The So That of Christmas

In one paragraph

Ray opened with three "big picture" Christmas verses from Galatians, 2 Corinthians, and John, and used them to show what God was doing at Christmas and why. The organizing thread was a specific grammatical construction, the purpose clause, that tells us exactly what God intended when He sent His Son. The sermon closed with an extended invitation for anyone who had never personally received that...

Read together

1. Matthew 2 wise men coming before Jesus to worship him, and bringing gifts
2. Isaiah 9:6 quoted during the offering: 'for to us a child is born, to us a son is given'
3. Galatians 4:4-5 main text: fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem, so that we might receive adoption as sons
4. 2 Corinthians 8:9 main text: though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich
5. John 3:16 main text: God gave his only son so that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life, used to illustrate the hina clause
6. John 1:12-13 to as many as believed, God gave them the right to be called children of God
7. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 read as a blessing during baby dedication: the Shema, love the Lord your God, teach these words diligently to your children
8. Proverbs 22:6 quoted during baby dedication: train up a child in the way he should go and when she is old she will not depart from it

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray used a satellite image of a snowstorm to illustrate how a big picture can be hard to read unless you know what you're looking at. What parts of the Christmas story do you think are easy to miss when we only focus on the familiar details?
2. Pastor Ray walked through Galatians 4:4-5 and pointed out that God acted 'in the fullness of time.' What does it mean to you that God chose a specific moment in history to send His Son, and how does that shape the way you think about timing in your own life?
3. The structure Pastor Ray found in those three verses was the same each time: God acted so that we might receive a specific blessing. What does it do to your understanding of Christmas to see it framed that way, as God giving something up on purpose so that something could happen for us?
4. Pastor Ray spent time on the word 'might' in those verses, explaining that the subjunctive leaves space for our own will to respond. He also connected the disappearing subjunctive in English to a growing lack of civility and willingness to consider another person's will. Do you think those two things are actually connected, and what does it look like to genuinely leave space for God's will in the way we pray and speak?
5. Pastor Ray closed by asking, 'Might you believe today?' and said that God has done everything on His part. He then added that sharing the good news is just as important a response as receiving it. What is one way you could share what God has done this Christmas season?