Weekly Bulletin
Christmas Odyssey:
Odyssey Filled With Conflict
December 21, 2025
Pastor Terry Fulks
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:1–13 ESV
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:16–18 ESV
Here are three aspects of the conflict in the Christmas odyssey.
1. Conflict can come when doing the right thing.
2. Conflict to be expected.
3. Conflict inside of you is your greatest conflict.
“Whether a man lives or dies in vain can be measured only by the way he faces his own problems, by the success or failure of the inner conflict within his own soul. And of this no one may know save God.”
– James Bryant Conant
“You have to comply, you have to obey – or you’d better resign and leave. But that is also the mark of a great leader – somebody who, in the presence of inner conflict, will do the right thing.”
– Colin Powell
Points to ponder:
- Life works better when you live in the reality that conflict is part of life.
- I cannot prove this statement but it seems to be true and that is this: “If you are a Christian then you probably should expect even more conflict now that you have chosen Christ’s side.”
- If you trust God in the conflict you will come out more refined for God’s service and will have a mental toughness for all of life.
- I am asking you today to step up and choose Christ’s side.
Connection Prayer: Lord, please help me surrender to you and place my faith in you. Give me a hunger and thirst for you. I want to thank you for your light, life, love, and your truth. I now, with what faith I have, confess that you Jesus died on the cross for my sins, were buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. I take you as my Savior, Lord, and Leader. Please forgive me of my sins and thank you for your forgiveness. Help me to follow you all the days of my life. Amen.
Next steps for the new believer:
- If you prayed the connection prayer with me:
- Pick up a new believer pack as you leave.
- Read John 3, three times before you go to bed tonight.
- Read the gospel of John all the way through by reading about ten verses a day.
Next steps for the believer:
- This week review the sermon notes at least twice.
- Read Ephesians 6:10-13 at least 3 times.
- Continue working on Romans 6:23 in order to memorize it.
- Ask yourself what conflict am I experiencing right now?
- Pray over who you could invite to church on Christmas Eve? This could be the beginning of their journey to paradise.