Title: Rachel's Children (3 of 5)
Series: Arrival
Author: Steve Jones
Text: Matthew 2
Sermon Summary: The prophecy of Rachel's children teaches us that: 1) God sees our Christmas pain. 2) Permits our Christmas pain. 3) Enters our Christmas pain. 4) Redresses our Christmas pian.
INTRODUCTION: BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Dec 2, 2023 (Reuters) - There will be no Christmas tree in Bethlehem this year as the traditional site of Jesus' birth holds pared-down celebrations in the shadow of the Gaza war.
Many townspeople have been gripped by the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, 30 miles away.In the early days of every December, church leaders convene in Bethlehem to inaugurate the pre-Christmas Advent season, usually a major tourist draw. But this year the streets and plazas of the hilly town were largely empty and somber under a dry winter sun. "We have never seen Bethlehem like this, not even during the time of COVID. The town is empty, sad," said Ibrahim Faltas, a senior Franciscan friar, in front of the Church of the Nativity. "Today was meant to be a joyous day."
Not all is sweetness and light in Bethlehem today. And that is also true of that first Christmas in the Biblical narrative.
I'm in a sermon series entitled "Arrival." Each Sunday we're looking at one prophecy surrounding the birth of Jesus and its implications for our faith. So far, we have studied the prophecy of the virgin birth and the prophecy of the Bethlehem birth. Today we're going to talk about a more somber prophecy, that of the massacre of the children of Bethlehem, predicted in Jeremiah 31:15.
In this prophecy let us see how God deals with our Christmas pain.
I. GOD SEES OUR CHRISTMAS PAIN
Let me begin by setting the scene. In Matthew 2, we read that the Magi came to Jerusalem from the East seeking the one born King of the Jews. They interacted with King Herod who wanted them to send word when they found the child in Bethlehem, ostensibly so that he too could go and ...
Series: Arrival
Author: Steve Jones
Text: Matthew 2
Sermon Summary: The prophecy of Rachel's children teaches us that: 1) God sees our Christmas pain. 2) Permits our Christmas pain. 3) Enters our Christmas pain. 4) Redresses our Christmas pian.
INTRODUCTION: BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Dec 2, 2023 (Reuters) - There will be no Christmas tree in Bethlehem this year as the traditional site of Jesus' birth holds pared-down celebrations in the shadow of the Gaza war.
Many townspeople have been gripped by the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, 30 miles away.In the early days of every December, church leaders convene in Bethlehem to inaugurate the pre-Christmas Advent season, usually a major tourist draw. But this year the streets and plazas of the hilly town were largely empty and somber under a dry winter sun. "We have never seen Bethlehem like this, not even during the time of COVID. The town is empty, sad," said Ibrahim Faltas, a senior Franciscan friar, in front of the Church of the Nativity. "Today was meant to be a joyous day."
Not all is sweetness and light in Bethlehem today. And that is also true of that first Christmas in the Biblical narrative.
I'm in a sermon series entitled "Arrival." Each Sunday we're looking at one prophecy surrounding the birth of Jesus and its implications for our faith. So far, we have studied the prophecy of the virgin birth and the prophecy of the Bethlehem birth. Today we're going to talk about a more somber prophecy, that of the massacre of the children of Bethlehem, predicted in Jeremiah 31:15.
In this prophecy let us see how God deals with our Christmas pain.
I. GOD SEES OUR CHRISTMAS PAIN
Let me begin by setting the scene. In Matthew 2, we read that the Magi came to Jerusalem from the East seeking the one born King of the Jews. They interacted with King Herod who wanted them to send word when they found the child in Bethlehem, ostensibly so that he too could go and ...
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