Peter Chin

What words do you associate with Christmas—(after Jesus of course)? Maybe joy, decorations, parties, presents, Santa, and family. Our Christmas vocabulary usually focuses on people having a good time. But in his sermon on Luke 1—"A Disgraceful Christmas"—Peter Chin argues that we should include two words in our Christmas lingo—shame and disgrace. He argues that both of those words are essential parts of the Christmas story, as Mary and Joseph and eventually Jesus would know so well. As Chin says, "In his glorious power, God can take your most shameful moments, break them down and reform them into something beautiful. What a God who could do such a thing." That's the good news of Christmas.

Daniel Fusco

Sure, Andy Williams could sing that Christmas is "the most wonderful time of the year," but for preachers it can also be one of the busiest. So Daniel Fusco walks us through three ways to keep our preaching fresh. I'll give you the outline right up front—(1) Return to your first love; (2) Focus on the why not just the what; and (3) Bring Jesus to street level. I especially loved what Fusco said here: "When you focus on the 'what,' you give the congregation the details of birth of Jesus. When you focus on the 'why,' you help the people understand why this is the most important reality ever."

Also, check out these new resources:

• Featured Illustration: The Woman Who Invented Windshield Wipers
• Featured Video: Give Thanks Worship Intro: This high energy mini movie features a mix of Psalms as well as inspirational words about giving thanks to God for all his incredible works.
• Featured Sermon: "A Disgraceful Christmas" by Peter Chin
• Featured Skills Article: "3 Ways to Keep Christmas Fresh" by Daniel Fusco

Matt Woodley
Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

P.S. Get even more training for your church volunteers at the all new BuildingChurchLeaders.com.

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.