Will you respond to Him?
Will you submit to Him?
Will you follow His Teaching?
Will you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour not just for Christmas but for eternity?
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Our final carol is 155 Hark the Herald
CLOSE IN PRAYER
