1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,560 I love that his name shall be Jesus. 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,080 Isn't that so cool? Like, I think it's amazing that 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:17,320 somebody has interpreted the Christmas story kind of as it 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,360 would perhaps look like today. I don't know. 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,160 I found that really moving when I saw it. 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,880 I think. I imagine most of us, if not all 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,600 of us here are familiar with the with the story of the birth of 8 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:29,320 Christ. And I love that. 9 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,200 Like, I love that our kids still get to do nativities in their 10 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,080 schools in most of them still get to dress up as sheep and 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,800 shepherds and all the other characters from a young age. 12 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,640 This story, this Christmas story, it's ingrained in US, 13 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,400 isn't it? You know, we all know the 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:48,960 characters. I'm sure a lot of us can recall 15 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:54,320 the exact words from the Bible. However, I also think it's 16 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:58,440 really important that sometimes because of that we can become 17 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:03,480 overly familiar with the story. And I think sometimes we can 18 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,120 think, oh, we know all there is to know about the Christmas 19 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:07,920 story. What else is there that you can 20 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:12,720 that we can learn from it? But, you know, God still speaks 21 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,320 through this story today, And I believe this morning that as we 22 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:22,320 stop and as we consider this first Christmas again together, 23 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,200 that God is going to speak. He's going to reveal more of his 24 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,720 character to us. And he's going to remind us 25 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:34,280 again that he is relevant and present in our lives today just 26 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,880 as much as he was relevant and present in their lives that we 27 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,960 read about in the Bible. You know, if we were to 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,320 summarize what Christmas is really about, I think it is. 29 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,320 It's about celebrating the gift of Jesus, isn't it? 30 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:49,760 As Christians, that's what we believe. 31 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:55,480 You know, the greatest gift the world has ever seen arrived at 32 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,480 Christmas or the first Christmas, and we celebrate that 33 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:00,880 fact. We celebrate that God Almighty, 34 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:06,200 the God Most High, chose to come as a baby called Jesus, who 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,600 would grow and become the perfect man without sin. 36 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,320 Fully man, fully God, who would then become the perfect 37 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,720 sacrifice in our place. Jesus Christ. 38 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:23,360 Light in the darkness, He came as light into a dark, Dark 39 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,480 World. God with us and Christmas is 40 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,040 when we celebrate his entrance into the world. 41 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,400 But as we celebrate this today with all the all the things that 42 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,880 we come to love and associate Christmas with the sparkles and 43 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:42,400 the food and the presents and everything else, let's remember 44 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,880 that the first Christmas wasn't quite like that. 45 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,240 It didn't look like it does today. 46 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,480 You know, the first Christmas as we've just seen portrayed in 47 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,080 that video wasn't quite as beautiful. 48 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,480 I'm not sure Mary and Joseph experienced all the warm, fuzzy 49 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,400 feelings of Christmas that we do at this time of year. 50 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,360 Sure, maybe they did at the end. Course they did at the end when 51 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,320 this beautiful baby was born. But what about in the lead up to 52 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,400 it? You would. 53 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:17,800 You would have thought that they would have had joy in that, too. 54 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:23,280 But more often than not, with the gifts that God gives us, we 55 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,120 have joy in retrospect, don't we? 56 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:27,720 Like hindsight is a wonderful thing. 57 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,120 How many times do we look back over our life and consider the 58 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,520 things that have happened? And we can be joyful and we can 59 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:40,640 celebrate, because we can see now how God was working and how 60 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,240 much better his plans were than our plans. 61 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,680 But in the moment, we don't always see it as good. 62 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,080 When God gives us a gift, at times it doesn't initially fill 63 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,680 us with joy or fill us with excitement. 64 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,960 Instead, it can fill us with a whole range of emotions. 65 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:04,480 Fear, dread, disbelief, anxiety, confusion. 66 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,480 And we can actually question God on whether actually this is a 67 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,720 gift from Him. And so this morning, as we 68 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,800 consider this gift that was given to us on that first 69 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,120 Christmas, I want to look at what can we learn from it about 70 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,240 the gifts that God has placed in our lives today. 71 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,840 And so bearing that in mind, I want us to look at 4 specific 72 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,160 things. And the first thing is this. 73 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,400 Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. 74 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:38,400 We're going to turn to our first passage. 75 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,800 So if you have a Bible with you, or if you've got it on your 76 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,560 phone, and if you could get that out and we're going to turn to 77 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:49,320 Luke, 128 to 38. If you haven't got one, don't 78 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:50,560 worry. If you need one and you haven't 79 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:52,560 got a Bible, let us know because we'd love to give you one. 80 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,600 But if you don't, then don't worry because the the scripture 81 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:56,840 is going to come up on the screen. 82 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,840 So Luke 128 to 38. So we've read just a little bit 83 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:07,160 before this that God has sent an Angel to Mary who is engaged to 84 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,000 Joseph, and it says this we pick it up at 28. 85 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,240 The Angel went to her and said greetings. 86 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,360 You who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you. 87 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,280 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of 88 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:23,360 greeting this might be. But the Angel said to her, Do 89 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,920 not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. 90 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,280 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call 91 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:32,840 him Jesus. He will be great and he will be 92 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,480 called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the 93 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,280 throne of his Father David and he will reign over Jacob's 94 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,720 descendants forever. His Kingdom will never end. 95 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,640 How will this be? Mary asked the Angel. 96 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,440 Since I'm a virgin and the Angel answered, the Holy Spirit will 97 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,760 come on you and the power of the Most High will over shadow you. 98 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,840 So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 99 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,000 And then just skip to 38 it says I am the Lord's servant. 100 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,360 Mary answered, May your words to me be fulfilled. 101 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,320 And then the Angel left her. So here we have Mary. 102 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:14,680 She is engaged to to be married to Joseph and she's about 14 to 103 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,480 16 years of age, which it's young, but in in those days it's 104 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,120 kind of the typical, the usual age to get married. 105 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,800 And here she is being visited by an Angel being told that she's 106 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,400 going to have a baby. And if that's not enough of a 107 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:31,600 surprise, then, then she's told that it's going to be God. 108 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,080 It's going to be the Holy Spirit who's going to make her 109 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,400 pregnant. I mean, we've read this a lot, 110 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,280 right? But let's just pause for a 111 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:43,040 moment and think of the reality of this situation. 112 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,840 There Mary was one day just minding her own business, doing 113 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:51,960 some wedding prep wedding admin, and suddenly this Angel appears. 114 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:56,120 And first he tells her she's highly favoured, guessing she 115 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,640 was delighted at that bit. Then God was like, I'm with you, 116 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:01,600 amazing. God is with me. 117 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,160 But then you're going to have a baby. 118 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,880 Mary, can you just picture Mary having to go to her mum and dad 119 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,880 having to go to her parents and say hey Mum, hey Dad. 120 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:13,520 Like I've got something to tell you. 121 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,240 I'm pregnant, but it's OK. It's by God. 122 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:18,640 I haven't slept with anyone else. 123 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,240 I haven't slept with Joseph. God made me pregnant. 124 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:22,800 I mean, that's a new one, isn't it? 125 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,800 Imagine that. Poor Mary. 126 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,600 Like I I mean, I think poor Mary, although God certainly 127 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,080 doesn't see it that way. He says that she's highly fated. 128 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,160 Sometimes we get a gift from God. 129 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:41,080 That doesn't look like a gift. In fact, it can look anything 130 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,600 but inconvenient, embarrassing. It's going to make you 131 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,400 unpopular. People are going to doubt what 132 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:49,880 you say. They're going to make you doubt 133 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,640 whether you heard God. You might even be looked down on 134 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,360 or shunned. People are going to judge you, 135 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:58,760 and people are going to make up their own mind. 136 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:03,000 But Mary knew she had heard from God, and she knew she was 137 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,400 gifted. After the Angel went, You can 138 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:09,520 just imagine, can't you? That fear that would have come 139 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,400 over her, The worry that she was going to have to to go to 140 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,040 Joseph, the man that she's going to marry, the man that she 141 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,160 utterly adores, and tell him that she was pregnant but she 142 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,400 hadn't done anything wrong. Joseph, you've got to believe 143 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,120 me. I mean, what a conversation she 144 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,760 would have been desperate for him to understand. 145 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,919 And so how did Joseph react? Let's have a look at our second 146 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:38,919 scripture, which is in Matthew 119 to 29 we read about Joseph's 147 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,760 reaction. So from 19 it says and her 148 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:47,160 husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to 149 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:49,920 shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 150 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,200 Now when I read this, I was like, how could he divorce her? 151 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,240 Because they were only engaged, they weren't actually married 152 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,520 yet. But the Jewish wedding ceremony 153 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,000 has two parts. So the first bit was the 154 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,520 engagement bit, which was the legally binding bit. 155 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,680 And then a little while later, a few months in fact, Then the 156 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:08,280 bride would move in with the husband. 157 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,440 So they had done the legally binding bit. 158 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,200 So to break off the engagement, he was going to have to divorce 159 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,960 her, and then we pick it up from verse 20, it says. 160 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,280 But as he considered these things, behold, an Angel of the 161 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:24,320 Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do 162 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,120 not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is 163 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,720 conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 164 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,280 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, but 165 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,480 he shall save his people from their sins. 166 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,480 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the 167 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,440 Prophet. Behold, the Virgin shall 168 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,160 conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name 169 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,360 Emmanuel, which means God with us. 170 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,600 Before God told Joseph otherwise, he had come up with 171 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,360 the only logical explanation, which was that Mary must have 172 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:00,800 cheated on him, she must have had an affair, and he could have 173 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,960 easily walked away. In fact, his friends probably 174 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:10,000 were encouraging him to do so. He would have felt humiliated. 175 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,200 He would have felt embarrassed, angry, heartbroken. 176 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,040 And then an Angel came to him and God spoke. 177 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,080 Do not fear, don't be afraid, Joseph. 178 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,880 When God gives us a gift, so often, instead of feeling 179 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:35,520 excited, we feel scared. Here we have Mary and Joseph who 180 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:39,520 would have been terrified, but they heard the voice of the 181 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,760 Lord. Do not be afraid. 182 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:45,720 I am with you. God is saying that you don't 183 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,120 understand. Though it doesn't make sense. 184 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,400 Take me at my word and do not fear. 185 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:56,520 Maybe you're here this morning and you know that you have been 186 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,720 given a gift by God, that he has put a gift inside you. 187 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:04,440 But you're scared. You're scared of people's 188 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:06,440 reactions. You're scared of people's 189 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,600 opinion of you. In fact, you're scared so much 190 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,560 that you want to keep it hidden. You want to keep it a secret out 191 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,320 of fear of what others might think or say. 192 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:20,120 But the Lord is saying this morning, Do not be afraid. 193 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,280 I am with you. What is it that you're fearful 194 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:29,600 of for 2024? What is it that is paralyzing 195 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:33,440 you with fear this morning? What is God asking you to do? 196 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:37,200 But you are so full of anxiety that you don't even know which 197 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:42,000 way to turn. God is saying do not be afraid. 198 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,800 Joseph had a choice, didn't he? He could have chosen to say no 199 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:50,080 and he could have walked away from the gift. 200 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:56,880 And that is what fear can do. Fear can make you turn away from 201 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,880 what it is that God is giving you, just like Joseph nearly 202 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,280 did. You know we have a choice to 203 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:08,040 walk towards the gift that God is laying before us, despite 204 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:12,240 what others may think, despite the seed of doubt that you have 205 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:15,760 in your head, despite not being able to understand everything, 206 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,720 but knowing that God has spoken and knowing that God is true to 207 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:25,800 His word and He is with us, be careful you don't allow the fear 208 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,600 to rob you of the gift that God is giving. 209 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,600 The message of God to Mary and Joseph remains true for you 210 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,400 today. Do not be afraid. 211 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:42,280 Perfect love casts out all fear. So #1 do not be afraid. 212 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,880 What else can we learn from this story about God's gifts to us? 213 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,680 Secondly, God's timing is perfect. 214 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,560 God's timing is perfect. You know, after Joseph heard 215 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:58,080 from God that Mary was telling the truth after all, they later 216 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,160 found out that they had to travel to Bethlehem. 217 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,720 So they were in Nazareth and they had to travel to Bethlehem. 218 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:09,000 Now let's remember that this wasn't planned for Mary and 219 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,240 Joseph. They didn't plan this. 220 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,160 They didn't plan to travel to Bethlehem to have their baby. 221 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,080 They had to go. Joseph had to go back to his 222 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,600 hometown, which was Bethlehem to register for the census. 223 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:21,720 That's what everyone had to do at the time. 224 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,120 And so to put this in perspective, Mary was in her 225 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,600 third trimester. She was heavily pregnant, and 226 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,640 Bethlehem was a long way away. In fact, Bible scholars think 227 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,040 that it would have taken them about a week to get from 228 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,720 Nazareth to Bethlehem. I mean, I've been pregnant a few 229 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:46,000 times and let me tell you in my third trimester, I did not want 230 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,400 to travel anywhere unless it was to my bed. 231 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,760 You are exhausted. Don't know if any other women 232 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,800 can relate. Grateful, but exhausted. 233 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:01,720 And there was Mary, having to travel for a whole week in the 234 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:06,360 hot sun on a donkey about to give birth. 235 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,600 Imagine not only how worried she would have been leaving her 236 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,600 friends and family, and the comfort of everything that she 237 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:17,960 knew at home, knowing that the baby could potentially come at 238 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,920 any point, like her waters could go while she's riding, sitting 239 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:23,720 on that donkey riding to Bethlehem. 240 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,040 How uncomfortable and how exhausting. 241 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:32,800 Sometimes we know that God has spoken and we know we are 242 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,080 carrying a gift. But things don't seem to make 243 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,400 sense. The journey is uncomfortable. 244 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,200 The journey is exhausted. If we had our way, we would have 245 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,720 birthed this gift a while ago when things made sense. 246 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,200 But we walk by faith and not by sight. 247 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,320 And we know that God is never early, is he? 248 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:57,840 He's never late. He is always on time. 249 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:02,640 His timing is perfect, even when it doesn't make sense. 250 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,960 Back in the summer of this year, I applied for a job that it was 251 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,960 a part time job in a secondary school that I really wanted. 252 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,920 And I prayed a lot about it and I felt, God, say yes, apply for 253 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,920 it, go for it. And I really prayed that I'd be 254 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:19,840 successful when I'd get the job because I really wanted it. 255 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:21,880 But I was also like, God, do you know what? 256 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,640 I trust you, whatever your way is, you know, that's fine. 257 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:29,760 But I really would have a Tom. And Long story short, I didn't 258 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,320 get the job and I was praying on my way home. 259 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,680 I remember praying and I was like, that's OK, God, because I 260 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,440 did pray. And I did say that your ways are 261 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,240 better than my ways. And you know, I trust your plan 262 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:45,760 and and everything, but wow, like, I actually did really want 263 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,720 that job. God, like, what is going on? 264 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:50,160 I'm a little bit annoyed. Can I say that? 265 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,480 I was a little bit cross and I was confused. 266 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:55,880 Maybe they made a mistake. Maybe they were going to call me 267 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:57,400 and say, actually we've changed our minds. 268 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:02,560 You have got the job. I kind of gave up and let it be, 269 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,240 you know, trusted God. And that evening or it might 270 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,080 have been the next. The next day I got an e-mail and 271 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,600 it said that they would like me to come back for an informal 272 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,240 interview for another role that they had because they felt that 273 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,960 would be more suited to me. And I did end up getting the job 274 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,160 and I and I work there now and I'm so grateful. 275 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:27,320 But my the point is, sometimes doors are shut and it can feel 276 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:32,720 like a slap in the face. But what we see as rejection, 277 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:38,560 God sees us something better. When Mary and Joseph finally 278 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:42,880 arrived after that long exhausting journey in Bethlehem, 279 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:47,280 they were like surely God's going to provide a like 5 star 280 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,320 hotel for us after that journey. But what happened? 281 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:56,800 Every single door was shut. Every door they tried was shut 282 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,760 in their face, and they must have been questioning God. 283 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:03,360 Where are you in this? But God has something better. 284 00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:08,280 And maybe some of you are here this morning and you know God 285 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:12,160 has placed a gift inside you, and you're frustrated because 286 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,960 you think that now is the time for that idea that he gave you 287 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,599 to be birthed. Or maybe it's the opposite. 288 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:21,400 Maybe God's asking you to birth something now and you're 289 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,119 feeling, no, this is not the right timing. 290 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,720 If you'd have asked me a week or a year ago, that's fine. 291 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:28,640 If you'd ask me next year, that would be OK. 292 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:34,760 Things don't make sense. Doors seem to be closing, and 293 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:39,040 God is reminding you again this morning that his plan might not 294 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,080 look the same as your plan. In fact, my experience is it 295 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:44,000 often doesn't look anything like our plan. 296 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:52,360 But his timing is perfect. We have to trust in him #3. 297 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:56,920 God specializes in the small, you know, I think if I was God 298 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,120 and I was going to come to Earth, you know, just saying 299 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,480 that if I was going to come and save the world, I would want to 300 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,960 make a bold statement. I'd want it to be big. 301 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:08,760 I'd want everyone to take notice. 302 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,200 And yet what does God choose to do? 303 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:19,000 He chooses to come as a small baby, helpless, vulnerable baby. 304 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,960 So many of us, and I include myself in this. 305 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:27,200 We don't always appreciate or value the small things, do we? 306 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,600 Sometimes you want to jump straight to the big things. 307 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,680 But what does God say in Zechariah 4 verse 10? 308 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,040 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord 309 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:46,040 rejoices to see the work begin. Do not despise these small 310 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,840 beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. 311 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,480 God specializes in the small, as I mentioned earlier, in April 312 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,360 this year we started meeting as a Hatfield site. 313 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,080 There was about a team of 12 of us at the beginning and quite a 314 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:06,920 few kids and so probably about 20 of us that decided to sort of 315 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:11,320 set this up over in in Hatfield. And can I just say these guys 316 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,200 who serve with us are amazing. They're incredible. 317 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:22,080 We see week after week after week, our team turn up, putting 318 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:26,760 chairs out, setting up banners, setting up flags, laying the 319 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:31,360 refreshments out, preparing to lead us in worship, sacrificing 320 00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:37,160 their time for only sometimes one person to turn up or a 321 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,880 handful of people to turn up. I'm the same. 322 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,480 Sometimes I spend time preparing what we're going to talk about 323 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:49,120 as AJ, and there's like one person there, like, God, what's 324 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:50,800 going on? Like I'm being honest here. 325 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,000 I can be honest, right? Sometimes I get home and I'm 326 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:59,800 like, what's the point? God, when are we going to see 327 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,920 you bring these people in that we know are there and needing to 328 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,680 hear the good news of Jesus? Like, when are we going to see 329 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,760 this? But God says time and time again 330 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:16,640 to us, Do not despise the small things God is working. 331 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,040 Even if we don't see it in the way that we would expect. 332 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,920 There's a beautiful gift that he has entrusted us with. 333 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,880 And it's small right now. But we are learning in this 334 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:32,360 season to nurture what he's given us To lay solid 335 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:36,320 foundations, to build relationships, to trust him, to 336 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:39,880 keep giving him our yes. To keep sacrificing what He's 337 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:43,760 asking us to, even when it feels like nothing is happening. 338 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:50,280 Because when God builds it, and He will in His timing, we will 339 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:54,120 know where we have come from and we will remember it, and we will 340 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:57,160 then say that God has built this Church, not us. 341 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:07,160 Do not do not despise the small beginnings, for the Lord 342 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:12,040 rejoices to see the work begin. Typically when God gives us a 343 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:16,160 gift, He gives us something which we can hold in our hand so 344 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,320 we can handle the gift as it grows. 345 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:23,640 It takes He takes the small things that we offer Him and 346 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,760 turns it into something big. And I know Mark spoke on this 347 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:28,720 last week as one of the hallmarks. 348 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:31,920 If you missed that, you can look back at it. 349 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:34,920 It was I loved it, the way that he posed that question. 350 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:39,480 What is it in your hands? Like each of us has been placed 351 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:41,800 in His Kingdom with gifts in our hands. 352 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,000 And it might not seem like much, it might not seem enough, but 353 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:51,920 that's the point. God specializes in the small He 354 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,240 takes the small seed, the seemingly insufficient things, 355 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,880 and He turns them into something greater than we could have ever 356 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:03,320 dreamed of or ever imagined. We see it all the way through 357 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:07,720 the Bible, don't we? What seed has God placed in your 358 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:12,520 hand as you enter 2024? What gift has he given you? 359 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:18,640 God specialises in the small things, and finally, appearance 360 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:23,080 isn't everything anyone else's. Kids, like, start judging their 361 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,680 presence when they see them, though it might be just mine, 362 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:29,000 but like, some of them are like, whoa, look at that present. 363 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,160 It's so shiny and it's massive and Oh my goodness, I'm going to 364 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,880 open that one first. Or that one's clearly a book. 365 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:40,280 I'll open that one at the end or they start opening presents and 366 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,320 like we've got a one year old and he doesn't really have a 367 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:45,960 clue what's going on when he sees his siblings opening 368 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,040 presents for birthdays or Christmas or whatever. 369 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,320 Well, he hasn't. Last year was very little, but 370 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,400 you know, he is more interested in the wrapping paper and more 371 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,680 interested in the packaging than actually the gift that is 372 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,320 inside. But some of these presents today 373 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:01,880 as well, I mean, I don't know if it's just me, but really hard to 374 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:03,680 get into. Does anyone else have that 375 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,240 difficulty? Like some of the presents that 376 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,600 you get, like the kids come to me and they're like, can you 377 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,440 open this even once they've unwrapped it? 378 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,720 And the twisty things are fine because you can just twist and 379 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:15,920 the toy comes out. But sometimes I feel like you 380 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,400 need a whole toolbox like pliers to open these gifts. 381 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:21,560 And I have to be honest, sometimes I'm like, let's just 382 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:23,440 leave that one, let's just put it on to side, let's open 383 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:28,320 another one. Sometimes God gives us a gift 384 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:30,560 that doesn't look much on the outside. 385 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:34,960 We have an expectation of what it's going to be based on what 386 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,080 it looks like, and we start to unwrap it. 387 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,920 And sometimes we have to wrestle with it and we have to persevere 388 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:45,680 and we have to not give up if we're not sure what to do with 389 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,440 it. We have to keep persevering. 390 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,720 We have to look past the wrapping and the packaging to 391 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:56,840 the gift that's inside. When Jesus came, he was wrapped, 392 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,520 wasn't he? But not how we would have 393 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:04,680 expected. Not in a gold blanket or a gold 394 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,240 robe. He was in stable sheets. 395 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,760 He wasn't in a shiny palace, but in a smelly Manger. 396 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,120 And he wasn't clothed with robes and riches. 397 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:20,800 But he was naked in a makeshift crib, with the animals around 398 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,600 him amongst the poo and the feed. 399 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:29,680 Some of us have gifts in our hands which don't look or feel 400 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,600 or smell how we expected they would. 401 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:36,200 They haven't come wrapped as we thought, or dare we say it as we 402 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,880 would have liked. Maybe you've just lost your job. 403 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,280 Maybe you're struggling in your marriage and it's not thriving 404 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:49,360 how you would have hoped. Maybe you're frustrated that you 405 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:53,400 didn't get that promotion or that you're still single despite 406 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:58,040 years of praying for the for the partner that you really want. 407 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,040 And I want to encourage you this morning to look past the 408 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:08,000 exterior and the struggles and to persevere, to see the gift 409 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,880 that God has blessed you with. Because appearance isn't 410 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:19,200 everything. And so this morning we have 411 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,000 hopefully looked at the Christmas story, and we have 412 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,920 taken from it some things to consider when we look at the 413 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:29,760 gifts that God has given us today. 414 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:33,680 So just to recap #1 do not be afraid. 415 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,560 Do not be afraid of the gift that God has given you. #2 God's 416 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:44,600 timing is perfect, even if it doesn't make sense. #3 God 417 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:49,240 specializes in the small do not despise these small beginnings. 418 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,240 And #4 appearance isn't everything. 419 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:57,640 Let's trust God with what He's given us, even though it might 420 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,280 not look how we would have thought it would. 421 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:07,320 And so as the band come up, please, if they if you guys 422 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,760 could make your way up. I just want us to We're going to 423 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,720 finish and I think that we need to respond in some way. 424 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:20,200 I believe that God has spoken this morning and I feel like I 425 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:22,360 want to give an opportunity for a response. 426 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:24,720 So if you guys could stand.