The birth of Jesus is very important… and even though the coming of the Messiah was anticipated for a long time, His arrival was not what was expected. And even today, Christmas isn’t always as we might expect.
How has your Christmas gone in an unexpected way?

Not everything is as it seems… and one reality about the first Christmas is that it wasn’t as “bright and cheery” as we often imagine. In fact, the first Christmas was pretty dark.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” —Matthew 2:13-18 (NIV)

This is a dark story, one that we all-too-often want to gloss over this time of year because we want to focus on all the beauty, good-will toward men, and (most especially) the peace. But the first Christmas was anything but peaceful.
Why do you think Matthew tells us this story?

It could be

Egypt may be a bummer. But it was better than Bethlehem. Many times we find ourselves depressed in Egypt, but it could be worse.
How can this logic help us?

Christmas doesn’t explain why there is still evil in the world… But what it does do is shine the light on the future. And that light is unexpected.
How is this good new?

It will be

When Matthew quoted Jeremiah (verse 18), he wasn’t just looking to the past… he was looking to the future. Take a look at the very next verses after this quote in Jeremiah.

But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land. —Jeremiah 31:16-17 (NLT)

What do you notice here?

The problem with asking God to get rid of all evil in this world… none of us would be left. Because we all have some darkness in us. At that first Christmas, God set in motion a different way to deal with darkness. And it is the unexpected way of Jesus.
How does Jesus deal with darkness?

Christmas reminds us that there is hope for our future. Because the one who came is coming again.