Reteaching/Study Guide from Lakeside’s Online Worship Sunday, December 13, 2020, Sermon by Dr. Greg Corbin, Senior Pastor “When Is Hard” – Matthew 1:18-23 & 2:13-23

“18 The birth of Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had considered these things, an of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of , don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ . . . 18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.“ Matthew 1:18-21 & 2:18 Christian Standard (CSB)

Christmas is a season of light and joy, but the celebrations are often tempered and sometimes even overshadowed by challenges and sorrow. Tension within families or at work, the loss of a loved- one, financial setbacks, and illness will dim the lights for many of us this year. For others, Christmas present just won’t measure up to the memories of Christmas past or to the expectations we set for ourselves about how Christmas ought to be or how it ought to make us feel. Christmas isn’t always a “Hallmark” experience. The holiday decorations have a way of making our hurts and difficulties even more bleak and painful. Christmas 2020 will come with its own bundle of challenges and questions to exacerbate the matter. The reality is that Christmas is sometimes hard, but the Christmas story itself is “gritty” enough to help us face that fact and promising enough to ring in hope even in the most difficult of times.

Sometimes we must FACE HARD SITUATIONS (Matthew 1:18-19 & 2:13) and DO HARD THINGS (Matthew 1:20-25 & 2:14-15). Joseph was faced with a difficult circumstance: he and Mary were betrothed, and she was expecting. Consider the unexpected tension that reality brought into their lives, particularly as under God’s direction Joseph chose to proceed with the marriage. He was opening himself up to the probability of embarrassment and ridicule from a community that was not privy to his divine assurance. After Jesus’s birth, another hard reality entered Mary and Joseph’s lives. Jesus’ life was threatened in by Herod’s decree. For the security of His Son, God uprooted them and moved them to Egypt. Following God’s direction doesn’t mean that everything in our lives will be smooth and easy. The Christmas story reminds us that hard situations arise even when we’re following God’s will. Those hard situations press us to make difficult decisions and do hard things, even as we remain obedient to God’s leadership.

Sometimes we must ACCEPT HARD REALITIES (:19-23). When God called Joseph and Mary out of Egypt, they were faced with a harsh reality. had died, but the worst of his sons was ruling . God warned them not to return to Bethlehem. Instead, they settled in Nazareth in . They faced and accepted the hard reality that our plans and our lives often don’t turn out the way we have envisioned them. The realities of 2020 mean at the least that some of our Christmas celebrations this year won’t happen as we’d planned. For some members of our community, those realities have changed more than Christmas celebrations. Lives, homes, and jobs have been completely altered. When we follow God, we don’t get to write our own ticket for the course of our lives, but we do gain a greater assurance as our reality—God is with us every step of our journey. Even in the steps we don’t anticipate taking, He is leading us to an outcome better than anything we could have anticipated.

WITH JESUS, we always know the hard things are part of GREATER THINGS (Matthew 1:22-23 & 2:14-15). Through all the difficult circumstance, hard realities, and changes of plans, Joseph and Mary experienced the wonder of being a part of God’s Great Things. The words of the Christmas story (1:22 and 2:15 & 24), highlight the fact that what appeared to be random, difficult, and unplanned was part of God’s greater purpose. Christmas 2020 will not be without its difficult things, but the way we respond to those challenges displays our openness to being a part of God’s greater things.

To reflect further about God’s eternal plan in Jesus, read John 1:1-18.

Questions/Actions for Reflection/Discussion/Application What are the hard things you’re facing this Christmas? Be honest before God about your questions and hurts. Know by faith that He is with you even in the difficult things.

How will this Christmas be different than what you’ve become accustomed to? Use the change as an opportunity to revisit the true joy and meaning of Christmas—God’s grace in His Son Jesus.

Who do you know that is facing “hard things” this Christmas? Pray for them and send a note of encouragement.

You’re in My Prayers, Stacey