“Now, Elder,” Pastor said, with a tone in his voice that alerted me to the fact that he was about to ask the impossible of me, “I appreciate all the hard work you’re putting in on my behalf in looking for a Christmas Sermon Series for this year’s Advent Celebrations. However, what I’m looking for is something totally different – – something unique and unusual. Elder, I want you to find something that is really out of this world! And,” he added with what I swear was a sadistic grin, “I want it to be an outreach Sermon Series in nature.”

Hmmmmmmm – – out of this world, huh? I oughta see if I can find Sermons on Christmas about flying saucers and aliens, I thought, that would fix him! As I pondered on that for a minute I was blessed with a somewhat interesting epiphany – – Jesus came from another world to ours. He didn’t, obviously, come on a space ship – – but He did come from the Realms of Glory to earth. And what about the Wise Men? For all intent and purposes they came from another world to worship the Christ child. Aliens? Living in Arizona we sure hear a lot about those – – especially the illegal kind. But, didn’t Jesus leave the “Realms of Glory” for them, too? Telling them about the real “reason for the season” certainly would qualify as an out outreach for Christmas Preaching. Problem is, I thought, to find a series like this I would probably have to write it myself!

You can imagine my relief when, after a little bit of snooping around on the Internet, I actually stumbled upon Mainstay Ministries Advent Sermon Series, From Another World to Ours. Comprised of a five part series, the Sermon Themes are:

• Who Invited Those Guys?
• Future World Changers
• Quick Learners
• The Miracle Continues
• Clash of Cultures

Reviewing the content of each of these sermons I discovered that they are, in fact, dedicated to reaching out to the diverse ethnicities that make up so many of our congregations today. It does, I believe, fit the bill for everything Pastor was looking for.

Equally exciting was learning how complete the Package is. Consisting of the following elements, it is, in fact, totally self-contained:

• Five Sermon Manuscripts
• Two High Resolution Church Videos
• 125 Professionally designed PowerPoint Graphics in JPEG format
• Over 50 Time-Saving Sermon-Enhancing Ideas
• Promotional Resources
• One Free Sample World Map that you can bulk order for your Church

To learn more about this fabulous Christmas Sermon Idea call Mainstay Toll-Free at  1-800-224-2735, or go to http://sundaysolutions.com/from-another-world-to-ours.html. If you’re like Pastor, you’ll agree that Christmas is the best time of the year to reach-out to a hurting world, and these Christmas Sermons will allow you to do just that.

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I was sitting at my desk deep in thought – – wondering what I could come up with for Christmas Sermon Ideas that would really speak to our church’s congregation. I was facing this challenge because Pastor had asked me to do some research and come up with an Advent Sermon Series that he could present that would bless all those who heard it. Anyway, I must have been looking a little bit like a wet puppy on a cold night, because my wife put her hand on my shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong, Dear?” I explained my challenge to her, and she replied, “Why not look for something that would reflect the perfect Christmas?”

Why not indeed, I thought! I cogitated on that for a moment, wondering what does, in fact, make the perfect Christmas? I immediately thought of the festive meal that is always enjoyed at our house. Then, I thought about the gifts (I LOVE gifts), thinking about how, now that we are grand-parents, we tend to look for practical and yet charming gifts for all those we shop for. Then there’s the tree and all the rest of the decorations – – the stuff that seems to help us “get into the Christmas Spirit.” It wasn’t long before I felt the demoralizing sense of shame creep into my being and chastise me for being so shallow. What we need, I realized, is a series of Sermons for Christmas that will make this the most meaningful, Christ-centered Christmas we’ve ever experienced. We need a Christmas Advent Series that will teach us how to slow down; make a plan that keeps Christ the center of our activities; follow through on this decision and joyfully celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

It appeared to be an impossible task, to find some Christmas Preaching that would accomplish all this. Then, as God would have it, I was led to Mainstay Ministries and their series of Advent Sermons entitledThe Christmas You’ve Always Longed For. We will, it shares, experience the Christmas we’ve always longed for when we adhere to the following Sermon Themes:

• Slow Down for Reflection
• Keep a Christ-centered Focus
• Manage the Inevitable Distractions
• Celebrate Whatever Your Circumstances
• Enjoy a God-pleasing Christmas

Not only was I excited that I had found these excellent Sermons on Christmas, but I was also thrilled that it comes in an all-complete packet that includes:

• A Resourceful Pastor’s Manual
• Numerous Service Ideas – Includes mood setters, creative Scripture readings, church and home Advent Candle Lighting Ceremonies, Music Suggestions and much, much more.
• Devotionals for Pastors
• Devotions for December Calendar

To learn more about this amazing and exciting series of Topical Sermons call Mainstay toll-free at 1-800-224-2735 or go to http://sundaysolutions.com/christmas-series-dvd.html. After all, with society in the state of affairs that we currently are, the whole country needs to experience the Christmas we’ve always longed for!

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“It would be nice,” Pastor informed me, “if we could find a Christmas Sermon Series that would let everyone, even those your age, approach this year’s Advent Celebrations with childlike wonder.”

He may not have stressed “your age” quite that much, but I felt that he certainly stressed it more than he needed to. What he was referring to was the task he had recruited me for – – to find some Christmas Sermon Ideas that he could use this Advent Season. As we finished our discussion and drifted apart, I realized that, perhaps, I had been the perfect choice for this assignment after all. Though not “Peter Pan” per se, I must admit that I do, in fact, have a number of childlike qualities and Christmas has always tended to bring them out the most. So, I squared my jaw with grim determination and sought the perfect Sermons for Advent.

What I found was Mainstay Church Resources’ series, A Season of Wonder: Opening the Door to Christmas and Beyond. Based on lessons from the biblical characters of the Christmas story, the series encourages those who hear it to:

• Open your heart’s door to God’s Plans
• Open your heart’s door to friends and strangers
• Open your heart’s door to silence and song
• Open your heart’s door to divine encounters
• Open your heart’s door to God’s love for you
• Open your heart’s door to new opportunities

As well as promising to meet Pastor’s desire to have some Sermons for Christmas that will open our hearts with childlike wonderment, it does so by providing a complete package for its implementation that consists of:

• A Resourceful Pastor’s Manual
• Numerous Service Ideas – Includes mood setters, creative Scripture readings, church and home Advent Candle Lighting Ceremonies, Music Suggestions and much, much more.
• Devotionals for Pastors
• Devotions for December Calendars for your congregation

If you, too, are looking for something special for this year’s Christmas Sermons, call Mainstay toll-free at 1-800-224-2735, or go to http://sundaysolutions.com/wonderadvent.html.

Whether you have “grown up” or not, this series will allow you to view Christmas with all the awe and wonder of a child!

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When Pastor asked me to help him for look for a Christmas Sermon Series I was not, I’ll have to admit, as happy as a puppy getting his belly scratched! By the same token, I decided to attack the project with fervor and enthusiasm. As my search continued, however, I made a discovery that fairly horrified me – – my tact had gone from being a dedicated Elder working on a Pastor-assigned task to one of grim determination and all the joy began to seep out of me as I continued my quest for suitable

Christmas Sermon Ideas. As that thought sunk in and finally registered with me, I nearly succumbed to apoplexy when I realized I had become Ebenezer Scrooge and was figuratively “Bah, Humbugging” all over the place!

That realization led me back to the Internet, to see if I could find an Advent Sermon Series that might actually deal with those of us who, for whatever reason, find ourselves turning into Scrooges during the Christmas Season. Needless to say, I was thrilled when my research led me to a series of Sermons for Christmas by Mainstay Ministries entitled, “From Humbug to Hallelujah.” The suggestion of pastor Dr. Doug Rumford that the transformation in the life of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s classic tale “A Christmas Carol” can be the real experience of people in our churches, thanks to the power of Immanuel . . . . “God with us!” totally enthralled and intrigued me.

The “path” that the Sermon Series suggests to follow to go from humbug to hallelujah is summed up by the themes of the seven part series:

• Prepare for a Christmas You’ll Never Regret (Pre-Advent Sunday)
• Break Christmas Chains Forged in Life (Advents Sunday #1)
• Reawaken the Joy Inherent in Christmas (Advent Sunday #2)
• Value Relationships – Especially at Christmas (Advent Sunday #3)
• Write a Good Ending to Your Christmas Carol (Advent Sunday #4)
• Celebrate a Christmas of Miracle Transformations (Christmas Eve/Day)
• Honor Christmas in Your Heart All Year Long (Sunday after Christmas)

Due to the uniqueness of the topic, I was especially glad to learn that the package offered is complete in scope, consisting of:

• A Published Pastor’s Manual (3-ring binder, 200 Pages)
• Numerous Service Ideas – Includes mood setters, creative Scripture readings, church and home Advent Candle Lighting Ceremonies, Music Suggestions and much, much more.
• Devotionals for Pastors
• Devotions for December Calendars for your entire congregation.

If you are looking for a unique angle for your Christmas Preaching, go to http://sundaysolutions.com/from-humbug-to-hallelujah.html immediately. After all, Scrooge made the changes he needed to before it was to late – – unlike Jacob Marley who had to bear his chains of regret for all eternity!

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