BORN TO BE…?
Darrell L. Bock

Nativity is about beginnings. Often at Christmas that is as far as we get. This sermon addresses the question “When it comes to Jesus, why does the world celebrate his birth?” (click to download)

DARRELL L. BOCK is Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. His publications include The Missing Gospels; Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities and Jesus according to Scripture. His PhD degree is from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) and he was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt scholarship by Germany to do historical study at the University of Tübingen in 1995-96 and 2004-2005.

SALUTE ONE ANOTHER
Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook

A salutation is a greeting, a blessing, a holy expression that allows two like-minded spiritual people to connect. This is the story of the relationship that emerges between Elizabeth, the mother of John, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, who salute one another during the time of their simultaneous pregnancies.
(click to download)

DR. SUZAN JOHNSON COOK is a senior pastor at the Believers Christian Fellowship in New York City and is the editor of Sister to Sister and the author of Too Blessed to Be Stressed. She was the first woman to be elected president of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, which represents all the historically African American denominations, and served as a domestic policy advisor under President Clinton. She lives in New York with her husband, Ronald, and their two sons.

WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS WITH A GIFT
Rev. Dr. D. Darrell Griffin

The life of Joseph and Mary is one that really unpacks the essence of God’s giving. God interrupted their lives with a gift. It was through the manifestation of that gift they discovered the identity and character of the gift giver, God. (click to download)

REV. DR. D. DARRELL GRIFFIN is the senior pastor at Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago. He received his B.A. from Morehouse College and his M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School. D. Darrell received his Doctor of Ministry from North Park Theological Seminary in May 2006.

GETTING CLOSE TO THE REAL MARY OF NAZARETH
Sr. Gretchen Hailer

Mary was enclosed by many of the same kinds of historical/political, religious, scriptural, social/cultural structures that women have been subjected to throughout history. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when we try to imagine the ordinary life of Miriam of Nazareth. (click to download)

SR. GRETCHEN HAILER has been a recognized media educator and consultant at the diocesan, national, and international levels for more than twenty years. Her vast experience includes training thousands of adolescents and adults in the skills of faith-based media literacy. She is author of many publications, including the text Believing in a Media Culture.

WHY THE NATIVITY?
Dr. David Jeremiah

The nativity is about Almighty God sending His one and only Son down to this earth. This is His gift to us, not for Christmas, but for eternity. He doesn’t want us to admire it, or merely acknowledge His gift. He wants everyone to receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, by inviting Him into our lives.
(click to download)

DR. DAVID JEREMIAH, author of Why the Nativity?, is the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, CA. He received his B.A. from Cedarville College and went on to earn a Masters degree in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cedarville. In 1969, he launched The Bible Hour television program and in 1982, Turning Point Ministries began radio and television programs. In addition to serving on the NRB Board of Directors, he is a popular speaker and author. He and his wife, Donna, have four grown children and six grandchildren.

CATCHING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Anne Graham Lotz

How do you and I catch the Christmas spirit if we’re not in the mood for Christmas? Should we decorate the house? Plan Christmas parties? Take gifts to the underprivileged? What happens when you just can’t psych yourself up for Christmas? The answer is simple. We get excited about Christmas by sharing Christ.
(click to download)

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ, founder of AnGeL Ministries, has passionately proclaimed God’s Word to people around the world for over thirty years. Her gripping narratives and heart-touching teaching have inspired listeners in arenas and prison cells, stadiums and Bible studies, sanctuaries and seminaries, the United Nations and Amsterdam 2000. The daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Billy Graham, Anne launched Just Give Me Jesus in the year 2000. Anne is an award-winning and best-selling author. Her nine books include her signature book Just Give Me Jesus and her most recent release I Saw The LORD. Anne and her husband, Dr. Dan Lotz, reside in North Carolina.

THE NATIVITY STORY YOUTHWORKER KIT
Interlinc

Your challenge as a youth leader tasked to teaching the Christmas story to teenagers once every year is to find a way to make the familiar into something exciting, insightful, and even interesting. With this kit, your students will gain a deeper understanding of the love that God showed when He became a human being.
(click to download)

INTERLINC assists youth leaders in getting quality Christian music & media resources to their students.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER
Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie

There are really two Christmas’ that we celebrate in our lives: There is the one that happens around us, filed with all the trappings of the season and the burdens of life. And then there is the one that happens in us. That is where the real Christmas can be found. (click to download)

DR. LLOYD JOHN OGILVIE has been a Presbyterian pastor and preacher for fifty years. He served in parishes in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Hollywood, California. In 1995, he was elected the 61st Chaplain of the United States Senate. Dr. Ogilivie has authored over 50 books and has had a nationally syndicated television broadcast “Let God Love You.” Today, he works as President of Leadership Unlimited, travels and speaks extensively, and is involved in the Lloyd John Ogilivie Institute of Preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary.

IS THAT YOU, ANGEL?
Clayton J. Schmit

There are numerous angels in the Christmas Story. God chose to use angels to deliver the message of the birth of Jesus. It took an angel, even an army of angels to tell this story, to sing of the glory of God. But today we are the angels of God, the messengers of the story of Christ’s birth. (click to download)

CLAYTON J. SCHMIT holds the DeKruyter Chair of Preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary and serves as the Academic Director of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. He is author of two books, numerous articles, and is editing and writing several books that are forthcoming in the areas of preaching and worship.

JOSEPH
Jeff Frymire

Perhaps no story is better known than that of the Nativity. It seems that everyone has a major part to play in the story. But is there one who is irrelevant? Could it be Joseph? (click to download)

JEFF FRYMIRE has been a pastor for more than thirty years and has served in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, and California. He is author of Preaching the Story, and is currently a PhD student in preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary.