Counter Cultural Christmas “Renovate, don’t just decorate”.

1. Counter Cultural Christmas “Renovate, don’t just decorate”.

2. How early is too early to decorate for Christmas?

3. Our decorations put a surface level glow of Christmas on our homes, but underneath the trinkets and knickknacks, nothing has really changed. • At both a spiritual and lifestyle sort of level, the reality of the arrival of Christ some 2,000 years ago ought to cause the beginning of a renovation project in our lives, rather than simply an attempt at re-decoration.

4. “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

5. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25

6. The Choice: Renovate or decorate?

7. Exploring the Gravity of the Decision • By accepting Jesus as his son, Joseph was willing to assume the more weighty responsibility of being Jesus’ father. • By accepting Jesus as his son, Joseph would now need to provide both a place for Jesus to belong. • By accepting Jesus as his son, Joseph would also now need to provide a spiritual baseline for Jesus and provide direction for his son in life. • Accepting Jesus as his son meant that Joseph’s entire existence required renovation – a complete reorientation around Jesus.

8. Sometimes, I get the sneaking suspicion that we have the idea that following Jesus is about slapping on a little Jesus and just getting on with our lives. Sometimes I see a tendency to view our faith as a decoration that puts a surface level glow of Christianity in our lives, but underneath the surface, nothing has really changed.

9. If we are unwilling to acknowledge that our foundation needs repair – that we actually require Jesus to come in and save our crumbling structure – we’ll never be able to truly live as “salt and light” in our world. Key Question: Upon what is my foundation set?

10. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) • We need to undergo a renovation, one where we allow our choice to follow Jesus to trickle down into all others areas of our lives. This trickle-down effect is not always easy – it will challenge us to address significant and difficult issues in our lives – but without a doubt, it is incredibly worthwhile. Key Question: Have I renovated my life in conjunction with the Spirit of God or have I simply slapped a little Jesus décor on my life?

11. We are being called to stand in opposition to the eroding of spirituality associated with Christmas, not in a belligerent or obnoxious way, but by earnestly living counter culturally this Advent season. Our ability to live counter culturally begins by examining our foundation – is my life founded on Jesus? – and the construction of our lives – am I build up in Jesus Christ?. Once we’ve engaged in this sort of renovation, then we will be able to “shine among [others] like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15) for God’s glory alone.