It’s Christmas week, Christmas falls on a Sunday, and I should be more excited than I am. But I woke up this Monday and started to fret over my Christmas sermon for Sunday. What am I going to preach on? Where am I going to preach it from? Can I connect with the guests? Will unbelievers even listen to me? Will I be able to captivate Christians with stories they have already heard so many times? As Christmas gets closer, the pressure to hit a homerun gets stronger and stronger.
Am I the only one that feels this way? Am I the only one that feels this type of pressure? Better yet, am I the only one that puts this amount of pressure on myself?
In one sense, Christmas Sunday is just another Sunday for us preachers, a day when we gather with the people of God and proclaim the glorious truths of Scripture. Yet, in another sense, there is something special, exciting, and glorious about preaching the good news of great joy for all people during the Christmas season. But rather than feeling extra pressure or trying to manufacture something special this Christmas, we need to simply trust that the Christmas story is enough.
The problem is, when we begin to doubt the power and wonder of the Christmas story, we will be tempted to tinker with it in our sermons. Maybe we read the Christmas story in Luke, but then spend thirty minutes on wild tangents that have little to do with what really took place. Or maybe we fear our listeners are too familiar with what took place that first Christmas so we turn to entertaining our people with stories and videos.
The truth is, all the wonder, awe, and glory you need is right there in the text. You don’t have to stray from the story; you don’t have to tinker with the story; you don’t have to try and impress your people with fanciful interpretations of the story. Whether you are preaching on the genealogy in Matthew, the Prince of peace from Isaiah, the eternal Word of God becoming flesh in John, or the shepherds rushing to Bethlehem to see the newborn king in Luke, everything you need is right there in Scripture.
The Christmas story has something for everyone. The broken and unfaithful are invited to come and behold the One that can make them new. Unbelievers are invited to believe that God loves them and wants to be reconciled to them. Christians are invited to come and see their King and Lord in human flesh.
If we believe that all of God’s Word is inspired, able to make sinners wise for salvation, and “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:15-16), then we have no need to feel extra pressure on Christmas Sunday. If we believe that God can and does use His Word to bring salvation and transformation, then we have no need to be fancy or lofty with our speech. We just need to preach the Word faithfully.
The good news is, what God has done in sending His Son to save humanity from our sins is what we all need to hear. Our hearers are looking for peace, hope, joy and love, and guess what, we find it in Christmas.
So maybe you are tired, overwhelmed, and weary from the busyness and pressure of the season. On Sunday, keep it simple. Give them the story that never gets old. The Christmas story is enough.
