PROPS FROM A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: Sermon Outline for December 15, 2019 (a blogpost for a sermon to be preached at Kenwood Church in Livonia, MI, on December 29, 2019)

PROPS FROM A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: The Presents - Matthew 2:11-23 - December 29, 2019

Prayers

INTRODUCTION

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” 

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:11-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I.  THE GIFTS

Jokes - There was a 4th wiseman but he was sent away because he brought  fruitcake.

Theologians have come to the conclusion that Jesus rejected the gifts and  just played with the boxes.

A.  Gold

B.  Frankincense

C.  Myrrh

II.  THE ESCAPE

A.  Part of the plan

B.  Providence of God

C.  Pain of human decision

III.  THE RETURN

A.  Home

B.  Ministry home

CHALLENGE

God's hand is on you.  You cannot see it.  You may not know it is there.  But God is with you.  Emmanuel - "God is with us."