New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene
2025.12.21 - Christmas Service and Chidlrens Play
  • O Come All Ye Faithful
  • Silent Night Holy Night
  • Christmas Play
  • Text: Matthew 1:18-25 Theme: Moving from managing our problems to walking with God.
    I. The Opener: The Planner (3 Minutes) How many of you are planners?
    You know who you are.
    You measure twice and cut once.
    You check Google Maps even if you know the way, just to see the traffic.
    You have a vision for your life, your family, and your finances, and you like things to stay in the lanes you’ve painted. We love planners.
    Planners keep the world running.
    But there is a shadow side to being a planner: We don’t like interruptions.
    And we definitely don’t like disruptions.
    In the Christmas story, we talk a lot about Mary, and rightfully so.
    But today, I want to talk about the silent hero of Christmas.
    I want to talk about Joseph. Because if you look closely at Matthew chapter 1, you realize that Joseph was the ultimate planner.
    The Bible calls him a “Just Man.”
    That means he was a rule-follower.
    He was a guy who did the right thing, paid his taxes, and kept his nose clean.
    He had a plan: * Build the carpentry business. * Marry the girl (Mary). * Live a quiet, respectable life in Nazareth.
    It was a good plan. It was a righteous plan. And then, God wrecked it.
    II. The Conflict: The “Quiet” Solution (4 Minutes)
    Let’s look at the text.
    Matthew 1:18–19 ESV
    18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
    Put yourself in Joseph’s sandals for a moment.
    The woman you love is pregnant.
    You know it’s not yours.
    Your heart is broken, but your reputation is also on the line.
    In that culture, Joseph had two options: * The Public Option:
    He could drag her to the town square and have her stoned for adultery.
    That was what the Law permitted.
    * The Private Option: He could write her a certificate of divorce and end it quietly.
    Now, look at Joseph’s reaction.
    He is a “Just Man,” so he decides on Option 2.
    He resolves to “divorce her quietly.”
    I want you to catch this, because this is exactly what we do when our lives fall apart.
    Joseph tried to manage the mess.
    He looked at the disaster of his life and thought, “How do I fix this with the least amount of pain?
    How do I solve this problem while keeping my dignity intact?
    I’ll just handle it quietly.
    I’ll keep it secret.
    I’ll make it go away.”
    How many of us are doing that right now? * Your marriage is struggling, so you just go quiet and try to manage it. * You have a sin issue, a habit you can’t break, so you resolve to handle it “quietly.” * You are overwhelmed by anxiety, but you don’t tell anyone. You just try to “divorce” the problem quietly.
    Joseph thought the solution to the darkness was a Plan.
    But God was about to show him that the solution to the darkness is a Person.
    III. The Shift: The Dream (5 Minutes) So Joseph goes to sleep.
    He has his plan.
    He’s going to sign the papers in the morning.
    But then, the interruption happens.
    Matthew 1:20–21 ESV
    20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
    Matthew 1:22 ESV
    22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
    Matthew 1:23 ESV
    23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
    Here is the shift i want us to get today.
    Religion is us trying to manage or lives to get to God.
    It’s Joseph trying to be a “Just Man” and handle the mess properly. The Gospel is God coming into the mess to be with us. The angel was telling Joseph:
    “Joseph, stop trying to save your reputation.
    Stop trying to clean up this mess with a quiet divorce.
    I am bringing you the Savior.
    You don’t need a plan to get out of this;
    you need to walk with the One who is coming into this.”
    IV. The Application: Waking Up (3 Minutes) So, what did Joseph do?
    Matthew 1:24 ESV
    24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
    He woke up.
    He tore up the divorce papers.
    He took Mary as his wife.
    He embraced the scandal.
    He embraced the mess.
    Why? Because he knew God was in it. Joseph traded his “Quiet Plan” for “Loud Obedience.”
    So, here is my question for you in these next few minutes:
    What are you trying to manage alone? What is the thing in your life right now that feels like a disruption?
    Maybe it’s a health scare.
    Maybe it’s a financial crisis.
    Maybe it’s just a season of loneliness where God feels silent. Your instinct—like Joseph—is to retreat.
    To handle it quietly.
    To come up with a plan to minimize the damage.
    But I believe the message of Advent for you is:
    Stop managing. Start welcoming.
    The promise of Christmas isn’t that God will fix your plan.
    The promise is Immanuel. that God will be with you.
    He is with you in the doctor’s office.
    He is with you in the bank meeting.
    He is with you in the difficult marriage. You don’t have to navigate the darkness alone.
    The Light of the World has moved into the neighborhood.
    V. Prayer (Closing) Let’s pray.
    Father, thank You for Joseph.
    Thank You for this man who was willing to let his life be disrupted so that we could have a Savior. Lord, we confess that we are planners.
    We try to manage our sin, hide our shame, and fix our own problems.
    We are tired of trying to “divorce quietly.” Today, we surrender our plans.
    We invite You into the mess.
    We thank You that Your name is Jesus, for You save us.
    We thank You that Your title is Immanuel, for You are with us. Give us the courage to wake up and do what You have called us to do.
    In Jesus’ name, Amen.

      • Matthew 1:18–19ESV

      • Matthew 1:20–21ESV

      • Matthew 1:22ESV

      • Matthew 1:23ESV

      • Matthew 1:24ESV

  • Joy To The World
New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene
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