People usually have idealistic expectations for Christmas. In Christmas-themed books, movies, TV series, and stories, Christmas is “perfect” when problems are neatly solved, family is peacefully reunited in a warm home, a delicious feast is cooked and ready to eat, gifts are stacked under a perfect Christmas tree and stockings, and snow falls making it a “White Christmas.” There is even a yearly publication called “The Ideal Christmas” that fuels those false expectations. The truth is that real life is messy, uncontrollable, and broken. So what can truly give us hope in this Advent season that prepares us for celebrating Christmas?
In this year’s Advent series, “A Not-So-Perfect Christmas,” we’ll see that the circumstances surrounding Jesus Christ’s birth were not ideal at all either- it was marked by the same messiness, lack of control, and brokenness. In fact, we’ll see from Matthew’s account of the first Christmas that the Savior and King was born into a far-from-perfect world in order to redeem and restore it!
1) Scandalous Family - Matthew 1:1-17
2) Suspicious Pregnancy - Matthew 1:18-25
3) Unexpected Visitors - Matthew 2:1-12
4) Tragic Fulfillment - Matthew 2:13-23