15 Christmas Preaching

By Peter Mead

1. There’s nothing wrong with familiar passages. 

It is tempting to think that we have to be always innovating, always creative, always somewhere surprising.  Don’t.  Just as children will repeatedly ask for the same bedtime story, and adults will revisit the same movie of choice, so churchgoers are fine with a Christmas message at Christmas.  Sometimes in trying to be clever, we simply fail to connect.  Don’t hesitate to preach a Matthew or Luke birth narrative!

2. Preach the writer's emphasis, not a Christmas card. 

Anywhere in the Gospels, it is possible to be drawn from the emphasis of the text to the event itself.  If you are preaching Matthew for several weeks, great, preach Matthew.  If Luke, preach Luke.  Whether it is a series or an individual message, be sure to look closely and see what the writer is emphasizing in each narrative.

3. Familiar passages deserve to be offered fresh.  

Don’t take my first comment as an excuse to be a stale preacher.   There’s no need to simply dust off an old message and give it again without first revisiting it.  Whenever we preach God’s Word, we should stand and preach as those who have a fresh passion for what God is communicating there.  There’s no excuse for a cold heart or stale content.

4. Fresh doesn't have to mean innovative or weird. 

Now all this talk of fresh could lead us down a winding path into strange ideas.  There is plenty in each text that is very much there, so we don’t need to superimpose our own clever and innovative “five facts about struggling against capitalism from the angel’s visit to Zechariah.”  Equally, we don’t have to preach dressed as a sheep in order to offer something fresh.

5. Be careful when fresh means disagreeing with tradition.  

You may find that looking closely at the text and studying the culture of that time actually causes you to question some stable assumptions. (See what I did there?)  Was there a stable?  Where was Jesus born?  When did the Magi arrive?  How did the star thing work?  Think carefully about throwing a hand grenade into people's traditions.  There is a place, and a tone, for correcting errant thinking, but tread carefully.

6. There are other ways to preach the narratives themselves. 

You don’t have to simply talk your way through the text.  Consider the possibility of preaching the emphasis of the text from the perspective of a contemporary character—Anna, Simeon, a shepherd, etc.  Consider a bit of “in hindsight” first person preaching—Joseph looking back or Luke having done his research.  Remember though, if you have a “manger scene” play with children involved, your going into character may feel like too much of a good thing, even though you will surpass their expectations.

7. Why not preach all four Gospel introductions? 

We tend to dwell on Matthew or Luke or a blend of the two.  Why not introduce people to Matthew’s introduction, then Mark’s (why no birth narrative, where was this all headed anyway, why is Mark 1:1–13 such a stunning intro to his gospel?).  Then give them the visitation, prophecy, Mary-focused, and children-prepared emphasis of Luke’s opening chapters.  And who wouldn’t want to preach from John 1:1–18 right before Christmas (or any other time for that matter!)  All four are stunning pieces of inspired text!

8. There are other New Testament passages that explain the Incarnation and Christ’s mission to the world.  

Perhaps it would be helpful to offer some explanation from other parts of the New Testament.  What did the preachers of Acts say about why Christ was sent into the world?  What about Paul’s explanation of the timing of it all in Galatians 4?  There’s plenty on Christmas beyond Matthew and Luke.

9. Why not tap into the mine that is Old Testament prophecy?  

Where to start?  Most people dip into the Old Testament at Christmas to read Isaiah 9:6–7 or Micah 5:2.  Why not help people understand the richness of those texts and others like them in their context?  What were the Jews waiting for when the first Christmas dawned?

10. Perhaps it is worth encountering a Christmas carol and its theology? 

Not my typical approach, but people know the carols.  Perhaps it would be worth helping people to understand the richness of the second verse of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" biblically?

11. The ancient story is always relevant.  

It is easy to settle into an ancient storytelling mode and fail to make crystal clear connections to the messy world of today.  Christmas is massively relevant because the Incarnation changes everything (that and the Resurrection...two massive moments in history!).  Let’s think and pray long and hard about how the messages are going to engage the listeners with a sense of compelling relevance to today.  Our world.  Our culture.  Our lives.  Our struggles.  Not that the focus is us but because the Incarnation is massively relevant always.

12. The ancient story was not a painting.  

One of the most effective ways to communicate contemporary relevance for listeners today is to take them beyond a Christmas-card view of the first Christmas.  What were the realities facing Mary and Joseph?  What kind of a culture did they live in?  How would that pregnancy shape their lives?  Helping people to get beyond stained glass window views of the first Christmas can resonate deeply with the situations and struggles we face today.

13. Offer a contemporary relevance, not just the ancient one.  

The reason Jesus came into the world was to go to the cross, back then.  It was a once and for all mission.  But the Incarnation has burning relevance to our world today.  Think and pray through how to convey the fact that Christmas matters now, and not just as a moment to look back on an ancient mission, albeit an important one.

14. Tap into the various emotions of Christmas. 

I suppose it is easy to slide into nostalgia at Christmas.  Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, sleigh bells ringing, snow glistening, logs on the fire, gifts by the tree, etc., etc.  But what about other related emotions?  Missing family members through bereavement or separation.  Seasonally affected discouragement disorders that make for a depressing time of year.  Difficult childhood memories only exacerbated by the overt nostalgia nudge all around.  Christmas is a good time to offer a sensitivity in your preaching that shows you aren’t part of the hyped-up marketing machine.

15. Don’t miss the opportunity Christmas preaching offers. 

The reason Jesus came into the world was to go to the cross, once for all.  It wouldn’t be good to make some sort of contemporary emphasis that loses sight of why Christmas really occurred.  Remember that some people will only come to church at Christmas—don’t miss the opportunity to make sense of the season for them.

Do you preach for the feet or the heart?

By Bryan Loritts
From Preaching Today
2012.11.19

Michael Jackson's rise to fame is the stuff of legend. He began in the small town of Gary, Indiana. His father, Joseph Jackson, saw the giftedness in Michael and his brothers at an early age and was obsessed with turning them into the greatest singing and dancing group of all time.

His obsession with their success teetered on abuse. Joseph Jackson would rush home from the steel mills, push the furniture to the outskirts of the living room, and demand that Michael and his brothers relentlessly rehearse the routine. They would do so under the watchful eye of Joseph Jackson, belt in hand, daring his children to miss a step. If they had the audacity to turn right when they should have turned left, if they had the nerve to move forward when they should have moved backwards, they could expect to experience the wrath of Joseph.

What did Joseph's obsession produce? From a performance perspective, we could deem Joseph to be a success. His relentless, abusive technique gave the world the greatest entertainer ever to work a stage. And yet, while he was successful as a manager, he was a failure as a father. For while he got his kids' feet, he missed their hearts.

We know this is true from the 2003 interview that journalist Martin Bashir conducted with Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch. For several days Bashir talked to the 40-something Michael Jackson, and they reminisced on days gone by. They sat in Michael Jackson's theater and watched video of Michael as a little kid, doing all the steps in the dance routine that his father obsessed over. What you may notice as you watch this interview is that as Michael Jackson reflected on his past he never referred to his father as father or dad. Instead he called him Joseph.

Martin Bashir picked up on this and said: Michael, I've spent several days with you, and I've heard you talk about your dad. Why do you never call your dad Dad? Why do you always call him Joseph?

Michael said: From the time I was a little kid, my heart always longed for dad, but all I ever got was Joseph.

Joseph Jackson got his son's feet but never got his son's heart.

Joseph Jackson in the Pulpit

I'm concerned that many pulpits across our country are filled with spiritual Joseph Jacksons. They wield the Bible as if it's a belt, demanding that their parishioners do the right steps: stop porn, give money, stop shacking up, put down the bottle.

Now, don't get me wrong. Is there a place for holiness? Hebrews 12:14 says, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Some postmodern preachers have a distorted view of grace. Anything that smacks of holiness or conviction we label as legalistic, and we use grace as license to do whatever we want. We need to hear the words of Paul, who said, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2) So there is a place for holiness.

Even so, "Joseph Jackson" preaching won't cut it. The Joseph Jacksons of the pulpit get to the people's feet but not their hearts. Such preaching is too low. "Joseph Jackson" preaching won't change the people in your church.

You have folks in your church who want to change. You've got little Michael Jacksons in your church who long to change. You've got a single mother who longs to change. You've got a greedy couple whose hearts cry, Abba Father. But all they get is Joseph Jackson. What will bring change is not a legalistic, Joseph Jackson approach to the Scriptures, but rather an approach to the Scriptures that is so lofty and lifts up God so high that along the way it gets to the heart.

Matt Chandler's Advice to Young Preachers

By Matt Chandler

Matt Chandler serves as lead pastor of The Village Church in Highland Village, TX. He describes his 7 year tenure at The Village as a re-planting effort where he was involved in changing the theological and philosophical culture of the congregation. The church has witnessed a tremendous response growing from 160 people to over 5000 including two satellite campuses (Denton and Northway). Alongside his current role as lead pastor, Matt is involved in church planting efforts both locally and internationally through The Village and various strategic partnerships.

The True Task of Every Preacher

By Nathan Aaseng

Nathan Aaseng serves as pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI. He has had more than 170 books published, sacred and secular, for readers from 8 to adult. His latest work is The Five Realms, an epic fantasy based on 1 Corinthians 1:27.



When I arrived at seminary, I had a major problem understanding the task of preaching.
Throughout my professional career as a writer, there were certain flaws in style that were considered especially amateurish, undisciplined, and ineffective. Being called out for one of these basic level criticisms would be mortifying. One of the worst things an editor could say about a piece of writing was that it was "preaching."

• Preaching is the term for what happens when the writer takes on the air of the know-it-all.
• A preacher stands high above the audience.
• A preacher shows so little respect for that audience that he or she claims the right to tell them not only what is true (whether opinion or not) but how to act and what to think.
• A preacher's ego gets in the way of, and often overwhelms the message. 
• Preaching is the level of discourse that parents often take with small children, and it is not an effective way of communicating even with them.

So here I walk into seminary where preaching is considered not only a good thing, but the crown jewel of a pastor's existence. I hear that preaching is a great responsibility and a privilege. It is the unique task to which a pastor is called and the primary way in which we are to witness to the message of the Gospel.

This posed a huge dilemma for me. My time in the pulpit is my best chance to communicate the message of the Gospel. Yet I know that preaching is not a great form of communication.

The way out of this dilemma came to me in a quotation from a book in Dr. Martinson's Pastoral Care class at Luther Seminary. It has stuck with me, even though I cannot remember which book it came from or even quote it exactly. The gist of it was: "The preacher is the person whom the congregation sends to the Scriptures on its behalf to see if God has a word to speak to them this week."

Now there is a task and a role that I can handle in good conscience. As the preacher, I am not the know-it-all, ladling wisdom from my vast pitcher of knowledge into the empty heads of those sitting before me.

All I am doing is giving the report that these people staring at me have assigned me to give. They have asked me to go to the lectionary readings this week on their behalf. They have entrusted me with the task of wrestling with and pondering those words, to open myself to the power of the spirit to see what God might be saying through those words to these people in this time and place.

The sermon is the result of my struggle to carry out that task. Nothing more, nothing less.

This understanding of the task of the preacher gives me the perspective and the humility I need in order to have a chance at delivering a timely message in an effective way.