Home for Christmas | Week 4 | Pastor Kevin Kringel
Mary, Did You Know God’s Love
Home for Christmas Series
One of our family's favorite Christmas songs: “Mary, Did You Know?”
Luke 1:26-38
Mary welcomed Christ.
Not simply into her mind but into herself.
We must welcome Christ unreservedly into the home of our hearts.
This discovery has happened because of both the good times and the challenging ones.
The same is true with Christ. We say yes to Him, knowing He is the Savior, but did Mary know all He would be to her and to us?
Did she know He would be:
Messiah
Friend
Immanuel
Lord
Good Shepherd
Prince of Peace
Wonderful
Counselor
Healer
Deliverer
Faithful
Wisdom
Another way to say this is, Mary, did you ever grasp the incredible truth that in every moment you cradled that precious baby, you were woven into God's divine tapestry, a plan set in motion since the very foundation of the Earth? Did you realize through the daily, ordinary routines, the sleepless nights, and the sacrifices made in love, you were participating in a sacred mission? Each act of tenderness, each moment of care, was not just a simple task but a profound act of worship—a reflection of God’s compassion and grace at work in the world.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV): "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV): "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
John 15:4-8 (NIV):
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.'"
John 3:16-17 (NIV):
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
1 John 4:9-11 (NIV):
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
The question to us today is:
Closing:
How have you received Christ into the home of your heart?
Romans 10:9-11 (NIV):
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.'"
Remember:
Watch your understanding and appreciation of Christ grow in your life as you live it with Him.
See how all your life is connected to Him, not just times you are in church.
Receive the love of God in Christ for you and share the love of God in Christ with others.
Altar call:
Home for Christmas Series
One of our family's favorite Christmas songs: “Mary, Did You Know?”
Luke 1:26-38
Mary welcomed Christ.
Not simply into her mind but into herself.
We must welcome Christ unreservedly into the home of our hearts.
- Mary, did you know who this baby would grow into?
This discovery has happened because of both the good times and the challenging ones.
The same is true with Christ. We say yes to Him, knowing He is the Savior, but did Mary know all He would be to her and to us?
Did she know He would be:
Messiah
Friend
Immanuel
Lord
Good Shepherd
Prince of Peace
Wonderful
Counselor
Healer
Deliverer
Faithful
Wisdom
- Mary, did you know that when you said yes to welcoming this child, everything you did for Him would be connected to an eternal plan?
Another way to say this is, Mary, did you ever grasp the incredible truth that in every moment you cradled that precious baby, you were woven into God's divine tapestry, a plan set in motion since the very foundation of the Earth? Did you realize through the daily, ordinary routines, the sleepless nights, and the sacrifices made in love, you were participating in a sacred mission? Each act of tenderness, each moment of care, was not just a simple task but a profound act of worship—a reflection of God’s compassion and grace at work in the world.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV): "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV): "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
John 15:4-8 (NIV):
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.'"
- Mary, did you know that this baby is God’s love for you and all of us, wrapped in flesh so He could be born to die?
John 3:16-17 (NIV):
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
1 John 4:9-11 (NIV):
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
The question to us today is:
Closing:
How have you received Christ into the home of your heart?
Romans 10:9-11 (NIV):
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.'"
Remember:
Watch your understanding and appreciation of Christ grow in your life as you live it with Him.
See how all your life is connected to Him, not just times you are in church.
Receive the love of God in Christ for you and share the love of God in Christ with others.
Altar call: