1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,880 Welcome to the River City Church podcast and a message by our 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,960 lead pastor, Jason Powers. Our prayer is that this message 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:12,240 would inspire and encourage you, build your faith and point you 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,840 to the life changing love of Jesus. 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,680 May you enjoy the goodness of God as you follow Him today. 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:25,520 Hi everybody, I'm glad y'all are here for 11 days of Christmas. 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,920 You ready? No same response in first 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,360 service. They're like get to it. 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,160 So I'm going to judge Silent Night. 10 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,480 Holy Night is not a song written about your house during this 11 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:41,560 season. Well, it is mine, of course, 12 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,080 everybody else but yours is right. 13 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,640 Isn't that funny? How the how the holiday works, 14 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:46,960 right? Like you put the lights up. 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,080 December 1st, we're ready. What are we? 16 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,680 We have the big argument. How? 17 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,520 Soon can we start Christmas? Can we do it October? 18 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,080 30th before Halloween, you know, and some people do kind of, hey, 19 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:03,560 see, there you are, see that the distinctions between the people 20 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,800 that we have to do that, right? So I think what you're feeling a 21 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,360 lot is like, even in that it's like, yeah, but I'm tired, 22 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:13,360 right? And then what? 23 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,320 We have everybody in their house like you have on your on your 24 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,680 shelf, like a nativity scene. Right, and it shows you what 25 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,480 Christmas is supposed to look. Like, right. 26 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,480 Except I don't trust my nativity scenes. 27 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,760 I don't believe them at all. You know, you look at, I mean, I 28 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,320 think about like, I've got kids and I remember those days and I 29 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:36,400 just try to think about how that birth moment would have felt if 30 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,160 there'd been like livestock in the room, you know, and. 31 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:41,680 I don't think Natalie would have liked that. 32 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:47,320 I don't think cattle lowing in the rubble of childbirth is 33 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:50,240 something that that, you know, like it's something that that we 34 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:51,440 all want. But there it was in the 35 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,360 Christmas scene. And then there's Joseph, right? 36 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:55,200 Always huddled back of the room, right? 37 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,600 Standing kind of in the corner as an increasing throng of 38 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:04,360 strangers press into the room to just like, gaze at the baby and 39 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:05,280 like. Touch. 40 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,479 The baby, I guess, and he's like trying to get Mary, like trying 41 00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:10,000 to get like Mary, Are we OK with this? 42 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:11,800 Like Mary, these are shepherds, bro. 43 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,160 This is like, you know, your, your hospital is, you know, is 44 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:16,840 next door to like the construction site. 45 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,440 And so it's like the lunch hour and the construction workers 46 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,760 come over just to touch your baby, you know? 47 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,160 And there's Mary, right? It's got to be fine. 48 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,520 Because when you look at Mary, at the figure of Mary, she's 49 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:34,240 like this in ceramic. Forever, right? 50 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,720 Forever. Happy with the joy of the 51 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:38,960 Christmas season. Sure. 52 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,840 Yeah. Sheep and goats and cow in the 53 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:43,080 birthing room. Of course. 54 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,840 Why not? A bunch of strangers watching my 55 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,200 newborn baby trying to say sure, why the heck not, Right. 56 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,400 And so we look, and this is what we Silent night, right? 57 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,480 Joy to the world. This is happening all around us 58 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,680 and so. We have these sentimentalized 59 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,800 images of Christmas and ride. We have the Christmas cards with 60 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,480 the snowfall and the light and all this. 61 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,360 And so we have these pictures, these images in our house and in 62 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,560 our minds and in our heart of what the holidays look like. 63 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,080 And so when we see these kind of sentimental images, angels in 64 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,960 the background and trees and crosses and all that, these 65 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,000 images lead us, we're we're Pavlovian, right? 66 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,400 Like we're like the dogs who to hear the bell and start to 67 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,960 salivate right when the lights come out and the Christmas 68 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,760 starts to come out. We begin to have this low level 69 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:37,280 emotional response that we kind of generally tag with the title 70 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,920 holiday spirit. You have the holiday spirit. 71 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,280 What that means is that you're trying to keep up with your 72 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,720 neighbors to get your lights up. I just wanted everybody to know 73 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,360 I am the guy on my street and puts his lights up first. 74 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,480 So if you're wondering where the pressure comes from, it's me. 75 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,880 I'm the one, right? Like that does it? 76 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:07,040 The problem is by the time we get to like the 15th of 77 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:11,880 December, we're tired of Christmas programs and holiday 78 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:17,440 parties and fruitcake and snacks and I've gained 15 lbs and 79 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,240 there's cookies in my house all the time. 80 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:24,040 And then, I mean, that's like the early and then it's like the 81 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,520 15th or the 20th. And I'm just like, I've got all 82 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,720 these presents to buy and the money's gone and everybody's a 83 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,080 little bit cranky, right? I've got that. 84 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,400 I've got that ornament on my tree that sings. 85 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:38,920 And it's driving me crazy. And I'm starting to fight, 86 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:40,200 right? I want to do all the stuff. 87 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:44,160 And then by the 28th, we're just like laying on the ground, 88 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,480 right, Twitching, huddled on the Mass because the Christmas 89 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:53,000 season has come and gone. And we are just a mess. 90 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,240 See the holiday symbols, the trees and the bells and the 91 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,800 angels and and all these things, these stylized aspirations. 92 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,440 Silent night. Holy night. 93 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,520 What happens is they keep us hoping and so season comes in 94 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,760 and by the time Christmas gets here, where are some of you are 95 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,280 probably already seeing the other side. 96 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,880 Of the holiday. And I think what happens is we 97 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,120 get so wrapped up in this. Holiday spirit that is tied to 98 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,920 lights and nativity scenes and all of that, that we miss 99 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:27,600 something durable and I think that's what we feel. 100 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,480 I think that's. That holiday, I mean, sometimes 101 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,280 the holiday hangover is an actual holiday hangover. 102 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:35,760 But for the most part, often times, even behind that, the 103 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,760 holiday hangover is just this sense of maybe I wanted 104 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,360 something different. Maybe I wanted the lights and 105 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,440 the peace and the quiet and the silent night to be what the 106 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:46,960 story really was. And I want some of that. 107 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,720 But by the time we get to January, I realized it was just 108 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,360 maybe a breath. And the hurry sneaks back in. 109 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:55,840 And here's what happened. Psychologically, when that 110 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:56,960 happens, and I don't know that we can't. 111 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:59,440 But when you get your hopes up and you begin to believe that 112 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,640 something real and good is coming. 113 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:03,560 And then when you get on the other side and you have the 114 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,760 experience and it doesn't deliver and it doesn't prove to 115 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,440 be what you expected it to be and what you hoped it would be 116 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,080 and what you needed to be, in the end of that, you're left 117 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:13,880 with disappointment. And the problem with 118 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,480 disappointment over time is it hardens, right? 119 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,880 You get disappointed, and then the next time it happens and 120 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:21,120 there's more disappointment or another way disappointment in 121 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,880 what happens is slowly disappointment starts to harden 122 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,240 into cynicism. I have to be very careful with 123 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,960 my heart because it's easy for me to get into cynicism, right 124 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,880 where you start from the outset. Maybe you're going through the 125 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:39,000 motions, but you're waiting with some kind of you, me, some kind 126 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,080 of perverse joy, waiting for the other shoe to drop so we can go. 127 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:48,840 I knew it. Christmas brings all of this out 128 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:51,040 on us. We're disappointed. 129 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:55,840 We get cynical, and cynicism inevitably brings isolation and 130 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:59,400 loneliness. And so this holiday season of 131 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,800 lights and candles and festivity and incarnation and God coming 132 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,560 to be with his people ends up leaving us. 133 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:12,400 All kinds of stuff. Distracted, afraid, anxious, 134 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,400 overwhelmed, losing a sense of what's that? 135 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,440 Do you feel like that? And maybe not now, but you know 136 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:20,560 what I'm talking about this Christmas season, it's supposed 137 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,000 to be about lights. There's good news for you, I 138 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,400 want to say. That sense of disruption, that 139 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:31,440 sense of bordering on cynicism, of disorganization and and going 140 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,840 all over the place. That thing that you're feeling, 141 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,520 that thing that you can identify in your heart. 142 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,320 My guess is that. Feeling is probably closer to 143 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:46,000 the actual original experience Christmas than anything that we 144 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,600 see on a Christmas card. Think about that first Christmas 145 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,640 we read about it Luke chapter 1 and verse 39 in those days. 146 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:54,640 I want to stop and talk about what those. 147 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:59,680 Days meant in those days right before this we tell we read the 148 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,040 story about an Angel. His name is Gabriel and he 149 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:04,760 visited a guy called Zechariah in the temple. 150 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,160 Zechariah was a priest and it was his time his turn to go into 151 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,440 the holies and offer that the sacrifice. 152 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:12,400 And while I was in there he would met an Angel and the Angel 153 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,880 said Zechariah you're going to have a son and you're going to 154 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:21,280 name him John and John would go on to become John the Baptist, 155 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,440 John the Baptizer. And he said John is going to 156 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,040 fulfill the prophecies of Micah. He's going to be the forerunner 157 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,920 of Messiah and he is going to be your child. 158 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,360 An Angel visited Elizabeth and Zechariah and Elizabeth and 159 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,720 Zechariah. Elizabeth had a cousin or a 160 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:42,200 relative whose name was Mary, and Mary also had had an angelic 161 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,840 visitor, an Angel visitor. And he said, you're blessed, 162 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:49,760 Blessed are you among women? Highly favored among women is 163 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:54,400 what the Angel who sits at the throne room of God said about 164 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,720 Mary. He said, blessed are you among 165 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,400 women. And he says you are going to 166 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,440 have a child and that child is going to be hope. 167 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,480 That's a heavy. That's a heavy message. 168 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,000 For Mary to receive, you know why? 169 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:11,320 Because she was a virgin and she knows how babies were made. 170 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:16,640 So she says to the Angel, Angel, you're crazy because that can't 171 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,480 happen. And the Angel said don't worry 172 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,920 about that. Now if my wife had become 173 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:29,000 pregnant by the holy. Spirit, my hope is that an Angel 174 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,840 would also visit me to tell me the truth, right? 175 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,280 That right. And so sure enough, an Angel 176 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,080 visits Joseph and is like, hey, Joseph, it's true. 177 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,160 Hang in there. You can stick with her. 178 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:45,720 You can hang out with her and marry her and wow. 179 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:51,240 These are the days. Now, Can you imagine one Angel 180 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:53,400 visitor in the middle of your night telling you that your 181 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,280 whole entire life is going to be turned over and disrupted? 182 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,720 Can you imagine one, much less three of them in the span of a 183 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,040 little while? So what we read those days, Mary 184 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,720 set out and hurried to a town in the Hill Country of Judah, where 185 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,640 she entered Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. 186 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,040 Now we know that Mary and Elizabeth and Zechariah lived 187 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:15,240 about 80 to 100 miles apart from each other. 188 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:19,280 So, And this time, what we're told is that Mary hurries on 189 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,320 foot 100. Miles to go visit her friend, 190 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:24,720 her cousin, her relative Elizabeth. 191 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,080 And now you're like this now sounds like Christmas 192 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:32,840 overwhelmed Rd. weary relatives pulling into town at the last 193 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,040 minute, dragging their drama with them. 194 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,000 And make no mistake, Mary's full of drama. 195 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,880 You don't have a 14 year old girl pregnant by the Holy Spirit 196 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,120 show up in your house and everything. 197 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,880 Just go, oh, this is normal. It's not a normal thing. 198 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,880 It's not normal for Elizabeth. It's not normal for Zechariah, 199 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:53,640 who've already had their own weirdness. 200 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:57,120 It's not normal for Mary, certainly not normal for Joseph. 201 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,360 And so this is the big picture of Christmas. 202 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:01,880 This is where Christmas actually begins. 203 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,160 And this is good news for you because the joy of Christmas 204 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,560 almost always begins with monumental disruption. 205 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,080 Zechariah and Elizabeth are old. The Bible tells us they're 206 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,240 beyond child rearing years. And you know what that means, 207 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:18,520 right? That means that they had 208 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,240 dreamed, they had planned, they had prayed, they had wanted it, 209 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,320 and eventually, over time, you just get settled into the lives 210 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,280 that where you. Are And now all of a sudden, 211 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:30,440 Zechariah in his old age, he's got to put together a crib. 212 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,720 You crazy arthritic fingers, man, you can't bend over your 213 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,320 back. Can't handle that for that long, 214 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:38,480 right? It's a disruption. 215 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:44,960 What about Mary and Joseph? 14 year old girls imagine their 216 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,320 wedding. They imagine being married to 217 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,560 their husband. I promise you she did not 218 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:56,000 imagine a visit from an Angel and a child before she's 219 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:56,960 married. I imagine. 220 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,400 I promise you that was not on her vision for the future. 221 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,680 What about Joseph? Joseph's the one in this story. 222 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:07,000 He literally does everything right. 223 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,120 He does. He's just minding his own 224 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,240 business, doing his thing. And now an Angel comes and says, 225 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:13,760 hey, I'm going to turn this. And here's the thing. 226 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:15,560 You look at that and go, now, it's pretty cool to give birth 227 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:17,400 to the king. What do you think the neighbors 228 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,320 thought? Oh, oh, oh, the God got her 229 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,240 pregnant. Joseph, not you Sure, Sure he 230 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,720 did. See, we look at the sentimental. 231 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,080 Pictures and we look at it and we just imagine that there was a 232 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,800 hymn playing over all of those things. 233 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:38,000 But I think this first Christmas disruption significant and it 234 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,040 was seismic. And I don't want you to rush 235 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:44,560 past the reality to get to the Christmas card picture because 236 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:47,080 what we see here in this gathering, what we see here, and 237 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,240 Mary hurrying to see her relative, her older. 238 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,200 Relative who is? And experiences. 239 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:56,240 She's rushing her. What we see here is that this is 240 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,520 what actually moves us towards joy. 241 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,760 What I would say is the story, the movements that we see, the 242 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:04,560 conversations that we see, build a foundation for us to have a 243 00:13:04,560 --> 00:13:08,040 lasting and a durable joy. But it's just like all the 244 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:09,720 other. The provision has been made for 245 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:11,640 us to have hope. Jesus is our hope. 246 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:15,000 Christmas is a season of hope. But you have to choose the path 247 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,360 that leads to that. You can have peace, like we 248 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:19,880 talked about last week, but you have to choose the path. 249 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,120 And in the same way, if we're going to have the joy of 250 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,480 Christmas that lasts into January and February and May and 251 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,360 June and September, we have to choose that way. 252 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,880 And So what we see Mary doing in the midst of this disruption, 253 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,600 what we see Mary doing as all of a sudden happens as she runs to 254 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:40,440 a companion, a trusted friend, a trusted person who can look into 255 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:42,680 the situation and provide some comfort. 256 00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:46,280 So what is what happens? So here this very young, very 257 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,720 pregnant young lady runs 80 to 100 miles. 258 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:53,240 And as she's walking up to the house, you can imagine she's 259 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,160 breathing, right? Her feet are tired as she walks 260 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:56,840 up. When Elizabeth heard Mary's 261 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:58,400 greeting. Mary's still far away. 262 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:02,640 She's outside the house going. Elizabeth Zechariah, is anybody 263 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,720 home? When Elizabeth heard Mary's 264 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,920 greeting. The baby leaped inside her. 265 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:16,720 Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 266 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,520 Then she exclaimed with a loud cry. 267 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,320 Blessed are you among women by the wayside. 268 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:27,720 Note, this has nothing to do with this. 269 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,280 But this is an important or at least an interesting theological 270 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:32,080 thing, right? And our kind of Protestant 271 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:35,200 tradition where we've been very, kind of very careful to 272 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,240 acknowledge and to like marginalized and minimize Mary 273 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,480 off to the side. It's important to acknowledge 274 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,640 that before the 1st 2 chapters of the Gospel or Luke of Luke 275 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:44,320 are. Open. 276 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,440 There are two. People, one of them who 277 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:50,640 originated from heaven, who called Mary Molest among women. 278 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:54,000 She is not just like everybody else in the story. 279 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,280 I don't believe she's perfect. I don't believe that she's 280 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,280 sinless. I don't believe that she died 281 00:14:58,280 --> 00:14:59,640 sinless. I don't believe that she was 282 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,920 born sinless. And still, in the whole entire 283 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:07,760 world, God chose this teenager to be the mother of his child. 284 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:09,720 I think that's important. I don't know that we need to do 285 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,960 anything with that. Just maybe be nicer to marry in 286 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:19,240 our brains. Blessed are you among women, and 287 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,080 your child will be blessed. Listen. 288 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,280 Are you listening? How could this happen to me, 289 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:27,000 that the mother of my Lord should come to me, the mother of 290 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,040 my Lord? Do you realize what Elizabeth 291 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,280 has just done? Elizabeth now becomes the first 292 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:34,720 person in the Canon of Scripture. 293 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:39,600 Elizabeth is the first person in the Bible to announce the coming 294 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:46,120 of the New Covenant. Not a priest, not Peter, not. 295 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:51,600 A woman, an old woman beyond childbearing years. 296 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,640 So we have the first prophetic utterance of the New Covenant 297 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:57,120 coming out of the mouth of a woman. 298 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:58,560 And we have. The. 299 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,320 First, telling of the gospel outside the tomb at Easter in 300 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,320 the mouth of a woman. I think that's a pretty 301 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:08,000 interesting pattern. Interesting side note, do with 302 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,840 it what you will. Verse 44 you see. 303 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:12,920 And the sound of your greeting reached my ears. 304 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,000 The baby leaped for joy inside me. 305 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,560 That baby would go on to become John the Baptist, right, the 306 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,640 forerunner of Jesus, the one who in Isaiah it talks about, you 307 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,760 know, every mountain will be made low and every valley would 308 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,640 be laid up. And it says as he prepares the 309 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,480 way of the Lord right in the wilderness, he would prepare the 310 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,600 way of the Lord will this moment where that baby John the Baptist 311 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:35,600 in the womb, that is that baby that's John the. 312 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,840 Baptist's Baptist first prophecy. 313 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:41,240 It's his first. Prophetic recognition. 314 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,280 And notice what happened. Mary didn't become unpregnant. 315 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,520 Elizabeth didn't become unpregnant. 316 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,840 There was no check in the mail. There was no pre arranged crib 317 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,120 that came. There was no diaper shower. 318 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:56,240 Everything that caused Mary to run to her cousin Elizabeth in 319 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:58,680 the 1st place is still real and still relevant. 320 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,000 Elizabeth in her old age, not knowing what's going to come is 321 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,599 still pregnant. Still the only thing that's 322 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:08,040 changing the story. Is Jesus is in the room? 323 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:11,520 And you didn't even recognize Jesus because Jesus is just an 324 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,680 embryo at this point. And you're like, well, what can 325 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:15,520 I do with an embryo? But. 326 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:18,680 Listen, there are some of you in this room right now who Jesus is 327 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,560 in an embryonic phase in your life. 328 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,480 You've heard about Jesus. You've had people talk to you 329 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,640 about Jesus. You're not sure if you believe 330 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:28,560 in Jesus? You want to believe in Jesus, 331 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:30,360 but you got some questions about Noah's ark. 332 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,200 It flood the whole earth. You got some questions about 333 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:36,160 Genesis 1-6 days, right? What I want to tell you is 334 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,640 there's an embryonic thing in you, this place of hope and this 335 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,920 place of faith in you that wants to blossom and wants to bloom 336 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,960 and that's enough. Your embryonic, the presence of 337 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,400 Jesus causes Elizabeth not just to recognize Mary, but it causes 338 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,840 Mary to be filled with the Holy Spirit and notice what's 339 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:55,800 happened. Jesus has entered the room. 340 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:59,880 Now Jesus needed. Help to get into the room. 341 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,960 Mary showed up a comfortable a relative and John the Baptist 342 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,720 leap. So now we have Jesus and John 343 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:12,000 and Mary and Elizabeth. See, at first we had all these 344 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,200 people processing their stories on their own, and now all of a 345 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,280 sudden we have this connection, we have this community, and 346 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,880 that's what even a flat. Reading of this shows. 347 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:22,840 Right. And I talk about flat. 348 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,640 I'm like just the details. We don't have to have any 349 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:27,200 interpretation, any understanding, right? 350 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,120 This. We just have Mary went to 351 00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:32,960 Elizabeth's house and the baby and Elizabeth recognized the 352 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,480 baby and Mary and jumped and left. 353 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:39,920 And what I want to say to you is joy is not Christmas lights. 354 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,360 It's not a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. 355 00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:47,720 Joy is the spiritual quality of recognizing that God is at work. 356 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:51,640 In the moment at hand. Are you listening? 357 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,360 Joy is not a generally happy feeling. 358 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:59,920 Joy comes in the moment where I realize this moment looks as 359 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:04,280 dark as anything I've ever seen. But I believe that God is here 360 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,800 in this. Not just that He is here, but 361 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,960 that He is good and that He is working for my good, even if I 362 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,720 don't recognize it or see it or understanding. 363 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,360 Even a flat reading will give you that flat. 364 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,280 I just mean like the details, who was there, what did they 365 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:20,680 say? What do they do? 366 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:21,640 Where do they go? That's a. 367 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,320 Flat reading, but that's not even the good stuff. 368 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,320 I do, I do want you to know like it's, it's good news because 369 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,800 listen, whatever darkness you're in, whatever loneliness you're 370 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:38,600 in, whatever despair or cynicism or isolation or sin or addiction 371 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,320 or whatever it is that you're in, I just want to tell you the. 372 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,880 Story of Christmas is that Jesus is here now. 373 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,080 He's in this for you. With. 374 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,800 You. He's not waiting for you to get 375 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:52,720 better so that you can come to him. 376 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,080 Jesus. Went to Elizabeth's house. 377 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,680 He's at your house, too. That's the good news. 378 00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:04,360 But what comes next in our kind of in this story, and we're 379 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:06,480 going to finish this story next week, next week is Mary's 380 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:08,360 prayer, the big the big Magnificat, right? 381 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:09,800 And we're going to look at at that kind of love. 382 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,400 But as we look at joy this week, right the. 383 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,160 Good stuff is what we see even in this just brief, simple 384 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,320 interaction, right? OK, so here's some things and I 385 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,960 just want us to notice some things about joy, right? 386 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:24,440 It just got a bulleted list. The first thing, joy is received 387 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,000 and not acquired. This is where we go wrong. 388 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,840 We think joy is something that we have to earn or purchase. 389 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,800 We think joy looks like more square foot. 390 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:39,800 We think joy looks like nicer hood ornament. 391 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:44,400 We think joy is more of this or that or better. 392 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,720 A better neighborhood, a better neighbor, a better friend, a 393 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:52,520 better job, a better income, a better picture online, better 394 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,720 more. But joy does not come from more 395 00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:58,800 or better. Because here's the thing, if 396 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,960 your joy only comes from more and better, there is only one 397 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:05,760 person because everybody has some is someone who has more 398 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:09,440 than them or is more than them or what or whatever it is. 399 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,200 There's nobody wins. One person wins at all, I guess. 400 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,600 What about that person? They're going to die and leave 401 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,080 it to the next person. Joy isn't about something that 402 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:21,640 we can keep or grab or hold. Joy is the recognition that oh, 403 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,680 Jesus is here and in the middle of this and you know what that 404 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:26,480 means for you. Some of you need to hear this. 405 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,320 This is the whole reason that you came today. 406 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:33,680 What that means is you can have joy whether or not you have 407 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,240 generally positive happy feelings. 408 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:42,400 You can have a sense of settled joy and not feel super content 409 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,360 in this moment. Mary didn't suddenly. 410 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,760 Have all the answers to how she was going to talk to her friends 411 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:50,240 about this child that was growing in her. 412 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:54,160 She didn't understand that Elizabeth didn't know how she 413 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,480 was going to explain to all the people how A506070 year old 414 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,160 woman is suddenly a child. She didn't know anything other 415 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,040 than she knew before, only that Jesus was there. 416 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,840 So what that means is that if you're having grief right now, 417 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,360 that you can possibly you can have joy, but the. 418 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:13,760 Joy that we find in grief doesn't come from recovering 419 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,640 what was lost. Me. 420 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,000 Say it again. The joy that we find in grief 421 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,840 doesn't come from recovering what was lost. 422 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:28,680 The joy that we find in grief comes from being held and loved 423 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:32,200 in community. The joy that we find in grief is 424 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:36,080 going over to somebody's house and laying your soul bare before 425 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,040 them, your weaknesses, your fears, your anger, your 426 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,560 insecurity, the ugly, sloppy, messy stuff and having them put 427 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,800 their hand on your shoulder and look you in the eye and go. 428 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,360 I'm not going anywhere. We're going to figure this out. 429 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,120 The joy that is given to us is the joy that when you come up 430 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:55,920 here and you talk to somebody on our prayer team afterwards and 431 00:22:55,920 --> 00:23:01,920 you just say he left, she's sick or out of everything, we have 432 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:03,920 nothing. And those people look with you 433 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,200 in the eye and they go, that's worth grieving. 434 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:09,400 You deserve to be sad about that. 435 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,000 And I'm going to be sad with you. 436 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:15,240 Doesn't change your it doesn't change your situation. 437 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,520 What it does is it changes your heart. 438 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:19,960 It changes your awareness of what's going on. 439 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,680 Now, let me hold this up because this is the reality. 440 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,640 Some of you don't have someone like Elizabeth in your life. 441 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,120 For some of you, this is the Christmas that you don't have 442 00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:33,920 mom for the first time and she's the one that you would go to. 443 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,800 And what I want to tell you, are you listening to me right now? 444 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:42,480 Your mom is worth grieving. Whether she was a great mom or a 445 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,400 terrible mom, he's worth grieving. 446 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:50,520 And the Lord does not begrudge you grieving a loss like that. 447 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,440 But do you remember when we were talking about Ephesians, right? 448 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:54,960 And we talked about you? Who's you? 449 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:58,960 You is who? Do you know the solution for 450 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,480 grieving people without a family is all y'all. 451 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,000 That's the church. That's what the church is for. 452 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,520 And some of you are like, great, I just got like, I've got some 453 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:12,560 things to no, that's not what this is for. 454 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:15,320 But this is not the church. You're the church. 455 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:18,840 That's why we do community, that's why we do small groups, 456 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,240 and it's why I don't hand hold and manage it super tight And on 457 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:24,640 that, because you've got to find the people that will give you 458 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,120 grace. But here's the deal, you've got 459 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:28,800 to find them and joy finds its way in there. 460 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:32,920 That leaves us the next part. Community is a joy multiplier. 461 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:41,560 It's a joy multiplier, Mary. All she did is walk up to 462 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:42,920 Elizabeth's house and what happened? 463 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,400 We see that her attitude, her posture went from hurry to 464 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:47,280 peace. We're going to see her 465 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:48,240 magnificent next week. It's. 466 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:53,360 Beautiful she comes overflowing with praise and love for for the 467 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:55,560 father right. That's what Mary does that's 468 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:57,880 what community does and what happens is I want you to know 469 00:24:57,880 --> 00:24:59,880 like Elizabeth is interpreting Mary. 470 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:02,360 This is what community does. We interpret each other. 471 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,280 Now, I want you to know, when Mary ran up, nothing had changed 472 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:07,160 about her situation. Elizabeth could have come. 473 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,160 Oh, you're pregnant too, But Mary, you're not married. 474 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,040 Aren't like, how did that happen, Mary? 475 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,200 Oh, well, God got you pregnant, Mary. 476 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,040 Nobody's going to believe that. We got to come up with a 477 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:17,760 different story, Mary. Oh, we got. 478 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:19,440 No, of course I believe you, Mary. 479 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:21,320 Right. She could have been doubtful. 480 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,440 But you know what Elizabeth says to Mary as soon as she walks up? 481 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,440 Bless it. Are you Because here's the 482 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:31,040 thing, let's talk the Christians, right? 483 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:33,640 Largely like pro-life, pro-life thing. 484 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,320 This is great. I believe it takes God to create 485 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:35,960 a life. That's fine. 486 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:38,280 We should celebrate life. You know what Elizabeth doesn't 487 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,840 say to her? I am so sorry. 488 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:46,000 Mary didn't apologize. There's a life that's coming. 489 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,280 God made life. Elizabeth's like. 490 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,920 That's how we're supposed to be. That's what we're supposed to be 491 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:56,800 about. Those kids up there in the 492 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:58,560 children's ministry, right? All of them. 493 00:25:58,640 --> 00:25:59,960 Some of you are like, yeah, I'm so that. 494 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:02,640 Listen, I don't want, if you got parents of little small 495 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:04,800 children, I mean, we need to write like that. 496 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,520 But listen, the rest of y'all whose kids are gone, you need to 497 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,520 be up there. Those aren't, those are our 498 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:13,360 kids. Yeah, somebody that's Liz 499 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:16,920 Biggers back there. She's saying, yeah, listen, hey, 500 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,480 because guess what? Parents of small children, they 501 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:20,920 get to do that all week. Long. 502 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,920 All week long. And guess what though? 503 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,320 You, you are gone. You can give me an hour. 504 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:28,440 Especially if you don't have grandkids. 505 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,360 Listen, I love babies. I want to hold your baby. 506 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:35,000 I'm going to kiss your baby. I'm going to squeeze your, your 507 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,440 baby. Yeah, because I love it. 508 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,480 But I want to. I want to be a grandpa with 509 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,080 babies, not a parent with babies. 510 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:44,920 Right. But you know what? 511 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:46,320 I can do every chance that I could get. 512 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,480 I can go hold a baby for it. Scared parent or tired parent or 513 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,880 weary parent. You don't think that would bring 514 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:54,320 joy? You don't think that would 515 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,680 multiply the joy, right? When people come in and you just 516 00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,880 go, yeah, I've got an hour and I got 2 hours on Sunday, guess 517 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:01,480 what? Sometimes the Cowboys play at 518 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:02,680 noon, so I'll have to get out, right? 519 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,000 But for the most part, I can get in here and I can do that and 520 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:10,720 I'll hold your baby, right? Because what God is doing in 521 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:13,280 people's lives doesn't always fit neatly into here. 522 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,320 So here's a question for you and your community. 523 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,760 I mean, I'm going to ask you about your community and I don't 524 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:20,640 want you to feel shame, but I want you to tell the truth. 525 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,320 How often do you and your community talk about what God is 526 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:26,920 doing all around you and how you can get involved? 527 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:33,000 How many times do you talk about which burdens you can bear for 528 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,080 other people? What if your small group? 529 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,760 Just said we. Got the 9:00 nursery. 530 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,440 We'll go to the 11:15 service together, but we're going to go 531 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,680 tell Miss Bit Miss Jamie that we got 15 people in our small group 532 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,920 and we'll serve twice a month. Don't like babies. 533 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:49,840 I don't probably like you either, but that's fine. 534 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:54,360 You don't have to serve babies. Can you hold a door? 535 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:57,000 Can you drive a car? Can you pray for somebody? 536 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:58,120 Like what? Like what can you do? 537 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:00,760 But the idea is like, it takes all of us to build. 538 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:03,120 And by the way, that's what we are about. 539 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,960 That's what it is like. Like I want you to know, like as 540 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,160 a staff, we look around and go, how can we get involved? 541 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:10,840 That's why we help orphans. That's why we help foster kids. 542 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:14,120 That's why we go to Legacy Oaks to help people who are because 543 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:17,480 that's what being a church for New Braunfels is. 544 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,760 To be A to be for New Braunfels means that we go out into the 545 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,960 world and we interpret their situations in light of God's 546 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,520 presence. We just go, I know it's scary 547 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,160 out there, but God's here, don't worry. 548 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:30,840 Just keep loving, just keep serving. 549 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,160 So that's what makes our do you know what our mission statement 550 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:36,840 as a church is? Do you know why we exist to be 551 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,560 here? River City is a church helping 552 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:42,520 to interpret God's work in New Braunfels. 553 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,480 How? By authentically experiencing 554 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,840 and expressing God's love and our lives and community, That's 555 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,760 what we do. We're not here to get a fill up 556 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:54,400 so I can walk out there and be better than everybody. 557 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,440 I come here so that I can be reminded that God has worked in 558 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,680 my kids school, in my neighbor's job, in my my neighbor's. 559 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,640 If my neighbor's marriage falls apart, God is working there too. 560 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:11,720 Oh, but divorce and it's sin. Like you don't think God works 561 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:13,200 in sin, do you? What do you think the cross 562 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:20,680 says? Redeemed it made it just like 563 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,320 new and that's what we are about. 564 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,760 Our job as a church is to walk around in our community, in our 565 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:32,560 neighborhood, at our jobs and the places that we go and subtly 566 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,960 or directly, because we've experienced in our life, begin 567 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:40,440 to ask people or point to where is God in your illness? 568 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:46,720 Where is God in your poverty? Where is God in your divorce? 569 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:52,400 Where is God in your injustice? Where is God in your fear? 570 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,560 And we don't ask angrily. We ask pastorally, from a seat 571 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,200 committed to staying until we find it. 572 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:03,800 If everybody in this room would help one person find God in 573 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,320 their life, do you know what that would do for your faith? 574 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,840 Forget them. Your faith. 575 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,240 As long as the story of our faith is we show up once a week 576 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:16,280 to. Have a guy yell at us generally 577 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,200 positive things. That's not faith. 578 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,720 And let me just tell you, if that's what your faith is, 579 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:25,400 you're going to be tired of heaven real quick. 580 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,080 In fact, you're probably going to find that heaven doesn't suit 581 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,640 you much because heaven is where the sin is gone. 582 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,200 Heaven is where we read what we read in Ephesians write. 583 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:37,480 The walls have been torn down. There's no difference. 584 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,800 No longer Jew or slave or free or Greek or male or female. 585 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:43,960 There's just Jesus and us together. 586 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,920 And we as the church are called to experience that and live that 587 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:52,400 out here. And so the final thing for us is 588 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:58,800 your words are a blessing, joy or they're not. 589 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,400 Your words are a blessing of joy or they're not. 590 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:05,440 So the first one, right, the last time we talked about 591 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:08,120 community is a joy multiplier. What that is kind of like that's 592 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,040 the communities responsibility to the individual, right? 593 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:13,080 Like that is that is our job as a church. 594 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,600 Listen when people walk. Through here you need to know. 595 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,320 My assumption is you're screwed up. 596 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,200 My assumption is you're trying hard, but you're screwed up. 597 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:24,960 My assumption is if I give you half a minute under the right 598 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,200 circumstances, you'll abandon it all. 599 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:29,320 Do you know why that's my assumption about you? 600 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,080 Because that's what I know for sure about me. 601 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,720 And so I kind of feel like we're all together, we're all in the 602 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,440 same boat, right? We're all trying to get 603 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:38,000 together. We're all trying to trying to 604 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,320 figure this out. But The thing is like we have 605 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:44,960 the power within us to bless just like Elizabeth did. 606 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,720 So this, this ability to bless, whereas the previous one, the 607 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,600 multiplier of joy is the community's gift to us. 608 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,920 This is our gift and not just our gift. 609 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:59,080 It is our responsibility to the whole, and it's effective. 610 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:03,720 Elizabeth's blessing worked. Mary showed up hurried. 611 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,880 Elizabeth says what she says. And then immediately out of 612 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,600 Mary's mouth comes this song of blessing and praise. 613 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:19,040 So the question is, are you able to walk around your world and 614 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:24,280 look at people's lives and discern and see God at move God 615 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:26,120 and at work in people's difficult? 616 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,000 Situations and in people's difficult circumstances. 617 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,480 And not only that, but do you have the prophetic courage and 618 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:36,640 discipline to speak about that instead of the seedier details 619 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,760 of people that you see? Online and in your world. 620 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,920 Mary could have talked about all the ways or Elizabeth could have 621 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:46,560 talked about all the ways that Mary had failed her people and 622 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:47,880 all of that and all the questions. 623 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:49,880 She could have meditated and counted on that. 624 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,600 She didn't waste one word. Blessed are you because what God 625 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,920 is doing in your presence and what God is doing in your myth, 626 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,000 if you'll allow me just a second, to be a little bit kind 627 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,560 of prophetic and to get in your business a little bit. 628 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:08,600 I do not believe as a whole, as a general rule, speaking wide 629 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:12,520 across the big picture, that Christians speak redemptively 630 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:14,920 enough. I think the words that come out 631 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:16,680 of. Our mouth are far. 632 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:20,920 Too often tinged with the same political and economic and 633 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,120 social fear that is that is all over. 634 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,600 It's thick, it's in the air. And what I want to say is 635 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:31,120 church, that is not for us. The question is, do we believe 636 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,040 that God is redeeming darkness or not? 637 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,280 And if so, do and will we say something about it? 638 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:41,280 My concern is we don't say something about it because we 639 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:45,040 don't see it. We have given our culture and 640 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:47,880 our world the ability to define reality for us. 641 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:50,360 And it is a failure on the part of the church. 642 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:56,840 The question is, will we as his church have the prophetic 643 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:00,640 courage and discernment to bless people that our culture 644 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:04,720 condemns? You think I'm crazy for saying 645 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:06,600 that? Here's my question for you. 646 00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:11,000 When Mary showed up on Elizabeth. 647 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:15,440 'S door, who was. She was Mary, a statistic about 648 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:16,560 waning. Youth. 649 00:34:16,639 --> 00:34:21,440 Morality and the decline of the family in the 1st century. 14 650 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,520 years old and pregnant. You can only imagine how that 651 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:24,800 happens. Where were her parents? 652 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:27,280 Why didn't they get involved? Who let? 653 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:29,400 Joseph with her. Unsupervised. 654 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:33,159 You know, I already had questions about that Mary, shady 655 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:37,040 little girl that she is, and now, well, look at what she's 656 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:38,280 got. What's coming to her? 657 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:45,040 Or was Mary the victim of a patriarchic society that gives 658 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,920 women different results for men? Why was Mary scared and not 659 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:50,880 Joseph? Why wasn't Joseph? 660 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:52,600 Why did an Angel have to come set? 661 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:55,920 Joseph at ease Maybe Mary's problem was she lived in a 662 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:59,040 culture in a society that had the wrong idea about what gender 663 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,040 roles and if she were here, the whole thing would be. 664 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:04,600 Different Who is Mary? Is Mary a statistic? 665 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:10,120 Is Mary a victim? Or is Mary blessed among women, 666 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,680 the one chosen by our Father to be the mother of the eternal 667 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:19,080 King? Not perfect, not sinless, not 668 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:25,400 eternal, but blessed. The question is, when people 669 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:31,680 walk in here in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, are you 670 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:35,960 able to see them as a candidate for grace and then extend it to 671 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:39,200 them? That's the role of the church. 672 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,720 That's the invitation of Advent, and that's where our joy is 673 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:44,160 found. That's what Advent is about. 674 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:49,240 Stop agreeing with the wrong story about what God is doing in 675 00:35:49,240 --> 00:35:53,760 your life and start believing that God is at work. 676 00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,280 Stop agreeing. Some of you are settling for 677 00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:58,480 political victory and I'm telling you, you're settling 678 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,480 short. That ain't enough. 679 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:02,160 Some of you just want to get rich. 680 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,840 And I want to tell you there will always be somebody who has 681 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,920 more and there's diminishing returns on that. 682 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:09,800 Anyway. There's something in you that is 683 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:12,800 recognized, that is seen, that is bearing the work of the Lord, 684 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,440 and nothing but that will satisfy. 685 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:18,760 That's what this Christmas spirit points at, and it makes 686 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:22,440 us desire and it creates this longing and this desire for us, 687 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,920 but it doesn't satisfy us. I'm not talking about word, 688 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:29,440 faith, heresy. I'm not talking about us so 689 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:32,800 much, see, and I'll get a hundredfold none of that. 690 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,200 That's nonsense. What I'm talking about, church, 691 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,840 is do the words of our mouth point to the reality that we 692 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:43,240 believe that our God is present and he is here and he is working 693 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,680 in the darkness and in the light? 694 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:48,560 And I know it's hard. This is hard for me. 695 00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:50,280 I don't have a room for that in my heart. 696 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:54,320 But that's what Christmas is about, preparing room for the. 697 00:36:54,320 --> 00:37:00,080 Joy that the Father has for you. So how do we, Createspace, first 698 00:37:00,240 --> 00:37:04,560 bring your disruptions to Jesus? It's going to happen. 699 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:08,160 You've got your plan, don't you? It's good. 700 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,120 It's a good plan, well thought out, well organized. 701 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,160 You've paid for everything. You just didn't factor in that 702 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:18,560 thing that's going to happen. And what I want to tell you is 703 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:22,120 when that thing inevitably happens, and by the way, the 704 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:24,960 reason that it happens is so that you know that that's not 705 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,840 your ultimate source of hope. Because if your hope is in 706 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:30,600 getting to go on vacation, if your joy is on vacation, it's 707 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:35,600 going to suck the drive back. If your joy, listen, I, I, I 708 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,200 mean it like I, I know it. If your joy is in your children, 709 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:42,400 high school graduation is going to be a dark, dark day for you. 710 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,800 If your hope is in grandchildren's or financial 711 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:49,640 security or whatever it is, none of those things are within your 712 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:51,080 control. None of them. 713 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:55,440 And God will absolutely send disruptions into our way to 714 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,160 drive us to Him and to each other. 715 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,120 But Mary's pregnancy wasn't an interruption, was it? 716 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:05,320 It was the best. Thing that happened to the 717 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,880 entire world. Mary's disruption, all the 718 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:10,960 things that Mary would go through and she would experience 719 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:13,560 all those things ended up being for our good. 720 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,560 And so the thing for you is you don't have to know or pretend to 721 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:19,840 know what your disruption is about, but you should assume 722 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:23,360 that God isn't surprised that by this interruption. 723 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:26,560 Oh, it's unexpected. It is urgent and it is 724 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:28,880 important. And you're at your wit's end and 725 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,400 you don't know what to do. That's the moment to stop. 726 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:34,840 You want to jump in and go faster and work harder. 727 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:39,280 Stop, pause, pray, God, what the heck are you doing here? 728 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,480 And then call somebody that you know who will tell you, who will 729 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:44,960 help you and interpret what God is doing. 730 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,640 That's the second part. Move towards an Elizabeth. 731 00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:50,840 I don't know who the Elizabeth is in your life, but I know that 732 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:54,160 you need 1. And I also know this for most of 733 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,800 you, it can't be me because you know what? 734 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,000 I'm going to come stand right here at the end of the thing and 735 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:00,880 you're going to walk up and you're going to need me to 736 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:02,920 interpret your life, but I don't know you. 737 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:05,840 I know God's word. There's some people that I know. 738 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,240 I know that he has good for you, but you need someone that's 739 00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:09,720 going to look you in the face and go. 740 00:39:09,720 --> 00:39:11,000 God has better for. You than that. 741 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:13,960 You're settling for that. Don't settle for that. 742 00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:15,560 And do you know how that happens? 743 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:18,680 You have to go. There's a table right up front. 744 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:21,280 Listen, I just bought small group program. 745 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,400 Like, yes, you need a small group. 746 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:26,840 We're angry as a culture, we're angry. 747 00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:28,720 We're fired up, we're ticked off. 748 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:30,320 We don't trust each other. We're mad. 749 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:33,760 We're disgruntled. Yeah, that's what that proves, 750 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,360 and that's what it breeds. So do something different. 751 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,960 Go to a group of people. Fire your friends that don't 752 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:42,520 bring joy. Well, that's the last one. 753 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:46,320 Becoming Elizabeth. Hey. 754 00:39:46,320 --> 00:39:48,440 So when we started this, it was 2012. 755 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:51,040 I was 35 years old. I had three kids. 756 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:57,120 My oldest child was 8 years old. And when we I'd never been a 757 00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:58,760 lead pastor. I had never done this. 758 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:02,400 I knew nothing. Nothing. 759 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:04,480 And River City is a young church. 760 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,000 Like, I mean, look around, we are a young congregation. 761 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:07,840 But here's the thing I want to say. 762 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:12,840 When we first came here 2012, there was a group of probably 15 763 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:17,040 or 20 people, 55 plus who stayed. 764 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:23,440 And I want to tell you, whatever spiritual depth and maturity and 765 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:28,960 wisdom is present at River City is because a small handful of 766 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,800 hand, handful of older people who didn't. 767 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:36,120 I'm not preaching about retirement. 768 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:39,320 I'm not preaching about what to do in the second act of your 769 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:40,920 life. Their kids are gone. 770 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,320 I'm worried about how to like. I'm preaching about things that 771 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:47,000 don't engage them. And they stayed and they engaged 772 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:50,560 and they loved this place and they walked with me and when my 773 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,320 kids. Grew up and started freaking 774 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:54,000 out. They put their arms around me 775 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:57,200 and they walked with me and they encouraged me and they prayed 776 00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:59,600 for me. And we are still a young 777 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,360 congregation and we are eternally indebted to those 778 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:06,520 folks who have gone before us. Those folks who are in their 50s 779 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:09,560 and in their 60s and their 70s, who have walked with the Lord 780 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:12,880 for a long time, who are able to look me in my face and go, I've 781 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:14,920 been there. I found the Lord there. 782 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:17,600 You can find him too. Let's walk together. 783 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:20,360 So here's what I'm saying. If you're a young person in in 784 00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:23,240 here and you've got this and you don't have a community or group, 785 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:25,680 you should go to a group with old people in it. 786 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:30,080 If they cook better, they want to hold your babies. 787 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:33,400 They love you. And when you are at the end of 788 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:36,320 your rope, they will look you in the eye and go, I made it, you 789 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:40,240 can make it too. But old people can I call you 790 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:44,840 old people? I'm right there on that edge now 791 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:50,880 so we can speak to us. Hey, listen, you did it. 792 00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:56,160 You ran the race. You finished, go find a young 793 00:41:56,160 --> 00:41:57,680 person and give your life to them. 794 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:01,000 You'll find a group of young people and give your life to 795 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:02,320 them. Oh, and they're going to 796 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:04,640 inconvenience you like crazy. I mean, I'm telling like giving 797 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:06,480 refrigerator rights to your house invite. 798 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:09,280 Them in so when they're grieving, when they weep, so 799 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:11,960 they'll have a place to go, so that you can tell them that God 800 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:13,720 is there. Oh, and they will inconvenience 801 00:42:13,720 --> 00:42:14,560 you. They will ask more. 802 00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:17,400 From you than you think you have, and all you'll get in 803 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,760 return is this abiding sense that God is working through you 804 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:25,280 and the next generation to do something amazing and wonderful. 805 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:28,840 That's my dream for River City, that we'd be a place that 806 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:31,840 generationally just multiplies. Listen, I'm going to die. 807 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:36,680 Not soon, I hope, but someday. And when I die, if all this 808 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,840 stops, my life will have been wasted. 809 00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:41,920 Wasted. Because you're not going to die 810 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:44,040 when I die. And you've got a part in this, 811 00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:46,320 and you've got a role on the Lord's joy for. 812 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:50,960 You is supposed to be eternal. But we get so easily derailed. 813 00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:54,720 And I'm saying we can do the things that we need to do. 814 00:42:54,720 --> 00:42:58,440 We move to community, we begin to give people access to the 815 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,040 dark places, and we take the liberty of. 816 00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:04,120 Going into people's places and speaking life and encouragement 817 00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:06,760 and blessing over them. That's my prayer for us as a 818 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:09,200 church, January through December, that we wouldn't 819 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:14,040 settle for the made-up feeling that everything is fine, but 820 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:17,800 instead, I pray that we would develop a shared awareness in 821 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:22,040 community that Jesus is at work right here, right in the middle 822 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:26,080 of our disruptions, and that we would organize everything around 823 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:31,320 that. You pray with me, Jesus. 824 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:34,120 The fact that this Christmas season sparked something in US 825 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:38,400 tells us that it's there. We want joy. 826 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:44,960 We were created for joy. So forgive us when we settle. 827 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:48,200 Forgive us when we settle for less than because it's easy. 828 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:53,000 Forgive us when we settle for less than because we just can't 829 00:43:53,240 --> 00:43:54,880 figure out how the other one will work. 830 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:00,520 And I just pray for anybody in here who maybe is just, it's 831 00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:04,800 been all dark. Jesus, I just pray that in this 832 00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:08,120 place, you would surround their heart and comfort them and lift 833 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:11,520 them up. But I pray that you would move 834 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:12,760 through this room in a different way. 835 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:15,120 Father, I pray that as we scatter from this place and go 836 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,360 to our neighborhoods, I pray that we would be joy bringers, 837 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:20,760 joy multipliers, that we would speak to the goodness of what 838 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:22,480 you're doing in other people's lives. 839 00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:25,760 Many won't get it. They won't understand, but I 840 00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:28,600 pray that we wouldn't just do it for them, but we would do it for 841 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:30,040 you and that we would do it for us. 842 00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:34,480 I pray that your church, specifically River City Lord, 843 00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:38,520 would be the most joyful place within 100 miles. 844 00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:42,200 I pray that people would come here and they would hear hard 845 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,720 things and difficult things and face difficult realities, and 846 00:44:45,720 --> 00:44:47,760 that they would find your joy in the midst of it. 847 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:51,160 Thank you, Father, for your goodness and your grace. 848 00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:53,320 We love you and we thank you, and we ask all these things in 849 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:55,160 your name. Amen. 850 00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:58,400 Thank you for joining us today. River City Church is all about 851 00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:01,120 experiencing and expressing God's love in our lives and 852 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:03,800 community, and we hope that you've been able to experience 853 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:06,440 that today. As grateful as I am that you've 854 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:09,720 spent this time listening in this morning, this podcast is no 855 00:45:09,720 --> 00:45:12,760 substitute for full participation in a local church. 856 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:16,360 I love it when River City people listen to other pastors, but it 857 00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:19,400 is those who show up week after week, faithfully giving their 858 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,320 support and time and resources that make all of this possible. 859 00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:26,160 If we can help you get connected to a local church, pray for you, 860 00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:29,440 or support you in any way, click the link in the description and 861 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:31,560 let us know. If you'd like to financially 862 00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:34,400 support the ministry of River City, click the give link on our 863 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:37,600 website in the description. Don't forget to subscribe and 864 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:39,280 don't forget to share this with your friends. 865 00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:42,280 Thanks so much for listening. May the Lord bless and keep you 866 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:43,920 in all grace and peace.