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Those days Caesar Augustus 
issued a decree that a census 

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should be taken of the entire 
Roman world. 

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This was the first census that 
took place while quirinius was 

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governor of Syria and everyone 
went to their own town to 

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register. 
So Joseph also went up from the 

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town of Nazareth in Galilee to 
Judea to Bethlehem the town of 

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David because he belonged to the
house and line of David. 

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He went there to register with 
Mary who was pledged to be 

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married to him and was expecting
a child. 

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While they were there the time 
came for the baby to be born and

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she gave birth to her firstborn 
a son she wrapped him in cloths 

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and placed him in a Manger 
because there was no guest room 

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available for them. 
I never Shepherds living out in 

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the fields nearby, keeping watch
over their flocks at night, an 

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angel of the Lord appeared to 
them. 

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And the glory of the Lord Shone 
around them and they were 

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terrified. 
The angel said to them, do not 

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be afraid. 
I bring you good news. 

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That will cause great. 
Joy for all the people today in 

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the town of David. 
A savior has been born to you. 

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He is the Messiah, the Lord, 
this will be assigned to you. 

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You will find a baby wrapped in 
cloths and lying in a Manger. 

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Suddenly a great company of the 
heavenly host appeared with the 

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angel praising God, and saying, 
glory to God in the highest 

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heaven and on Earth peace to 
those on whom his favor rests 

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When the Angels had left them 
and gone into heaven, the 

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shepherd's said to one another. 
Let's go to Bethlehem and see 

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this thing that has happened 
which the Lord has told us about

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so they hurried off and found 
Mary and Joseph and the baby who

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was lying in the manger when 
they had seen him, they spread 

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the word concerning. 
What had been told them about 

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this child and all who heard it 
were amazed at what the 

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shepherd's said to them. 
But Mary treasured up all these 

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things and pondered them in her 
heart. 

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The shepherd's returned 
glorifying and praising God, for

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all the things they had heard 
and seen which were just as they

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had been told on the eighth day 
when it was time to circumcise. 

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The child, he was named Jesus, 
the name, the angel had given 

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him before he was conceived. 
Does Mike comes up to preach? 

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I will pray for him and for us. 
My father, God, we thank you 

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that you have revealed yourself 
to us in your word. 

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Thank you. 
That this is a real, real thing 

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that really happened. 
And you are teaching us about it

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through your word. 
And as you use map to peace, we 

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pray that you would fill me with
your spirit would help him to 

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speak. 
You'd help him to say the words 

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you want to say through him and 
that would help us as we listen 

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for that. 
You soften our hearts and Open 

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the Eyes of our hearts that we 
would know you more through 

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this. 
They would understand what you 

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want to say to us. 
And I will be able to take it 

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into the coming days and weeks 
as to think upon it and to meet 

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you in it. 
In Jesus name, amen. 

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Morning everyone, I'm definitely
on whites the sheets to come 

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around. 
So we've read the kind of first 

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section of Luke Chapter 2, just 
to give us the context, but I'm 

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going to be focusing more on 
verses 8 to 20. 

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So that's mainly about the 
Shepherds. 

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So it's that everyone with its 
great. 

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So yes, I was kind of tight with
this the message of Christmas. 

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So what what is the message of 
Christmas? 

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What should we be? 
Reminding each other about? 

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What should we be writing in our
Christmas cards? 

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Well, according to the inter for
our website which come up first 

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on my Google search, there are 
78 messages. 

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You can share when you're 
writing Christmas cards. 

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What do you think of these ones?
so, First one, a good standard 

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one, wishing you and your family
health, happiness, peace and 

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prosperity, this Christmas. 
And in the coming new year, the 

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good standard one. 
Well, how about this? 

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Yeah, it's Christmas. 
Let's buy loads of stuff. 

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No one needs. or a slightly 
sentimental or what can be 

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better opening presents, eating 
food, singing Christmas music, 

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Doing it all those things with 
family, like you. 

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And then a couple of romantic 
ones. 

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You're the Partridge to my pear 
tree or this is my favorite one.

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Audie brussel sprouts for you. 
So but this morning, we're going

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to look at the real original 
message of Christmas. 

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We're going to look at who it's 
for We're going to look at what 

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it is and we're going to look at
how we should react to it. 

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So who is it for? 
That's our passage today starts 

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off by saying that there were 
some shepherds in the fields 

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looking after their sheep. 
Nothing unusual. 

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There, you might think, and 
you'd be right, that's what 

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Shepherds did that time. 
And particularly in this area 

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around Bethlehem. 
Some commentators have said that

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the Shepherds were kind of seen 
as despised untrustworthy people

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but others disagree and there's 
probably good reasons for that. 

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But to be honest whether they're
despised or not, the important 

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thing is that there really 
wasn't anything particularly 

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special about the shepherd's. 
They were just normal tea towel 

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and dressing-gown wearing 
Shepherds, they were just normal

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people. 
Yet. 

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God chose them to reveal this 
semester special message to 

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Passage also says the Shepherds 
were in darkness. 

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It was nighttime in more ways 
than one. 

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Now, I would assume that they 
were kind of as are quite used 

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to looking after sheep. 
The fact that the sun wasn't in 

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the sky, probably wasn't a 
problem for them. 

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I don't think they're 
particularly Afraid of the Dark.

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However, when the Angels first 
appeared, the shepherd's aren't 

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so calm. 
The shepherds are terrified. 

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There are filled with fear. 
Have you ever had that 

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experience of creeping through 
the house at night on your way 

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to the Loo? 
Trying not to wake up everyone 

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else in the house who's asleep 
and then you unexpectedly bump 

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into someone else. 
Who's doing the same thing, you 

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get a real fright, the chances 
of getting back to sleep 

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quickly, I've gone and your 
adrenaline's running your heart 

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races heart is racing. 
Imagine just think if that was 

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an angel that you saw in the 
House suddenly appears is huge, 

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Angel it would be even more 
scary. 

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But this reaction that the 
shepherd's had, is quite normal 

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Zechariah was gripped with fear 
when the angel appears to him 

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and Mary was greatly troubled 
when the angel Gabriel spoke to 

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her. 
I mean I do often wonder if 

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angels get a bit Fed Up of 
saying, don't be afraid every 

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time they go to speak to 
someone. 

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How about the Shepherds were? 
No doubt. 

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Shocked by the arrival of the 
Angel, what? 

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Actually they were more scared 
of was the fact that the glory 

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of God was shining around them 
Throughout the Old Testament is 

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clear that when people come near
the presence of God, they're 

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fearful in Psalm 24, it says who
may Ascend the mountain of the 

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Lord who may stand in his holy 
place. 

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Those who have clean hands and a
pure heart who do not put their 

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trust in an idol or swear by a 
false god. 

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People knew that they couldn't 
come anywhere near the standard 

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of God's holiness. 
I'm pretty sure the shepherd's 

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hands, weren't clean. 
And as, for a pure heart, well, 

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that rules us all out. 
So these Shepherds we're in 

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physical Darkness, but they're 
also aware that they were in 

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spiritual Darkness. 
They potentially could have 

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coped with the lack of sun 
lights, but they knew they 

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weren't in a condition to be 
near to God's glory and 

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Holiness. 
So they were terrified of what 

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God might do to them. 
So these shepherds are normal. 

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People used to living in 
darkness. 

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Not worthy of being in God's 
presence and afraid of what will

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happen when the light of his 
glory Shines on their life. 

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The shepherds are probably not 
much different from any of us 

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before first hearing the Angels 
good news. 

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So what is this? 
Joyful message of good news that

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the Angels bring to these 
Ordinary People? 

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Let's have a look at that sewing
are done. 

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All right. 
So first 11, it says, today in 

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the town of David, a savior has 
been born to you. 

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He is the Messiah, the Lord I 
wonder what the shepherd's 

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thought when they first heard 
this. 

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It may just be one sentence, but
it's full of significant words. 

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I feel like it would have taken 
a little time to process it. 

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I assume the words that Luke 
writes in verse 15. 

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A kind of just a summary of what
the shepherd's said when after 

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the Angels had gone back into 
heaven. 

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So, I'm kind of intrigued what 
exactly did they say to each 

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other? 
As they packed up their things 

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and headed down a hillside to 
see this thing that had 

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happened. 
So let's let's consider what 

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they might have said. 
And hopefully, as we do that, we

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might understand this message 
better for ourselves. 

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So for the chief Shepherd, if 
there is such a thing as a chief

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Shepherd says, did you hear that
boys? 

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Well, of course we did. 
It was loud enough. 

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Wasn't it? 
Well, what are we waiting for? 

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Then he said today, that means 
like this is actually happening 

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right now. 
Come on, get your stuff 

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together. 
So, where are we going? 

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Oh, that's right. 
The town of David that's 

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Bethlehem, right? 
Yeah. 

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Yeah. 
Beth Lee him. 

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That town just down there. 
But you know what the scriptures

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say about the town of David, 
don't you? 

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That's where the scriptures. 
Say the Messiah will come from. 

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And that's what the angel told 
us as well. 

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This baby is going to be the 
Messiah, the anointed one to 

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lead Israel. 
What? 

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Just an an anointed one but the 
anointed one. 

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Yeah, the one, the whole is how 
One of Israel has been waiting 

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for and it's happened today. 
Come on. 

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But before that he said this 
baby was going to be our savior 

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savior. 
You mean like our rescuer? 

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Like someone who saves us from 
our enemies. 

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Yeah, that's what he said. 
And not just any one savior, but

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our savior. 
You and me, he said, this savior

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has been born to you. he means 
this baby is the savior of the 

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whole of Israel, but also our 
own personal savior Yeah, that's

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what right, that's what I 
thought too, but even better is 

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not just our savior, the 
Messiah. 

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This baby is the Lord as well. 
Wow, he's got a hat trick. 

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I don't think anyone will get 
that again. 

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But what does Nord mean? 
Oh, I don't know. 

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It's usually use when talking 
about how God rules over 

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everything. 
I had to say this about the 

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baby. 
Maybe we'll find out what this 

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baby grows up. 
So this baby is all those 

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things. 
Savior Messiah, Lord, and is 

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being born to us, right here, 
right now. 

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Investor him just like it says, 
in the scriptures. 

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This is amazing. 
We'll come on in. 

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Let's go and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has

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told us about Whether you get, 
there you go, it's amazing. 

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What incites the shepherd's 
might have had. 

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So, what did we learn? 
This baby is the savior of 

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Israel. 
The anointed leader that they've

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been waiting for the Sovereign 
Lord that rules over everything,

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and he's being born today. 
It's off the shepherd's go. 

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But but what were they looking 
for, apparently, they needed a 

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sign. 
But they really need a sign to 

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prove that this was a genuine 
message. 

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After all Heaven are just 
opened. 

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The glory of God had just shown 
around them. 

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Armies of angels are just blown 
them away with a chorus of 

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Praise. 
What more did they need, surely.

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It was obvious. 
This was a reliable message from

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God. 
It couldn't have been a scam, I 

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can't imagine. 
They had many doubts. 

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So what was the Sun? 
What was this incredible thing, 

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that was going to happen to 
demonstrate that. 

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This was true. 
And it says this will be a sign 

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to you. 
You will find a baby wrapped in 

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cloths and lying in a Manger. 
What? 

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That's not what the shepherd's 
might have expected. 

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No political Powerhouse taking 
on the Roman authorities. 

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No military commander leading 
the charge to the enemies. 

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Baby in a Manger. 
How does that fit with Isaiah's 

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prophecy that the government 
will be on his shoulders? 

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00:14:26,100 --> 00:14:29,600
But this sign sets the tone for 
Jesus's Ministry on Earth. 

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And it's contrast with the 
angels message is important. 

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The Angels arrival and the 
heaven display at Heavenly 

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display with clearly genuine and
the message fitted with what the

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scriptures had said. 
But the way in which it was 

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going to be played out on Earth,
was much harder to believe. 

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Children in Nativity Play, say 
they sing sweetly Away in a 

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Manger. 
Like it makes total sense Away 

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in a Manger. 
No crib for a bed, the little 

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Lord. 
Jesus lay down his sweet head. 

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The little Lord Jesus the one 
who is Messiah, Our Savior lying

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in a Manger. 
That doesn't make sense at all. 

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In some ways, the sign is not 
there to prove the authority of 

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the Angels message. 
But the Angels message and the 

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Heavenly performance points to 
the authority and genuineness of

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Jesus Earthly Ministry. 
His ministry had Heavenly 

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backing, but it was a Ministry 
that a securely grounded on the 

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Earth. 
And what a blessing to the 

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shepherd's to have such a clear 
precise tangible sign that now 

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is the time that this amazing 
thing, it just happened. 

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Perhaps there are a number of 
babies born in Bethlehem that 

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evening, but if they could find 
that baby lying in a Manger of 

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all things, That would bring the
Heavenly message right down to 

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earth. 
That would make it real. 

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I would make it personal. 
It would make it something that 

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is significant for all of us. 
So that was the message. 

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And that was the sign. 
So how did people react? 

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And how should we react? 
I've got four kind of headings 

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for this bit. 
First one. 

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Check it out. 
And spread it out, store it up, 

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and let it out. 
It was start off with check it 

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out. 
So in verse 15 and 16, we see 

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that the shepherd's don't waste 
much time. 

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As soon as the Angels at stop 
singing, they're itching to get 

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off some. 
So maybe my little sketch that 

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we had earlier, perhaps didn't 
happen but the important thing 

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is they wanted to find out more.
They've been given this message 

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now, they wanted to see it for 
themselves. 

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They wanted to experience it. 
I didn't seem to have any 

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doubts, I said let's go and see 
this thing that has happened 

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that the Lord has told us about 
and they didn't want to miss 

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out, they hurried off and found 
Mary and Joseph and the baby who

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was lying in the manger. 
The maybe this morning you're 

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here and you're not a Christian.
Maybe you've not had the benefit

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of choirs of angels, giving your
message from God, and maybe 

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you've got a whole bunch of 
doubts. 

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I would really encourage you to 
check this message out like the 

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shepherd's did. a great place to
start is by reading the Bible, 

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why not read through the Book of
Luke in the Bible and and find 

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out more of how the story 
continued, how the baby in a 

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Manger grew up how he touched 
the lives of the people, he met 

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him and how things ended up And 
we'd love to help you with that.

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And so please come and chat to 
any of us or any other Christian

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friends, you've got And for 
those of us who are Christians, 

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what message is God, been giving
you recently? 

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As you pray, read the Bible 
spend time with your church 

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family. 
That was the holy spirit being 

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prompting you, what was God been
saying to you? 

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Have you checked it out? 
Have you taken him at his word 

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and acted on it? 
Or have you thought? 

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That's not a sign I expected and
kind of sat back and put it off 

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for this reason or that. 
Why don't you follow the example

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of the Shepherds and see if you 
can find out what God has told 

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you about? 
One of the things that have 

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challenged me through doing this
empowered series that we've been

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doing in homegroup is about the 
importance of building 

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relationships in order to share 
the gospel. 

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My main encounters with 
non-christians are at work and 

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there's a perfect opportunity to
get to know people better during

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the lunch break each day. 
However, rather than chatting 

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with people, I find myself 
sitting there with my head down 

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scrolling through often 
uninteresting, news articles on 

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the BBC website. 
And I keep being reminded of 

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this, but I seem to always find 
an excuse not to start up a 

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conversation. 
I'm in the main one being. 

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I'm an introvert is important 
for me to have a bit of a break 

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from people but I could probably
think of many more, but it's not

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good enough. 
I need to act on this prompting 

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from the Holy Spirit, I need to 
not waste time. 

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I need to be better doing what 
the shepherd's did next. 

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They want to spread it out. 
So verse 17, it says, when they 

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had seen him they spread the 
word concerning, what had been 

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told them about this child. 
What I find interesting about 

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this is that the shepherd's kept
their message focused on the 

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message they had received. 
What they had been told about 

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the child. 
If it had me, be me, I think I 

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would have been tempted to tell 
people all about the way they 

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were just, we were just sitting 
there minding our own business 

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looking after our sheep and this
massive Angel appeared, and we 

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were terrified because of God's 
glory. 

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And the angel gave us this 
message. 

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And, and then this great Army of
angels started singing for us. 

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And then we headed down and we 
found the baby. 

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It's all about me and we but 
their message is simple. 

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It's about what was said about 
this child in the manger. 

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And what was that that he is the
savior Messiah and Lord born to 

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us today. 
They kept the main thing, the 

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main thing. and what was the 
reaction, the people were amazed

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And that message that was 
originally for the Shepherds and

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00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,100
the nation of Israel in this 
passage is a message that is for

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all people today. 
So let's use this Christmas 

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season as an opportunity to 
share the good news of Jesus 

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birth and what that means for us
as mankind. 

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But let's be careful not to add 
too many extras to the Christmas

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message, decorations Carol's 
brass bands, mulled wine Pigs in

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00:21:34,900 --> 00:21:37,800
Blankets. 
The list goes on and there's 

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nothing wrong with those things.
As long as we make sure we 

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don't, they don't obscure the 
message of a baby in a Manger. 

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Who is our savior? 
The Messiah and the Lord. 

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So please do invite friends and 
friends to our carols at the 

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00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,700
Starlight, this carols by 
Starlight service on the 19th 

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and the Nativity Trail next 
weekend in the week following. 

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But whether you do that or not, 
let's look for and make 

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opportunities to talk to your 
friends colleagues Neighbors 

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about the Jesus that, you know, 
in the Bible, why didn't you 

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00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,200
offer to read the Bible with 
someone? 

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And when you share that, simple 
profound message. 

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Be prepared for people to be 
amazed. 

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So, I store it up. 
So as well as spreading the word

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about Jesus. 
This passage reminds us that 

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this message is for us as well. 
We need to keep reminding 

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ourselves of it. 
So far we've mainly focused on 

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the shepherd's, but in verse 19,
it says Mary treasured up, all 

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these things, and pondered them 
in her heart. 

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I do wonder how overwhelming 
this whole episode would have 

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been for Mary, she'd been told 
by an Angel that she would 

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become pregnant by the Holy 
Spirit and the baby will be the 

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son of the most high. 
She goes through, nine months of

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pregnancy, travels to Bethlehem 
gives birth in an animal 

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shelter, puts her baby in. 
The only thing, she could find a

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manger and then these random 
Shepherds turn up and say, 

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00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,800
they'd be looking for them 
because another Angel has told 

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00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,300
them that the Savior Messiah and
Lord has been born. 

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And you'll be met with him, 
lying in a Manger. 

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It's mind-blowing. 
I can't imagine what went 

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through her head. 
I mean it's great when you see 

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00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,800
God's plans falling into place 
despite everything seemingly 

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00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:40,600
random, but it takes time to 
realize that and it's often only

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00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:45,800
in hindsight that we see that. 
It's so easy for us to go 

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00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,600
through the motions of reading, 
our hearing, the Christmas 

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00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:53,400
story, and not take time to 
think about it each year, and 

368
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:58,600
let it sink in. 
Another of the things that we've

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00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,400
learned through the home group 
Bible studies. 

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00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,700
This term, is the importance of 
reminding ourselves about the 

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00:24:03,708 --> 00:24:07,100
gospel message, keeping it fresh
in our minds. 

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00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,900
So we're always prepared to 
share its effectively with 

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00:24:09,900 --> 00:24:13,700
others. 
If we take a leaf out of Mary's 

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00:24:13,700 --> 00:24:17,300
book and take time to think 
about the Christmas message and 

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00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,000
consider aspects that we haven't
noticed before. 

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00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,400
If we collect all the amazing 
truths of the Christmas story 

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00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:28,700
and store them away, somewhere 
in our hearts and Minds will be 

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00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:31,400
much better prepared to share 
them with people. 

379
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:37,300
Other people when the occasion 
arises And not only, that will 

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00:24:37,300 --> 00:24:39,600
be blessed and encouraged in new
ways. 

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00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,200
By the way, God is at work in 
this, much heard story. 

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00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,000
So why don't you take time to 
slowly read and read? 

383
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:51,700
Read the Christmas story this 
year? 

384
00:24:52,900 --> 00:24:55,600
Why don't you look at a story 
from the perspective of 

385
00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,900
different characters in it and 
see how that makes things look 

386
00:24:58,900 --> 00:25:02,900
different. 
Or a nice Simple Start, you 

387
00:25:02,900 --> 00:25:06,800
could come 2527 tonight to read 
the Christmas story together. 

388
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,400
Whatever you do. 
Don't let the Wonder of this 

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00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:20,000
story pass you by this year. 
And then finally let it out that

390
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:24,200
after all this had happened, the
shepherd's had to go back to 

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00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:28,200
their sheep in the fields. 
But as they went, they couldn't 

392
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,000
help but burst out into Praise 
of God. 

393
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,000
And why was that in particular? 
Because all the things they had 

394
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:41,900
heard and seen would just, as 
they've been told, they did find

395
00:25:41,900 --> 00:25:44,300
the baby wrapped in cloths, in a
Manger. 

396
00:25:45,300 --> 00:25:48,200
The message from the angel must 
be true. 

397
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,800
The baby is the savior Messiah 
and Lord, Born To Us. 

398
00:25:54,500 --> 00:25:59,000
At last, he has come to save us.
What a reason to celebrate and 

399
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:04,800
what's a reason to sing God's 
praises. so as we consider the 

400
00:26:04,808 --> 00:26:08,400
Christmas story and how this 
message is for normal people 

401
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:14,000
like us, As we try to take in 
the enormity of the message, the

402
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,500
angel gave and the Wonder at the
humble way. 

403
00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:24,000
God worked it out on Earth. best
be drawn to check out what God 

404
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:30,400
wants us to see and do Let's 
spread out the word of what God 

405
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,600
has done. 
Let's take time to store up 

406
00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,600
these things for ourselves in 
our hearts. 

407
00:26:38,300 --> 00:26:42,200
And let's let it all out in 
songs of praise to God. 

408
00:26:43,300 --> 00:26:49,300
Let us give him all the glory. 
Today in the town of David, a 

409
00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:55,700
savior has been born to you. 
He is the Messiah, the Lord. 

410
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,300
Praise be to God. 
Oh man. 

411
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:00,300
Oh man.