25th December 2019. It’s Christmas day. We were all getting ready for our combined service at my home Church – All Peoples Church, Bangalore. Right before the sermon, up comes Jonhan.
He delivered a spoken authored by himself. We were at awe. I was personally blessed by it. I felt it had to be shared, and here we are. This is the spoken word he delivered titled “The Story of Christmas”. Be blessed!
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The Christmas Story, how would you explain it?
How would you picture Christmas if you could frame it?
The nativity, right?
Shepherds watching their flock by night.
Wise men trekking while following starlight.
With Mary and Joseph humbled by the sight.
Of little baby Jesus tucked in tight.
That’s Christmas, right?
I know it sounds all cozy and nice.
But really, there was no room for him that Bethlehem night.
Think of this problem where there seems to be no room.
Do you think he chose to be born where he wouldn’t be welcomed so soon?
No comfort for a king;
Royalty without a ring.
Talk about an address, his birth home address.
Literally meant Jesus was born in a mess.
Less about the state of a stable.
I mean the story is about the baby in the cradle.
See in the mess of his birth comes a new age
And what’s more? His birth was foretold in a mess—age.
Which brings us to the cast.
Let’s not wait till the last.
An angel postman came around, said Mary had found favour.
A save date declaration, you’ll give birth to the saviour.
He’ll be the son of the most-high, born through the spirit.
Heir to David’s throne. His reign without limit.
To Joseph, “Call him Jesus because he really will Bless”
Because he came to save people from all their mess.
To the shepherds, he’s here to rescue.
“Peace on Earth”, as they pointed to the venue.
As for the wise men, they figured the news.
They gave gifts and paid homage to little king of the Jews.
But let’s rewind for a minute.
He is PROMISE RESOLUTE
See this rhetoric rings a bell
Isiah spoke of a FUTURE EMANUEL
“GOD WITH US!”
One who will be sent for our forgiveness.
So zoom out from the Christmas postcard
This king will come to love and safeguard.
A message sent 700 years prior.
He’ll be a light to the searchers says Isaiah.
See, the angel’s news, it isn’t new.
It was a declaration to show God’s promise was coming true.
In fact these nativity messages, through the Bible’s pages
Echo God’s promises… Right through the ages.
These messages read, JESUS, Speaking hope to the Earth.
Predicting his arrival, centuries before His birth.
The thing is, when Christmas comes around the maybe there’s a danger.
That we just go Pinterest with Christmas and pin-up the manger.
It’s like rating a movie by watching one scene and trying to gauge.
Do you think you’d get the whole story by reading one page?
And what I said before about him being born in the mess with a decor of straw
Maybe it could also be a metaphor
For all we’ve done and the mistakes.
For the Messiness in life and what that creates.
All the stuff that just doesn’t feel right.
There was a reason he was born on that first Christmas night.
He was born in the mess to make the wrong right.
Frame the stable but don’t miss the picture
It’s a message declared since the beginning of scripture.
A war in the mess but there’s only one victor.
A baby born to crush the deceptor.
The very promise became flesh
Almost as if God was clicking refresh.
Here lay God expressed in humble flesh,
A man sent to die a criminal’s death,
To raise with victorious breath.
We waited for his coming and now he is here,
The one who shines light on our darkest fears
The suffering servant came to save; to endure our sin and the darkness of a grave.
Who will strangle the stain of shame, so we can be free?
Father, Son, Spirit. One God in Three.
Christ our king. Human and Holy.
Peace on Earth, the true Christmas Story.
To Him, Emmanuel, Be the Glory.
See from the mess came a message and there is none that is higher.
Because what follows the mess is ‘I’ ‘A’ ‘H’, MESSIAH!!
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That was something, wasn’t it? I hope you’ve been blessed. Feel free to share this with friends and family.
You can catch his performance on the live stream video.
I want to personally thank Jonhan for allowing me to post this here for all to read. I pray that he would continue to write, perform and bless the world with this amazing gift.
You can catch my other blogs on the PivotPost page.
Until next time.
– Sam D. Mathews
