THE DIFFERENCE CHRISTMAS MAKES
Text: Luke 2:18–20
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. For many people, Christmas brings mixed feelings. Some experience joy and celebration, while others carry stress, disappointment, or even heartache. But regardless of how we personally feel, one thing is true — Christmas changes everyone.
It costs something.
It costs time.
It costs money.
You either gave something or you received something.
You had conversations. You had circumstances. You had moments that shaped your week.
Whether big or small, good or bad, Christmas leaves a mark on us.
And when we look at the original Christmas story, I believe every single person involved was different after Jesus was born.
The Bible says:
Luke 2:18
“And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
Today, you may not be any better off spiritually because of a sale, a gift, or a tradition you kept. But my prayer is that we would all live in wonder at the difference the birth of Christ has made.
I. Christmas Changes Our Processing
Let us begin with Mary.
Luke 2:19
“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”
Biblical Christmas is a lot to take in.
Angels.
A virgin birth.
The plan of God.
A long journey to Bethlehem.
A birth in a manger.
Mary did not try to explain it away.
She did not try to rewrite the storyline.
She heard the instruction of God, believed Him, and tucked those truths away in her heart.
To ponder means to roll something over and over in careful thought, to examine it closely.
We often examine gifts that way. We turn them over, study them, and consider what they mean to us.
Billy Graham once said, “Christmas is not only a time for celebration, but a time for contemplation.”
When is the last time, spiritually, that we truly pondered the Christmas story — not just as history, but as worship?
Christmas changes the way we process life when we allow Christ to shape our thinking.
II. Christmas Changes Our Position
Now consider the shepherds.
Luke 2:20
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”
The shepherds were mostly uneducated, ceremonially unclean, and socially ignored. Because of their work, they were often unwelcome in religious settings and overlooked by society.
But then Christmas happened.
It did not only change kings and scholars and wealthy people.
It changed shepherds.
They went from watching sheep to worshiping the Savior.
They went from being unheard in the community to being the first evangelists after the birth of Christ.
What does that mean for us?
Christmas should move us.
It should lift us.
It should motivate us.
It should mobilize us.
Christmas reminds everyone in the room that God can use you.
It changes our position — not by who we are, but by whose we are.
III. Christmas Changes Our Perspective
Now let us look at Simeon.
Luke 2:25–32
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
Simeon had waited a lifetime for this moment.
Years of faith.
Years of watching.
Years of trusting.
And in one moment, his expectation met fulfillment.
His perspective changed.
He had been looking forward in faith, but now he was looking upward in peace.
If we think Christmas is only about gifts and decorations and meals, then we have missed the point. Christ has made Himself visible so that we would turn our hearts heavenward, receive His salvation, and live with eternity in view.
Jesus asked:
Mark 8:36
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
If you have been saved for some time now, Christmas keeps alive the hope of seeing Him face to face one day. Simeon never gave up hope. He never stopped looking.
Let Christmas remind us — He came once, and He will come again.
Conclusion
There was one more person in the Christmas story who also had an opportunity — King Herod. Just like Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and the shepherds, he was confronted with the reality of Christ. But instead of worship, he felt threatened. He clung to his own throne.
Christmas reveals Christ to us, but it also reveals our heart toward Christ.
Why push Him away?
Why resist His rule?
Why cling to control when Heaven is offering grace?
Christmas makes a difference — not just in our schedules, our traditions, or our emotions — but in our souls, if we will receive the Christ who came for us.
And when Christ truly comes into a life, nothing remains the same.
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