Key points
- 1
1The first Christmas was populated by powerless, marginalized people — yet their circumstances are not what made it remarkable.
- 2
2The angels' announcement, the shepherds' response, and Mary's treasured memory all point to one thing: the Messiah, Emmanuel, has entered the world — nothing else changed.
- 3
3The shepherds returned to the same dark, cold, smelly fields — yet they left glorifying and praising God, because they had looked at Jesus.
- 4
4Emmanuel means God does not merely watch over us from a distance; He dove into our darkness and walks with us through it.
- 5
5Focusing on what life presents — whether good or bad — always produces fear and frustration; real peace comes only from focusing on the presence of Jesus.
- 6
6Jesus was born on Christmas but came for Easter — He entered our darkness to die for the lie we believe that we can find life apart from God.
“It doesn't even say he takes you out of the deep waters. At the end of this verse, guess where you still are? In deep waters. But what it does say is Jesus dove in with you so you won't drown. It's not about where you are, it's about who you're with. That's Christmas”
“Jesus was born on Christmas but he came for Easter”
“Sometimes God allows us to be in those troubled deep waters because that's when we'll see the light of life”
Illustration
A baby owl named Rockefeller was found alive in the battered 2020 Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree after surviving its transport, nursed back to health, and released — used to illustrate how God brings life out of difficult circumstances
A story from life
A childhood Christmas photo of the preacher fixated on a toy while his now-deceased father stood nearby holding socks, used to illustrate choosing presence over presents
- 7
7The invitation of Christmas is simply to turn your head — away from what life is presenting and toward Jesus, embracing His love and forgiveness.
“You just do this. You turn your head. You do what those shepherds did. You go look at Jesus”
“Emmanuel means Jesus doesn't just watch over us, he walks with us. He doesn't just stay at a distance, he dove into the darkness. He came in”
Application
Pastor Bill's application is as simple as it is countercultural: stop trying to find your identity, contentment, and peace in what life is presenting — whether 2020's hardships or life's good seasons — because both will keep you living in fear of when things will change. Instead, do what the shepherds did: turn your head and look at Jesus. You don't have to earn His blessing or perform to get His attention. You receive His love, let Him forgive you, and trust that He is already in the deep water with you. For those who have never put their faith in Jesus, this moment is an invitation to turn to Him for the first time and receive eternal life. For those who already know Him, it is a call to honest self-examination — to ask what you have been fixating on instead of Him — and to turn back.
