Tag: Advent

The Challenge of Preaching at Christmas

July 24, 2023 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a candle and a Christmas tree to draw attention to the theme of 'Preaching At Christmas'.

The Challenge of Preaching at Christmas

(Preaching at Christmas time is never easy. May this article be useful to all preachers in their preparation.)

Our pastoral team was planning for the Christmas Season and at that moment, focusing on our main Christmas Event. The event which is held mid-December is normally a well-planned production that would attract anything from 1300-1500 (sometimes more) people from cross-sections of the city. As the discussion continued, one of the pastors casually asked, “Who will be our speaker?” As thoughts of a number of possible guest preachers went through my mind, the Senior Pastor looked at me smilingly. He wanted me to be the speaker.

My immediate reaction should have been, “Not me. Not at Christmas time.” But strangely, I felt a peace about taking on the challenge which was not too far away. Since that day, I have had the opportunity to preach at many of our Christmas Events, besides speaking around 6-10 times at our outreach ministries every December. Over the years, I have learned many lessons about preaching at Christmas time and would like to share some of my learning experiences in this article. They are as follows.

3 Vital Questions in the Christmas Story

December 15, 2022 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

An image of Christmas decorations to draw attention to the Christmas story.

Introduction to sermon on ‘Questions in the Christmas Story’ :

When I was much younger, there was a song that used to play on the Radio that I liked very much. It was titled ‘There are more questions than answers’ sung by Reggae singer Johnny Nash. The song asked a few questions like ‘what is life?’, ‘how do we live?’, ‘what should we take?’, and ‘how much should we give?’

Questions are very much a part of life and asking questions can help us increase our knowledge. There are many types of questions we ask. For instance, some of you may be asking some very personal questions right now, like, ‘Will I get a salary bonus this year?’, ‘How much will it be?’, ‘will my medical tests come out all right?’ (I had first-hand experience of this when I prepared this sermon as my wife and 2 sons were down with viral fever with one of my sons having to be hospitalized. There was tension with each blood report of his that came in, due to the threat of dengue fever).

Christmas Reflections Devotional

November 19, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of the Christmas Reflections 21-day Devotional.

Introduction:

What are your hopes for Christmas this year? Are you surrounded by unfulfilled dreams, unanswered questions, setbacks, and loneliness? Are you looking for restoration and hope after the challenges of the pandemic? This devotional titled ‘Christmas Reflections’ contains 21 easy to read nuggets of inspiration that will give you encouragement to face the Christmas Season.

Christmas Reflections Contents –

The topics covered in this 21-day Christmas Devotional are :

Christmas – A Season for Dreams (3 Devotionals)
The Christmas Light (3 Devotionals)
The Heart of Christmas (3 Devotionals)
Questions at Christmas Time (3 Devotionals)
The Christmas Names – of the Christ Child (4 Devotionals)
God Speaks at Christmas Time (2 Devotionals)
Also included – God’s Favor on the New Year (3 Devotionals)

Our prayer is that the contents in this devotional will inspire you to enjoy the best Christmas yet! Get your copy today from amazon.com here.

Find a short Christmas Devotional here.

The Heart Of Christmas – 3 Thoughts To Reflect On

December 9, 2020 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A picture of Christmas decorations that includes a pink heart. — Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay

Introduction: As we go through the music of today and days gone by, we find that the ‘Heart’ is referred to over and over again. To take a few examples of songs that came out during different stages of my life, we find titles like ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘A Good Heart’, ‘My Heart Will go on Loving You’, and ‘Your Cheating Heart’. (I guess these titles show how old I am!). That’s because the heart is at the center of all life.

One of the meanings given by the Cambridge Dictionary for the word ‘Heart’ goes like this: “The central or most important part” (of a matter). That’s how we come to the term “Let’s get to the heart of the matter”. Another description of the term “the heart of the matter” by The Free Dictionary goes like this: “The most important, basic or fundamental essence or elements of an issue….or matter at hand. That brings me to the main thought in this sermon.

Proposition: Let’s ensure we get to ‘The Heart of Christmas’ this year.