"When Christmas Gets Messy"

(Reproduced and cut/expanded from a sermon outline sent to me by a friend. His outline was redacted/adapted from another outline... and so it continues... :-)
"When Christmas Gets Messy"

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”  Luke 1: 26-37 (NJKV)
1)   Give God your Undivided Attention. "The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.' Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:28-30)"How I wish my people would listen to me; how I wish they would obey me!" (Psalm 81:13, TEV) 
2)   Discover God's Different and Better Plans for Your Life. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jer. 29:11)
a)   God's Plans Are Always Bigger than Our Plans. "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David." (Luke 1:31-32)
b)   God's Plans Are Always More Challenging than Our Plans. "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep." The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:11-16) "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways," (Isaiah 55:8)
c)    God's Plans Are Always More Rewarding than Our Plans. "No one has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things that God has ready for those who love the Lord." (1 Cor. 2:9, LB)
3)   Trust God Even When You Don't Fully Understand. "'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.'" (Luke 1:38) "Without faith it is impossible to please God..." (Heb. 11:6)"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Rom. 8:28, NLT)
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"The true gift of Christmas is not found in a present under the tree; it is found in His presence in our lives."