How many of us have plans and goals in life and they seem to change due to things we can not control?

We can look at the two groups who this wonderful story effects:
The Holy Family of Christ
The Shepherds

Holy Family:
Lives were moved from Nazareth to Bethlehem for a census
Could not stay in a home or inn
Stayed in a cave or stable
Baby born who would change the world

Shepherds:
Watching their sheep as they always did
Angels come out of nowhere to speak to them
They left their sheep to see a baby

Jesus came into the World to change everything and mess up the plans of Satan and our sinful selves.

Satan is always working to mess up our lives and tempts our selfish nature:
What is best for others is not best for me.
I can not let others stand in the way of what I want
My spouse and children are annoying
Scrooge

Our sinful nature:
I want my spouse and marriage to serve me(Your not the person I married)
I have these plans for the future and they are changed
My children are not behaving the way I want them to
God does not give me what I want when I want it
I am disappointed by everybody
Christmas is not what I wanted
Death hurts
Divorce
Addiction

Jesus came to mess up the plans of this world:
Jesus’ life and death changed the relationship between God and people
Jesus’ brought grace for salvation from the belief of working for salvation
Jesus brought and won forgiveness instead of revenge
Jesus came to change people from the past to a joyous future

Jesus did this through His death on the cross as our sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus arose from the dead to give the promise of eternal life

We are given this wonderful gift of salvation and forgiveness through God’s Word.
This gift starts in our lives through Holy Baptism
We are strengthened by the gift of the Lord’s Supper

How does the gift mess up our lives?
Instead of thinking of ourselves first we want to think of others
When relationships are messed up because our behavior or others we are repentant and forgiving
We stop seeing God as a judgmental mean God, but as a loving, gracious and forgiving God.
We see our first responsibility to God
Our daily lives are changed
How we see all our relationships differently

We also see this gift as a gift not keep for ourselves, but a gift to share:
Gift to share with our Family of Christ
Gift to share with our friends
Gift to share with our neighbor
Gift to share with our co-worker
Gift to share with the stranger

Actually there is no longer a mess in our lives, but a whole new plan and future for us.