Bible Text: Luke 1:26\u201328; Matthew 1:18\u201325 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Aben\u00adt\u00fc\u00fcr Geb\u00e4t | Wit\u00adhout a per\u00adso\u00adnal encoun\u00adter with God, Christ\u00admas remains only a fairy tale and per\u00adso\u00adnal faith bland and unat\u00adtrac\u00adti\u00adve. To chan\u00adge this, God beca\u00adme human in the per\u00adson of Jesus and made hims\u00adelf toucha\u00adble, visi\u00adble, audi\u00adble and tan\u00adgi\u00adble. Through an encoun\u00adter with God, Advent beco\u00admes an adventure!<\/p>\n
If you extend the word Advent with the three let\u00adters u\u2011r-e, it means adven\u00adture. Our the\u00adme for the year is \u00abAben\u00adt\u00fc\u00fcr Geb\u00e4t\u00bb. Pray\u00ader beco\u00admes an adven\u00adture when it comes to an encoun\u00adter with God, which is the deepest mea\u00adning of pray\u00ader. Wit\u00adhout a per\u00adso\u00adnal encoun\u00adter with God, Christ\u00admas remains just a fairy tale.
\nChrist\u00admas awa\u00adkens a lon\u00adging for peace in many peo\u00adp\u00adle. To final\u00adly be able to meet God wit\u00adhout the stress of ever\u00ady\u00adday life. But you know what? God wants to meet you in the stress of ever\u00ady\u00adday life. Even the ori\u00adgi\u00adnal Christ\u00admas had litt\u00adle of \u00abgol\u00adden boy in cur\u00adly hair\u00bb, it was abso\u00adlu\u00adte stress: cen\u00adsus, migra\u00adti\u00adon to the place of birth \u2013 and then kil\u00adling of all child\u00adren under two years of age. One thing is cer\u00adtain: The \u00abHoly Cou\u00adple\u00bb were not at all rela\u00adxed, just as other par\u00adents are not befo\u00adre the birth of their first child.
\nUntil the ori\u00adgi\u00adnal Christ\u00admas, God was the distant one, the untoucha\u00adble, the holy one for his peo\u00adp\u00adle. That now chan\u00adges com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly. In Jesus Christ, God comes clo\u00adse to us and offers much cont\u00adact space. At Christ\u00admas, God makes hims\u00adelf visi\u00adble, smellable, toucha\u00adble and audi\u00adble. Jesus is the image of the invi\u00adsi\u00adble God, an invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to encoun\u00adter. An encoun\u00adter with him makes Advent an adventure!
\nChrist\u00admas is not about esca\u00adping the hust\u00adle and bust\u00adle to get some peace and quiet. It\u2019s about fin\u00adding peace in the midst of the hust\u00adle and bust\u00adle and encoun\u00adtering God.
\nMaria
\nOne would think that Mary and Joseph would have won the jack\u00adpot of all time to be the par\u00adents of the Mes\u00adsiah. But at that time, a pre\u00admarital pregnan\u00adcy meant enorm\u00adous dis\u00adgrace, ost\u00adra\u00adcism and, in the worst case, no liveli\u00adhood for the woman. A gre\u00adat uncer\u00adtain\u00adty, moreo\u00adver, was Joseph. How will he react to this bad news? Things will be tight for him too. If he says he is the father, he is lying. If he denies his pater\u00adni\u00adty, Mary must be stoned to death accor\u00adding to Jewish law (Deut. 22:21). The fact of a sud\u00adden pregnan\u00adcy was life-threa\u00adtening in her Jewish envi\u00adron\u00adment. So Mary was in for a hard time and much suf\u00adfe\u00adring. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, the angel calls out to her \u00abFear not\u00bb and has her name the child Jesus. The Hebrew word Yes\u00adhua means \u00abGod saves\u00bb, and that was exact\u00adly the mes\u00adsa\u00adge she despera\u00adte\u00adly nee\u00added in this situa\u00adti\u00adon. Christ\u00admas means that God saves you!
\nAfter this encoun\u00adter with God, Mary is rea\u00addy to face the chall\u00adenge. \u00abMary ans\u00adwe\u00adred: \u00abI am the ser\u00advant of the Lord and I bow to his will. May all that you have said come true and be done to me.\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 1:38).
\nMay\u00adbe the\u00adre is some\u00adthing in your life that wants to take away your hope of a good future. May\u00adbe it is a life-chan\u00adging cri\u00adsis. It may appear becau\u00adse of a divorce, the loss of a job, the death of a clo\u00adse fri\u00adend or fami\u00adly mem\u00adber, a can\u00adcer dia\u00adgno\u00adsis, a dis\u00adap\u00adpoin\u00adting church expe\u00adri\u00adence, a bro\u00adken dream, a dry\u00adness or decli\u00adning enthu\u00adsi\u00adasm in your rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. In such bot\u00adt\u00adlen\u00adecks we need an encoun\u00adter with Yes\u00adhua who saves and says, \u00abFear not!\u00bb
\nJosef
\nThe fol\u00adlo\u00adwing joke might be a litt\u00adle illus\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adve of Joseph\u2019s sta\u00adte of mind: Joseph and Mary are loo\u00adking for an inn. Slight\u00adly annoy\u00aded, Joseph knocks on the twelfth door. The inn\u00adkee\u00adper opens the door and Joseph asks: \u00abDo you have accom\u00admo\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon for my wife and me? Host: \u00abNo, ever\u00ady\u00adthing is boo\u00adked up.\u00bb Josef: \u00abBut look, my wife is very pregnant!\u00bb Host: \u00abI can\u2019t help that\u2026\u00bb Josef is outra\u00adged: \u00abNeither can I!\u00bb
\nJoseph is chal\u00adlen\u00adged tre\u00admen\u00addous\u00adly. At first, the sto\u00adry of the angel\u2019s visit must have see\u00admed like a fairy tale to him. For the peo\u00adp\u00adle around him, too, the\u00adre were only two pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties: Eit\u00adher Mary was lying or both were lying. Sin\u00adce he did not want to shame his fian\u00adc\u00e9e, he thought of lea\u00adving her secret\u00adly (Matthew 1:19). Joseph nee\u00added his own encoun\u00adter with God, and he got it. In Matthew 1:20\u201323, the angel explai\u00adned to him that Jesus would be the ful\u00adfilm\u00adent of the anci\u00adent pro\u00adphe\u00adcy of Imma\u00adnu\u00adel, which means \u00abGod with us\u00bb. After this mes\u00adsa\u00adge, Joseph was rea\u00addy to recei\u00adve his pregnant wife with all his heart. Only after both par\u00adents had per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced God\u2019s encou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adment could the mira\u00adcle of Christ\u00admas continue.
\nMay\u00adbe you are in an unma\u00adna\u00adgeable situa\u00adti\u00adon or a dead end at the moment. \u00abGod with us\u00bb will also navi\u00adga\u00adte you safe\u00adly and relia\u00adbly through such times. Through the encoun\u00adter with Jesus Christ, he beco\u00admes Imma\u00adnu\u00adel, \u00abGod in you\u00bb. This is what we need to mas\u00adter our lives with a clear head and cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous steps.
\nShepherds
\nThe she\u00adp\u00adherds\u00bb fields near Beth\u00adle\u00adhem still play a cen\u00adtral role in Christ\u00admas cele\u00adbra\u00adti\u00adons in the Holy Land. Count\u00adless tou\u00adrists have visi\u00adted the\u00adse fields bet\u00adween Beth\u00adle\u00adhem and Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. The church his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan Euse\u00adbi\u00adus sees a con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween them and a uni\u00adque bibli\u00adcal site cal\u00adled Mig\u00addal Eder, in Ger\u00adman \u00abHer\u00adden\u00adturm\u00bb. This area on the out\u00adskirts of Beth\u00adle\u00adhem is also found in the wri\u00adtin\u00adgs of the Tal\u00admud. The\u00adre it says that all live\u00adstock in the vici\u00adni\u00adty of Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem \u00abas far as Mig\u00addal Eder\u00bb was con\u00adside\u00adred sacred and con\u00adse\u00adcra\u00adted and could only be used for sacri\u00adfice in the Temp\u00adle, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly for the peace and Pas\u00adso\u00adver sacrifices.
\nThis means that the she\u00adp\u00adherds in the fields of Beth\u00adle\u00adhem were not ordi\u00adna\u00adry she\u00adp\u00adherds, but ser\u00adved the sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal sys\u00adtem of the temp\u00adle. The\u00adse men ser\u00adved in the con\u00adtext of the Mosaic Coven\u00adant, a fores\u00adha\u00addow of the New Coven\u00adant. The\u00adse very men were now con\u00adfron\u00adted with the rea\u00adli\u00adty of the eter\u00adnal light to who\u00adse coming their minis\u00adtry had been poin\u00adting for cen\u00adtu\u00adries. It was inde\u00aded the pro\u00adcla\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of a new era of salvation!
\nThe pro\u00adphet Micah had alre\u00ada\u00addy refer\u00adred to Mig\u00addal Eder a few cen\u00adtu\u00adries ear\u00adlier: \u00abAnd you, tower of the flock, you strong\u00adhold of the daugh\u00adter of Zion, to you will come and return the for\u00admer domi\u00adni\u00adon, the king\u00adship of the daugh\u00adter of Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem\u00bb (Micah 4:8; Lut). On the basis of this pro\u00adphe\u00adcy, well-known Jewish scho\u00adlars con\u00adcluded in the Midrash that among all the places in Isra\u00adel it would be Mig\u00addal Eder from which the coming of the Mes\u00adsiah would first be proclaimed.
\nThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, it was not just a pro\u00adcla\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of good news to simp\u00adle she\u00adp\u00adherds when the angels appeared in the she\u00adp\u00adherds\u00bb fields near Beth\u00adle\u00adhem. It was a powerful pro\u00adphe\u00adtic sign for all Isra\u00adel. The news of that night must have spread like wild\u00adfi\u00adre in the sur\u00adroun\u00adding villages.
\nIt was the first pro\u00adcla\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of the euan\u00adge\u00adl\u00adion, the good news of the redemp\u00adti\u00adve work of Jesus Christ. It is note\u00adwor\u00adt\u00adhy that this first pro\u00adcla\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon to Israe\u00adli\u00adtes out\u00adside the fami\u00adly of Jesus was not addres\u00adsed to the reli\u00adgious or poli\u00adti\u00adcal lea\u00adders of Isra\u00adel, but to the she\u00adp\u00adherds ten\u00adding their flocks.
\nFor the she\u00adp\u00adherds, Jesus, who\u00adse death will replace the sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal sys\u00adtem of the temp\u00adle, posed a gre\u00adat eco\u00adno\u00admic chall\u00adenge. Many jobs were at sta\u00adke and cal\u00adled the she\u00adp\u00adherds\u00bb uni\u00adon into action. In order to be able to clas\u00adsi\u00adfy and put away their fears for the future, they nee\u00added a per\u00adso\u00adnal encoun\u00adter with God. And such an encoun\u00adter was given to them: \u00abDo not be afraid! Behold, I pro\u00adcla\u00adim unto you gre\u00adat joy, which shall be to all peo\u00adp\u00adle: for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And have this as a sign: You will find the child wrap\u00adped in swaddling clo\u00adthes and lying in a man\u00adger\u00bb (Luke 2:10\u201312; Lut).
\nMagician
\nThe magi\u00adci\u00adans came from a cas\u00adte of priests and wise men among the Medes, Per\u00adsi\u00adans and Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans who\u00adse tea\u00adchings were main\u00adly astro\u00adno\u00admy, astro\u00adlo\u00adgy and sorcery. On the basis of a con\u00adstel\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon alo\u00adne, they and their court took a jour\u00adney of over 1100 km to meet the new king. The\u00adre was cer\u00adtain\u00adly a lot of uncer\u00adtain\u00adty among the\u00adse scho\u00adlars. First, they prompt\u00adly arri\u00adved at the wrong king, Herod. He \u2013 alt\u00adhough frigh\u00adten\u00aded \u2013 was able to help them decisi\u00adve\u00adly in their search. Final\u00adly, they encoun\u00adte\u00adred an infant in a house (Matthew 2:11 \u2013 no lon\u00adger at the man\u00adger) ins\u00adtead of a roy\u00adal child with a court.
\nAnd then it says: \u00abWhen it was time to set out again, howe\u00adver, they went back to their home\u00adland by ano\u00adther rou\u00adte, for God had war\u00adned them in a dream not to return to Herod\u00bb (Matthew 2:12).
\nThe encoun\u00adter with Jesus chan\u00adged the magi so that they sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly went a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent way. I am con\u00advin\u00adced that this has not only a geo\u00adgra\u00adphi\u00adcal mea\u00adning, but also an inner one. Encoun\u00adters with God allow us to go new ways. And what we can also learn from the magi is that the path to an encoun\u00adter with God can some\u00adti\u00admes be long and arduous. Let us take all the clues we find and seek this King! Even if it takes a long time, let us not give up. By no means let us be satis\u00adfied with kno\u00adwing God only by hear\u00adsay. We can\u00adnot know God from the \u00abglass house\u00bb. That is why Jesus says: \u00abWhoe\u00adver wants to do the will of God will know whe\u00adther my tea\u00adching comes from God or whe\u00adther I am spea\u00adking out of mys\u00adelf\u00bb (John 7:17).
\nHerod was one who knew about the new\u00adborn king only by hear\u00adsay. During his ques\u00adtio\u00adning of the magi\u00adci\u00adans, Herod had been given the exact time when the star appeared (Matthew 2:7). Thus he knew the age of Jesus. If Jesus was born exact\u00adly when the star appeared in the east, Jesus could be no more than two years old. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, fea\u00adring new com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adti\u00adon, he issued the order for geno\u00adci\u00adde. All boys up to two years old had to be kil\u00adled. \u00abHerod was furious when he lear\u00adned that the astro\u00adlo\u00adgers had betray\u00aded him. He sent sol\u00addiers to kill all the boys aged two and under in Beth\u00adle\u00adhem and the who\u00adle sur\u00adroun\u00adding area. For the wise men had told him that they had first seen the star about two years ago\u00bb (Matthew 2:16).
\nThe magi\u00adci\u00adans and Herod made their decis\u00adi\u00adons based on the same cir\u00adcum\u00adstan\u00adti\u00adal evi\u00addence. Kno\u00adwing Jesus only by hear\u00adsay can some\u00adti\u00admes take on bizar\u00adre fea\u00adtures and even result in fana\u00adti\u00adcism. Not infre\u00adquent\u00adly, peo\u00adp\u00adle who come from a church con\u00adtext but have remain\u00aded wit\u00adhout a per\u00adso\u00adnal encoun\u00adter with God beco\u00adme sar\u00adca\u00adstic mockers. Inci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly, this was also the dif\u00adfe\u00adrence bet\u00adween Job and his fri\u00adends. It is impres\u00adsi\u00adve that Job, in the depth of his suf\u00adfe\u00adring, addres\u00adses his God per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly 58 times. That is the key in dark times. Job\u2019s fri\u00adends mere\u00adly talk \u00ababout\u00bb God.
\nHerod acted out of fear of com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adti\u00adon and ther\u00adeby no lon\u00adger being able to deter\u00admi\u00adne hims\u00adelf. Our incre\u00addi\u00adble urge for self-deter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon is a gre\u00adat obs\u00adta\u00adcle to an encoun\u00adter with God. In a para\u00adble, the peo\u00adp\u00adle sent a dele\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon to tell the king (Jesus), \u00abWe do not want this one to rule over us!\u00bb (Luke 19:14; Lut). This atti\u00adtu\u00adde can pre\u00advent an encoun\u00adter with God and have fatal consequences.
\nWit\u00adhout a per\u00adso\u00adnal encoun\u00adter with God, Christ\u00admas remains only a fairy tale and per\u00adso\u00adnal faith bland and not attrac\u00adti\u00adve at all. So that this need not be so, Jesus beca\u00adme man.
\nJesus has come, reason for eter\u00adnal joy;
\nToday, as in the begin\u00adning, he stands the\u00adre with grace.
\nDei\u00adty and huma\u00adni\u00adty both unite;
\nCrea\u00adtor, how you come so clo\u00adse to us humans!
\nHea\u00adven and earth, tell all the people:
\nJesus has come, reason for eter\u00adnal joys!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bible Text: Luke 1:26\u201328; Matthew 1:18\u201325 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Aben\u00adt\u00fc\u00fcr Geb\u00e4t | Wit\u00adhout a per\u00adso\u00adnal encoun\u00adter with God, Christ\u00admas remains only a fairy tale and per\u00adso\u00adnal faith bland and unat\u00adtrac\u00adti\u00adve. To chan\u00adge this, God beca\u00adme human in the per\u00adson of Jesus and made hims\u00adelf toucha\u00adble, visi\u00adble, audi\u00adble and tan\u00adgi\u00adble. Through an encoun\u00adter with God,\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[47],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-abentueuer-gebaet","wpfc-sermon-single","post-1978","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t