Essential Church

The Faithful, The Faithless & the Joy of Christmas Standalone Essential Church December 22, 2024 SUMMARY The pastor has preached over 100 Christmas messages in his 30-year career, and he feels he has exhausted the material from the few biblical chapters about Christmas. The pastor prefers preaching Easter messages because the entire New Testament and Old Testament point to the significance of Easter. The pastor discusses the significance of myrrh, one of the gifts brought to the baby Jesus, as it was an embalming spice, foreshadowing Jesus' death and resurrection. The pastor provides historical context about the political and religious landscape in Israel leading up to Jesus' birth, including the Maccabean Revolt and the rise of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The pastor focuses on the encounter between Simeon and the baby Jesus, where Simeon recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and Savior, even though Jesus was just a baby at the time. Simeon's prophecy about Jesus being a "dividing line" and causi