You should preach the well-worn path at Christmas

Yesterday I did a short kid’s talk in church about St Nicholas. It was nothing extraordinary, I’d used it in various other settings.

In other years I’ve given a short spiel on the importance of the incarnation referencing one of my pets, explained the significance of the symbols of Christmas - like the candy cane or the Christmas tree, or led a trivia congest in order to show that many of the elements we now have of the nativity scene are not actually in the bible.

These are my four go-to Christmas talks.

Usually, when it comes to Christmas, there are a few well-worn paths your preaching can follow.

The characters of Christmas.

The importance of the incarnation.

The advent themes - hope, joy, peace and love.

Apologetics about the Christmas accounts.

Christmas through the Old Testament.

I’m sure there’s more common Christmas traits to explore, but with a theme that you need to return to annually, eventually the well will seem dry.

Of course, the plain gospel account will always suffice. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just Jesus.

And, on a Christmas service when you’ve got a plethora of non-regular churchgoers, the simpler the sermon - usually - the better it is for everyone involved.

But, once you’ve preached on Christmas for the fortieth year consecutively, surely you may be tempted to want to step away from the well-worn path.

If this is the case… don’t.

Stick to the simple.

While you may be in the planning stage and seeking a new angle, preach what is both expected and only points people to Jesus.