When Christmas Interrupts: Jesus Comes to Change Us

Every family has a Christmas that keeps getting retold—the one that surprises everyone and changes the room. I shared ours from 1995: a house full of relatives, a newborn, and a moment that broke our expectations open with joy. That’s the kind of surprise the first Christmas brought. When heaven announced Jesus, earth had mixed reactions. Joy, fear, resistance—all stirred by a Savior whose arrival doesn’t just comfort; it confronts. Jesus is a gift that disrupts our assumptions and resets our lives.

We watched that disruption in Joseph, the shepherds, and Herod. Joseph moved from his plan to God’s plan. Obedience cost him reputation, comfort, and control, yet it planted him right in the center of what God was doing. The shepherds went from night shift to eyewitnesses of glory. They didn’t pause to gather answers; they carried their encounter straight to the people around them. Herod shows the other path—he felt threatened, guarded his throne, and masked resistance with religious words. If we’re honest, we rotate between all three postures: obedient, available, defensive.

The good news compels sharing. The shepherds model urgency: no training, just a testimony. Joseph models stewardship: in the years before Jesus’ public ministry, Joseph guarded and nurtured what God had entrusted to him. The innkeeper reminds us that the danger isn’t always hostility; it’s overcrowded priorities. Being filled with the Spirit looks like room-making—the surrendered availability to be interrupted by God. And Herod warns us that it’s possible to sing carols and still refuse a King. Real worship looks like obedience, not sentiment.

So here’s the invitation before Christmas ends: name one person. Make one call. Have one conversation. Offer one invitation. Don’t wait for a perfect moment; the shepherds didn’t. The greatest surprise wasn’t under a tree; it was wrapped in cloth and laid in a manger. And another surprise is coming—Jesus will return. This Christmas, let the Surprise change you, and let that change spill into someone else’s life.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus disrupts comfortable plans. Following Jesus often invades the spaces we try to protect—our reputation, our calendar, our sense of control. Joseph’s obedience shows that God’s interruptions are not detours but doorways. When God rearranges what you expected, it’s not to diminish your life but to weave you into His larger story. Pay attention to what He’s interrupting right now.
• 2. Ordinary obedience carries urgent witness. The shepherds didn’t wait until they felt qualified; they shared what they saw. Urgency here isn’t frantic; it’s love that refuses to postpone good news. Start where you are—with neighbors, friends, and family—and name what Jesus has done for you. Your encounter is enough to begin.
• 3. Make room, not just noise. The inn wasn’t hostile; it was full. Our lives can hum with religious noise and still leave no space for God’s interruptions. Being filled with the Spirit looks like surrendered availability, not spiritual fireworks. Create margin so you can notice and respond when God steps in.
• 4. Worship is obedience, not sentiment. Herod wanted the benefits of religion without yielding the throne; the shepherds responded with action. It’s possible to adore the idea of Jesus while protecting rival loyalties. Ask where your plans compete with His reign. Then worship by doing the next obedient thing.
• 5. Steward what you already know. Joseph’s calling was to protect and nurture what God had entrusted before the world ever listened. You have truth to guard, people to disciple, and small spaces to cultivate. Faithfulness in the ordinary forms a life God can amplify. Start with what’s in your hands today.

1. In Luke 2:10–11 what titles are given to the newborn, and how would those titles (Savior, Messiah, Lord) have upset common expectations about who the Messiah would be?
2. What concrete things did the shepherds do after the angelic announcement (Luke 2:15–18)? Which details show urgency rather than waiting for answers?
3. In Matthew 2:3–8 how did Herod respond to the news about the child? What words or actions reveal his true motive?
4. The sermon named three postures toward Jesus (Joseph’s obedience, the shepherds’ availability/urgency, Herod’s resistance). Which example from the readings best represents each posture?

1. What would it mean for a person today to have their personal plans interrupted in the way Joseph’s life was interrupted? What kinds of cost (reputation, comfort, control) might that involve?
2. How does the shepherds’ immediate testimony challenge common ideas about needing training or perfect answers before sharing the good news?
3. How might a person’s full schedule, commitments, or “busy-ness” function like the inn that had “no room”? What does that imply about how they understand being filled with the Spirit?
4. What does Herod’s behavior teach about the difference between singing praise and doing obedient worship? How might a person be “worshiping” in sentiment but protecting a competing throne?

1. Name one specific person you will contact about Jesus this week. How will you contact them (call, text, coffee, invite)? Choose a day and time now and share it with the group or a partner.
2. Identify one recurring activity or commitment you can reduce or pause to create margin for God’s interruptions (e.g., shorten a weekly meeting, decline one event, limit screen time). What exactly will you change this week?
3. Think of one area of your life where you are protecting control (career decision, family plan, reputation). What is one concrete, next obedient step you can take toward surrender in that area within the next 7 days?
4. Who is one person you can steward or disciple with the truth you already know (a friend, spouse, child, coworker)? What specific step will you take to invest in them in the next two weeks (invite to a meal, start a Bible study, share a book)?
5. Choose a specific act of obedient worship you will perform this Christmas season (serve at a ministry, invite someone to church, give time or resources sacrificially). When will you do it and what is the measurable outcome you hope for?
6. If you find yourself more like Herod (resistant or defensive), what is a short confession or prayer you will say this week to ask for openness? Who will you ask for accountability to follow through?
7. The sermon invited people to “name one person, make one call, have one conversation, offer one invitation.” Which of those will you commit to right now? Write the name and the commitment, then decide who you will tell to keep you accountable.