The Gift that keeps on Giving

This message invites us to rediscover the raw, unvarnished truth of Christmas by stripping away the commercialized veneer we've placed over the nativity story. We're challenged to see beyond the sanitized manger scenes and understand why God chose such humble, even harsh circumstances for His Son's entrance into our world. The sermon walks us through Luke 2 and Isaiah 9:6, revealing that Jesus didn't come to a pristine palace but to the filth of a stable in impoverished Bethlehem—not because God lacked resources, but because He was making a profound statement about His mission. He came seeking the lost, the broken, the desperate. The message powerfully connects the reality of sin—represented by everything from addiction to abuse, from fear to futility—with God's answer: a baby wrapped in rags, lying in a feeding trough. This wasn't just a birth; it was God entering into our mess, our pain, our darkness. The sermon culminates in Romans 8, reminding us that nothing can separate us from this love that descended into our chaos. We're encouraged to reflect on whether we've truly made room for Jesus in our lives, and to share this 'gift that keeps on giving' with those around us who are searching for hope in an increasingly dark world.