Intro: The messaging in the “songs of the season” clearly long for a way of life that most are not living.

              My Grown Up Christmas List – Kelly Clarkson

The total point of Christmas, almost universally held by the culture—Goodwill Toward Men

A better rendering – peace among men (people) of goodwill (in whom God finds well-pleasing)

• How will this peace come?
• How do you get to be that person?
• What’s the connection in both of these to the child born in the manger?

There is a huge disconnection between what could be—what we apparently long for there to be and what is…

Two BIG, GIGANTIC problems that dog humanity, we don’t know how to get past, and lament them over and over again in the lyrics of our songs of the season… are addressed by the VISIT of the child to the manger—the SON of God from heaven… Lk. 1:79

• “those living in darkness”
• “in the shadow of death”

The real point of Christmas, before we can even consider goodwill, is a RECONNECTION of what has been DISCONNECTED— Heb. 7:25; 1 Tim. 1:15,16

Jesus came to bring salvation through the forgiveness of sins Lk. 1:77—to reconnect the disconnect

Those who turn to Jesus Christ to be their connection to God the Father move from being slaves to sin to sons of God! Jn. 1:12

Connection is not automatic, it never is / has been—the angels confirmed that—but those who recognize their disconnection from God and turn from it to Christ as their Connector/ connection, will experience the promise of the angels now and forever… Peace to those of goodwill, with whom God is well-pleased!