Unexpected Gifts

Your students think they have their lives mapped out — then God shows up with something completely different. This 3-week Christmas sermon series walks through how Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds responded when angels announced Jesus's arrival, helping your students discover what it means when God's plans don't match their expectations. Through these unexpected encounters in the nativity story, students will learn to recognize God's work in their own lives, trust Him when His plans feel confusing or inconvenient, and embrace the reality that He's writing a better story than they could plan for themselves. Perfect for youth ministry during the Christmas season when students need to hear that God's unexpected gifts — including a Savior born in a manger — are always better than what we hoped for.