Unwrapping Christmas
Preached to: Middle & High School Students
Speaker: Pastor Amanda Hahn
Christmas is a season filled with lights, music, gifts, and traditions—but what if Christmas is meant to be unwrapped, not just celebrated? At Amplify Youth, we talked about how the very first Christmas came with five incredible gifts from God… gifts that still matter for us today.
Each part of the Christmas story reveals something powerful about who Jesus is and what He brings into our lives. Here’s what we discovered:
🎁 1. Hope — God Keeps His Promises
Long before Jesus was born, God promised a Savior (Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2). Even when the world felt dark or silent, God was still working. Christmas reminds us that God never forgets His promises—He fulfills them at the perfect time.
🎁 2. Humility — Jesus Came Low So We Could Come Close
Jesus didn’t come in a palace or with royal fanfare. He came in a manger—simple, small, and humble (Luke 2:7). His arrival shows us that God isn’t distant or unapproachable.
He stepped into our world in the most down-to-earth way possible.
🎁 3. Invitation — Everyone Is Welcome
The first people to hear about Jesus’ birth weren’t kings or leaders—they were shepherds (Luke 2:8–12), the overlooked of society. That’s not an accident.
God wanted us to know that His love and His message are for everyone.
🎁 4. Peace — Jesus Brings Calm to Chaos
The angels declared, “Peace on earth!” (Luke 2:14), and that message is still for us today. Jesus brings peace into our stress, our fear, and our daily battles.
Peace isn’t the absence of problems—it’s the presence of Jesus.
🎁 5. Worship — We Give Jesus Our Best
The wise men traveled far and brought costly gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). They weren’t random gifts—they represented Jesus as King, God, and Savior.
Christmas reminds us that Jesus is worth our very best, not our leftovers.
🎁 Final Thought
The greatest gift of Christmas isn’t wrapped in paper…
It’s wrapped in a manger, in love, in grace, and in a Savior who came for you.
This year, don’t just celebrate Christmas.
Unwrap it.
🎁 Next Steps
Christmas isn’t just a story we read once a year—it’s an invitation to unwrap who Jesus is every day.
Here are a few simple steps you can take this week:
Choose one gift—Hope, Humility, Invitation, Peace, or Worship—and pray about how to live it out.
Spend a few minutes with Jesus each day, letting Him speak peace into your life.
Give Him your best, whether that’s your time, attitude, or choices.
Invite a friend to next week’s Amplify Youth Christmas Party! Don’t keep the good news to yourself—share it!
Keep up with all that’s going on at Amplify Youth, including dates, times, sign-ups, and forms, on our main page.
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🍽️ 1. “Unwrapping Hope”
Topic: How God keeps His promises.
Prompt: Christmas reminds us that God fulfilled His promise to send Jesus — even when people waited for centuries.Questions:
What’s something you’re hoping God will do in your life right now?
Why is it sometimes hard to trust God when we can’t see results yet?
What’s one way we can help each other stay hopeful this Christmas season?
🍽️ 2. “The Gift of Humility”
Topic: Jesus choosing a humble beginning.
Prompt: Jesus came in the lowest, simplest way — a manger — to show us humility and closeness.Questions:
Why do you think God chose such a humble way for Jesus to enter the world?
What does humility look like in our home, school, or relationships?
What’s one practical way we can show humility as a family this week?
🍽️ 3. “Sharing the Invitation”
Topic: The Christmas story is meant to be shared.
Prompt: The shepherds didn’t keep the good news to themselves—they ran to share it.Questions:
Who might God be inviting us to reach out to, encourage, or include this season?
Why is it important not to keep Jesus to ourselves?
How can we, as a family, show God’s love or extend an invitation to someone this Christmas?
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Big Idea: Christmas isn’t just something we celebrate — it’s something God invites us to unwrap.
🎁 1. Hope — God Keeps His Promises
Prophecies promised Jesus hundreds of years before He came.
Even when it feels like nothing is happening, God is working.
🎁 2. Humility — Jesus Came Low So We Could Come Close
Born in a manger, not a palace.
Jesus chose simplicity and humility so He’d be approachable.
🎁 3. Invitation — The Good News Is for Everyone
Shepherds (the overlooked) were the first to hear.
God invites the broken, the unnoticed, and the ordinary.
🎁 4. Peace — Jesus Brings Calm to Chaos
Angels declared peace on earth at His birth.
Real peace isn’t about a perfect life — it’s about Jesus in the middle of life.
🎁 5. Worship — Give Jesus Your Best
The wise men brought meaningful gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.
Worship is offering Jesus your best from the heart.
⭐ Next Steps
Pick one “gift” to live out this week.
Spend quiet time with Jesus daily.
Give Jesus your best in attitude, actions, and choices.
Invite a friend to the Youth Christmas Party next week!
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Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
Luke 2:7 (NLT)
“She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.”
Luke 2:8–12 (NLT)
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’”Luke 2:13–14 (NLT)
“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’”John 14:27 (NLT)
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Matthew 2:11 (NLT)
“They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
