Good morning. Happy Christmas. It's coming after those exams. Okay, if you have a Bible, please turn with me to Matthew chapter 2. Matthew chapter 2. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled with all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet, and you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him. And after listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose, went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. And he arose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, out of Egypt I call my son. Amen. How to celebrate Christmas. Because we should celebrate Christmas, shouldn't we? There are some in the pulpit and some on the internet who say we shouldn't. They say it is a pagan festival or that it is too materialistic and that the real meaning has gone out of it. And there may be some truth to those claims. But we are Christians, and I think it's only right that we should use this holiday to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And let us not be like the cults or the Muslims who deny the deity of Christ, but let us be like the wise men of the East and the shepherds and fall on our knees and worship the King, born in a stable, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. And indeed, let us sing joy to the world. The Lord is come. And let us celebrate Christmas. Let us enjoy Christmas. And let us tell the world why we love Christmas. And here are 10 ways we can celebrate Christmas, all found in the Bible. Number one, celebrate Christmas with your family. celebrate Christmas with your family. Just like Jesus' parents took him to their village, Bethlehem, many of you will also be going back to the village to be with your families, albeit under very different circumstances. Luke chapter 2 begins like this, that this was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. Now, whether you want to go back to the village or not does not matter. Sometimes, going back to family, we just have to. So we ought to make the best of our trip and we ought to make sure we are a good witness for Christ. This time of the year is often the best time to witness, as hearts are softened, aren't they, to the Christmas story. So we need to be kind, be helpful, be patient and be self-controlled. We are no longer of the world, or like the world, we are to be, you are and me, we are to be the best Christian that we can be, that we might win our families to Christ. What a celebration that would be, eh? Seeing one of your relatives saved through your witness. Just imagine, spend Christmas with your family, If you can't spend it with your family, maybe consider celebrating Christmas with the poor and needy, or the outcasts of society. If we are to believe the many commentators and writers, there were none more rough and rowdy, poor and needy than the shepherds. They were the hired hands of the day. They didn't own the sheep, The owner slept in a warm bed. They were the ones out in the hills. Those watching the sheep all night had a rough job. And it was best suited to those who, we might say, could look after themselves. Men like Abdu, the Askari. And yet again, we read in Luke 2, verse 8, and in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field. keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. And verse 15, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. So these rough shepherds were invited to this wondrous occasion. And we are told that they went with haste and glorified and praised God, where it seems they were somehow converted through this experience. And then we are told they told everyone about what they had seen, so they became evangelists. Just think what effect inviting such a person to your house could have on them. Just think what could happen if you share the gospel with someone like that. You never know, they too might go away glorifying God and telling others of his saving power. Celebrate with family, celebrate with the rough and rowdy. Thirdly, celebrate and be hospitable. Wherever and whoever we spend Christmas with, let us be sure if we are able to be hospitable. Again, Luke 2 verse 7 says, And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. I've heard recently that some say the manger would have been in a spare room, not necessarily a stable. But whatever it seems, someone showed hospitality to the pregnant mother and her husband. And of course, the baby Jesus. And maybe there are some among us today here who have no special plans for Christmas. Got nowhere to go for a nice meal. or Christian company, maybe this is an opportunity for you to share some hospitality with one of your fellow students. Hebrews 13 should be an encouragement to you. It says there, let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison as though in prison with them and those who are mistreated since you also are in the body. What better incentive is there that you might be entertaining angels unawares. Imagine, be hospitable. Fourthly, as you celebrate Christmas, make sure you take time to read and share the scriptures, especially the Christmas passages. If your family are like mine and Natasha's, it's likely that they will know something about the Christmas story, but without much detail. Maybe you could take the opportunity before Christmas dinner to read them something from the Word of God. Verse four of our passage says this, when Herod summoned the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them whether Christ was to be born. They told him, in Bethlehem of Judah, for so it is written by the prophet. That prophecy from Micah was written seven to eight hundred years before Jesus was born. And surely if the enemies of Jesus can know and quote scriptures, can't we also? You could offer to give a short reading to the people you are spending Christmas with. Introduce them to the good news. Don't go over the top and read three chapters and wear them out, but just read a few select verses. Maybe something to spark up a conversation. One of the prophecies maybe. Or maybe how the two babies first met when both were still in the womb. Isn't that a remarkable story? Think about what might interest them and go with it. Just try and read the scriptures. Remember, the scriptures are the living word of God, the power unto salvation. Fifthly, celebrate and give gifts. Now I know we all love receiving gifts, but also let us be known for our generosity and kindness by giving gifts. This tradition of giving gifts at Christmas has its roots in the passage we read concerning the wise men. Verse 11 says, And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense is an aromatic resin or oil, and myrrh is similar, a perfume, incense or medicine. And gold, well, that was the currency at the time. They were very generous gifts, and rightly so, because they were for a king. Now, we don't have to buy gifts for the kebaka, So let us be generous to those for whom we do have to buy something for. And let me say this, don't just expect to receive, especially if you're not intending to give. You know what they say, it is better to give than receive, and the Lord loves the cheerful giver. Be generous and celebrate giving gifts. Number six, We're going through them fast. Now, maybe the pressures of work or the environment you are in might become too much for you to bear and you feel you need to escape. Well, maybe get away for a while. Well, I believe that is fine too. Our passage tells us, verse 13, now when they, the wise men, had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. And he arose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. It seems that the safety of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was at risk, so God sent them away to Egypt. Now I won't say it was a holiday, though it might be that the gold that they were given by the wise men may have saved Joseph from having to find work. So therefore if we are feeling under similar pressure, or thinking of getting away from it all, I believe that is fine. Our own brother Kenny McKenzie has come away from below freezing temperatures in Scotland to lovely warm and sunny days and warm nights in Uganda. This can only be good for his health and for his mental well-being and surely it's a good thing. Shouldn't we be glad for him? And even God understands our need to get away from it all at times. Don't worry about it. Number seven. But we ought to do our proper duties at Christmas. We all have duties to do. Verse 2, let me read that again. In those days, sorry, Luke 2, in those days a decree went from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. Joseph and Mary were obedient to the law that said they must travel to their own hometown to be registered. However inconvenient it might have been. And we can imagine it was very inconvenient for the pregnant mother to be. Yet they went. They did their duty. And so we ought to do ours. If we have to work, then work. Doctors, nurses, taxi drivers, policemen, they all have to work. And if we have to, then let us make the best of it and do it without complaining. Now, what is your work? Well, if you are a pastor, well, then care for the sheep. If you're a preacher, then preach the gospel. If you are a son or a daughter or a neighbor, then serve. and make the most of this season by speaking the gospel. Mothers, well they'll need to prepare meals, spare rooms and make beds. Well you children help them. Fathers, they need to earn money to pay for all the extras the demands of Christmas bring. Don't be too demanding. Children, they need to do their fair share of helping mum and dad around the house, around the church, around the neighbourhood. They are not to be excluded. All of us ought to do our proper duties, especially the duty of the Great Commission. Go and make disciples. Number eight, celebrate in church. Go to church at Christmas. Luke 2, 22 says, and when the time came for the purification, according to the law of Moses, they, Joseph and Mary, brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Again, they did their duty. They did what was expected of them according to the law of Moses. And now, what is the duty of all Christians? According to Hebrews 10 verse 25 it is, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, especially on such holy days or holidays, that's where the word comes from, and bring the babies. Newer parents, as the baby was welcomed in the temple, so should all children be welcomed in the church. I often used to see back home people in church craning their necks to stare at the parent whose child or baby was making the noise. And I know it can be distracting, but we as adults and others must train ourselves not to do it. For children should be welcomed in all our services. Salvation is not for adults only. Bring the children to church and the rest of us, let us welcome them in the church. Make it a family celebration in church, proper family worship. 9. Celebrate and fall down and worship Jesus. Verse 11, And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. You notice that they fell down. So often today we hear that worship consists of standing up and singing. Now I'm not in disagreement with that, but I wonder if the church today has lost this sense of awe and reverence for God the Father and God the Son. So many songs sung in churches are about me, about us and about I. And when Jesus is mentioned it's about what he has done for me, what he will do for me, how he's going to lift me up and not the other way around. Few modern songs focus on his holiness or his greatness, his attributes or his coming judgment. And how often are we falling down in worship? Now I mean that metaphorically. I know there are some churches where it is done theatrically, but we are talking about falling down ventrically, as pertaining to the heart. Oughtn't we be doing this more often, particularly when we think of what he has done for us, and especially at this time of the year? Let's not just sing about it, let's do it. And lastly, celebrate Christmas with Jesus and desire to see him. We ought to want to see Jesus. The shepherd said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And the Christ child was revealed to them. And wise men journeyed from afar in order to see Him, and they found Him and worshipped Him. They did not take this occasion for granted. They knew this moment in time was of great significance. Now what about us if we are not too bothered about Christmas? What does that say about our Christianity? Let us be sure to keep Christ in our Christmas. Let us put Jesus back at the centre of the season. And let us be sure to celebrate the coming of the Son of God into the world. So there we have it, 10 ways we can celebrate Christmas. And if you want the list, you can text me after. But I don't want to finish there without asking you, what will you be doing this Christmas? Because you see, Christmas is for you. Jesus Christ, who is God, became man that he might bring us to the Father. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. The Bible tells us God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. If you believe, you have eternal life. If you do not believe, well then make today the day of salvation. Ask Jesus to give you a new life and a new heart. Confess your sin and let the Saviour in. And celebrate the greatest gift God gave to you this Christmas. Celebrate it with Jesus. Amen. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, as Christmas quickly approaches, let us keep your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, at the forefront of our thoughts. And let us keep him on our tongues that we might tell others of the Saviour who came into the world, who brought joy into the world. When there is so much doom and gloom around us at the moment, wars in this place, wars in that place, persecutions, wickedness, terrorism, let us remember that Christ Jesus came into the world to bring peace. Peace on earth, peace between man and God, and peace between one man and another, from different colours, different tribes, different religions, different corners of the world. Help us to tell others of Jesus, tell others of the reason for this season. Help us, O Lord God, to enjoy Christmas, and try to be with our families, try to witness and tell them of how we were saved by the Saviour of sinners. Please, O Lord God, hear our prayers and forgive our sin, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.