Come on, thank you for showing up to church. Hey, I want to welcome all locations: Bellevue, Yakima, DuPont—I see you today, I feel you today—and right here in Tacoma, our online family, those of you tuning in, we are so glad that you are here at church.

If I haven’t met you before, my name is Jonathan. I grew up in this house, and I get to lead our DuPont location as the location pastor there. We’re having so much fun—God’s doing great things there. But I’m excited to bring the word today, and we’re jumping into a new series. I’ll tell you the title after I honor our pastors. I want to give honor where honor is due.

This past week, a few of us got to go to an event in Arizona with our pastors in a room full of about 80 to 90 other pastors from around the nation. Can I just tell you, we are so blessed? We have the best of the best. Pastors across the nation seek wisdom, guidance, and leadership from the very person that steps behind this pulpit every single Sunday.

Let’s not get familiar with the word of God here at Champion Center. Let’s not get familiar with the voice we are honored to have every single weekend. Pastor Kevin, I know you’re watching today. We love you. Your church loves you. Thank you for your voice. Amen. I love that we have an honoring church. You can grab a seat.

We are going to jump into a brand new series today, “Celebrate Jesus.” Pastor Roger said it here in Tacoma, and I’m sure in other locations as well: we’re going big on Jesus this holiday season. Every single week, we’ll be answering a question about Jesus, so don’t miss a weekend. Make sure you’re in church every single weekend this December. It’s going to be a powerful, special time together.

Our anchor scripture is Luke 2:13-14: “Suddenly, a great army of heaven’s angels appeared. And what were they doing when they appeared? Singing praises.” Everyone say, “Sing praises.” Singing praises to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.” We’re talking all things Celebrate Jesus.

Will you pray with me? Father, thank You for today. Thank You for every individual here. By being here, we have taken a step to draw unto You, Lord. I pray that You would do as You promised and draw unto us, God. Speak to us today. Give us life, encouragement, and remind us as we open Your Word. We honor You and commit this entire series, this entire season, to You in Jesus’ mighty name. Everyone say, “Amen.” Amen.

We’re in a fun season at home right now. We have three boys: a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old. Parents, you’ll know this—we’re in the “who, what, why, wo” season. The curiosity, excitement, and wonder in our house are through the roof, especially with our three-year-old. We cannot drive more than one minute down the road without him noticing Santa on rooftops, Christmas lights on gutters, the decor, the reindeer in the lawn. He asks, “Who put that on the roof? Why is that there? How did they get it on the roof?”

No matter what answer he is given, the joy when he finds out is incredible. The innocence, curiosity, belief, and joy are inspiring. I hope this series can help us get our “woe” back when it comes to Jesus. I hope that even if you’ve heard the Christmas story a thousand times, you never lose your wonder. I hope you desire to know more, learn more, and honor and celebrate Jesus big this holiday season.

Today, we ask an important question: Who is Jesus? How we answer this will shape our faith, our future, and our eternity. What you believe about Jesus determines how you approach Him, read your Bible, pray, attend church, worship, and live your life.

People answer this in many ways: some say He was a historical figure, a moral teacher, a religious leader. Muslims say He was a prophet. Hindus call Him a spiritual guru. Buddhists say He was a wise teacher. Others say He is God Himself, sent to redeem us. Some say, “Jesus is my Savior, my friend, my helper.”

No major religion denies that Jesus actually existed. He was real, verified by history, witnessed by thousands, confirmed through centuries. Historians, Christian and non-Christian, confirm He lived, was baptized, had siblings, and primarily spoke Aramaic. Jesus actually existed. No one has impacted the world like Jesus.

He is fully God and fully man—powerful and personal. He walked in our shoes yet retains divine power. John 1:1, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” He is Emmanuel, God with us. Colossians 1:15-17: “He is the image of the invisible God. By Him all things were created; in Him all things hold together.” Hebrews 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.” Hebrews 4:14: “Since we have a great high priest… let us hold firmly to the faith… For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses.”

Jesus is our Savior. Matthew 1:21: “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” The first announcement of Jesus’ birth was to shepherds, the lowest class of Jewish society—God chooses the humble. Who is Jesus to you? Have you let Him be all He wants to be in your life, or are you trying to go through life on your own?

The angels and shepherds responded with worship. Luke 2:13-14: “Suddenly, a great army of angels appeared… singing praises to God. Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.” Let us worship Jesus for who He is. If you’ve been far from Him, today is your day. Lift your hand, put your hand on your heart, and say:

“Lord Jesus, come into my life. Come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Today I put my faith in You and give You my life. From here on out, I will serve You. I will live for You. I will honor You all the days of my life, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.”

Welcome to the family of God. Celebrate Jesus this season!