Christmas Sermon – Commentary and Explanation (Verse by Verse Bible)
Christmas Sermon – Commentary and Explanation (Verse by Verse Bible)
I still remember one Christmas morning from years back. It wasn’t fancy. No big tree, no expensive gifts. Just the smell of tea boiling in the kitchen, cold air sneaking in through a half-open window, and Luke chapter 2 open on my lap. Somehow that felt more like Christmas than all the lights and noise combined. Maybe because Christmas, at its core, is not loud. It arrives quietly. Like a baby cry in the dark.
So this is not a polished sermon. It’s more like sitting together, Bible open, heart open, walking verse by verse through the Christmas story. Some thoughts wander, some sentences limp a bit. That’s okay. Faith is like that too.
The Promise Before the Birth
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder…”
Long before Bethlehem. Long before Mary felt those first pains. God already spoke. Isaiah wrote this when everything looked broken. Israel was tired, invaded, afraid. And God doesn’t send an army first. He sends a child.
That always messes with my head. If I were God, I’d probably send thunder, fire, something dramatic. But God says, “Here. A baby.”
“Unto us.” Not just to kings, not prophets only. To us. Ordinary, messy people who burn bread and forget prayers and doubt a little too often.
A son given. Not earned. That’s important. Christmas is not about what humanity finally got right. It’s about what God decided to give anyway.
The Announcement
Luke 1:26–28
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth…”
Nazareth. Small place. Not famous. People back then even mocked it. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
God loves doing important things in ignored places.
Mary wasn’t powerful. She wasn’t rich. Probably a teenager. Life planned around simple things. Marriage. Family. Normal dreams. Then God interrupts.
“Greetings, thou that art highly favoured.”
Mary didn’t feel highly favored. Favor sometimes feels like fear at first. Like confusion. Like your plans getting rearranged without asking.
Fear and Grace
Luke 1:29–30
“And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying… And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary…”
Fear not. Angels say that a lot. Because humans freak out easily. I know I do.
Christmas doesn’t begin with celebration. It begins with fear. With questions. With a heart racing too fast.
But God doesn’t shame Mary for being afraid. He comforts her. That’s a small detail but a big truth. God meets us in fear, not after we fix it.
The Miracle Explained
Luke 1:31–33
“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”
Jesus. “The Lord saves.”
Names matter in the Bible. This name is a mission statement.
“He shall be great.” Not famous. Not rich. Great.
“The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.” This connects Christmas to old promises. God didn’t forget. He’s slow sometimes, but not forgetful.
The Question of How
Luke 1:34
“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be…?”
This is not doubt. This is honest confusion. Big difference.
God is okay with “how?” questions. He doesn’t strike Mary down. He explains.
Faith doesn’t mean you stop thinking. It means you keep trusting while thinking.
God With Us
Matthew 1:18–21
Joseph’s side of the story is quieter, but heavy.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise…”
Joseph planned a life too. Then suddenly Mary is pregnant. His heart probably broke a little. Scripture says he was a just man. He didn’t want to shame her.
God speaks to Joseph in a dream. Again, gentle. Not dramatic lightning.
“Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Not from Rome. Not from taxes. From sins.
That’s deeper. Harder. More personal.
Immanuel
Matthew 1:22–23
“They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
This verse alone could carry all of Christmas.
Not God above us yelling instructions.
Not God far away watching.
God with us.
With us in hunger.
With us in grief.
With us in messy family dinners and lonely nights.
I once heard someone say, “Christianity is the only faith where God shows up in the dirt.” That stuck.
The Journey to Bethlehem
Luke 2:1–5
“There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus…”
A pagan emperor issues a command, and unknowingly fulfills prophecy. Micah said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Caesar thinks he’s in control. God smiles quietly.
Mary rides while pregnant. No hospitals. No comfort. Just dust, sore feet, and trust.
God’s will does not always come with ease. Sometimes it comes with blisters.
No Room
Luke 2:6–7
“And she brought forth her firstborn son… and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
This line hurts a little every time.
No room.
God comes to earth and there’s no space prepared. No crib. No clean sheets. Just animals breathing nearby, hay scratching skin.
And yet… God chooses this.
Sometimes I wonder how many times I still say “no room” to Him. Too busy. Too tired. Maybe later.
Christmas asks gently, “Is there room now?”
The First Witnesses
Luke 2:8–12
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field…”
Shepherds were not respected. Smelled like sheep. Considered unreliable witnesses.
God chooses them first.
Angels don’t appear to priests in the temple, but to working men under the stars. God announces salvation to people who know what it’s like to be ignored.
“I bring you good tidings of great joy…”
Joy is announced before circumstances change. Rome still rules. Poverty still exists. But joy enters anyway.
Glory and Peace
Luke 2:13–14
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace…”
Notice the order. Glory to God first. Peace flows from that.
Peace doesn’t mean absence of problems. It means presence of God.
That night probably smelled like animals, cold air, and fear mixed with wonder. Heaven sang anyway.
Response of the Shepherds
Luke 2:15–20
They don’t debate. They go.
They see the baby. Ordinary looking. Crying. Small. Yet everything changed.
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God…”
Real encounters lead to changed praise. Not forced. Not religious noise. Just overflow.
Simeon’s Song
Luke 2:25–32
Old man Simeon waited his whole life.
“Mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”
He holds a baby and says, “This is salvation.” Not a book. Not a system. A person.
Sometimes we look for answers. God gives us Himself.
Anna’s Praise
Luke 2:36–38
Anna, a widow, worshiping daily. Quiet faith. Long obedience.
She speaks of the child to all who looked for redemption.
Christmas spreads through testimony. One person telling another, “I’ve seen Him.”
What Christmas Really Is
Christmas is not perfect families. Mine never were. Someone always argued. Someone burned the food. Someone brought up old wounds.
Christmas is God stepping into imperfect space.
It’s about light entering darkness, not pretending darkness doesn’t exist.
It’s about a God who knows what hunger feels like, what cold nights feel like, what rejection feels like.
A Personal Pause
One year I sat alone on Christmas night. No party. Just silence. I read, “God with us,” and thought, Is He still with me? Right now?
And somehow, quietly, the answer felt like yes.
That’s Christmas. Not noise. Presence.
Final Thought
If Christmas teaches us anything, it’s this: God keeps His promises, but rarely in the way we expect.
He comes small. He comes slow. He comes humble.
And He still comes.
So maybe this year, don’t chase the perfect moment. Make room. Even a small one. Even a messy one.
A manger was enough once. It still is.
Amen.
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