The Joy for the World | Advent | Pastor Zach Weihrauch

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This is a reading from

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Matthew 2:1-11.

Matthew 2:1–11

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Now, after

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea

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in the days of Herod

the king, behold, wise men from the east

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came to Jerusalem, saying, where is he

who has been born King of the Jews?

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For we saw his star when it rose,

and have come to worship him.

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When Herod the king heard this,

he was troubled, and all Jerusalem

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with him, and assembling all the chief

priests and scribes of the people,

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he inquired of them

where the Christ was to be born.

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They told him in Bethlehem of Judea.

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For so it is written by the prophet.

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And you,

O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

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are by no means least

among the rulers of Judah.

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For from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.

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Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly,

and ascertained from them

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what time the star had appeared.

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And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,

go and search diligently for the child.

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And when you have found him, bring me word

that I too may come and worship him.

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After listening to the king,

they went on their way, and behold,

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the star that they had seen

when it rose went before them

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until it came to rest over the place

where the child was.

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When they saw this star,

they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

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And going into the house

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they saw the child with Mary, his mother,

and they fell down and worshiped him.

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Then opening their treasures,

they offered him gifts.

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Gold and frankincense and myrrh.

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Well, good morning and

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welcome to the weekly gathering of Christ

Community Chapel.

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My name is Zach.

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I'm one of the pastors here, and I'm

so glad we get to be part of your weekend.

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This is week

two of our Christmas sermon series.

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I'm really looking forward to spending

this time with you, but it's interesting.

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This little inside baseball here.

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The Christmas sermon series

is usually the preaching pastor's

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least favorite sermon series,

and that's for one obvious reason.

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There's only so many new angles you can

take on a story that doesn't change.

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You know,

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I've been doing this now for 20 years,

and that's 20 different Christmases.

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And I don't have 20 different unique

perspectives on Christmas.

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It can feel a little redundant.

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It can feel like you're

out of creative material.

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Maybe you feel like that sometimes.

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Like, oh,

the Christmas story. I. I know the story.

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You hear it read you. I know this story.

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Even if you don't have much

of a religious background,

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you probably know that there were wise

men involved in the Christmas story.

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But sometimes

when we're overly familiar with something,

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we think we know more about it than we do,

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and as a consequence, we can miss

some of the really great stuff.

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Like, I don't want to ruin anyone's

Christmas, but let me give you

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some examples.

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For example, it's not true

that there were three wise men I know.

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Don't get angry with me, okay?

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I just mean that there were three gifts

gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

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But most scholars believe

that the group of of wise

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men traveling here would have been close

to 100 people wise

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men, servants, cooks, cleaners,

a whole entourage.

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But I guess singing we 100 Kings

just doesn't roll off the tongue right?

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Here's another thing.

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And this one, right

might really make you upset.

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The wise men

didn't actually visit the manger.

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Okay.

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Jesus, you realized

didn't live in a manger, okay?

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He was.

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He was born in one,

but he didn't live there.

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And by the time the wise men get to Jesus,

he's probably about two years old.

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So they're not even visiting baby Jesus.

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They're visiting toddler Jesus.

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Now, I don't mean that you need to go home

and throw away your nativity set.

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That's that's not what I'm saying.

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I'm just saying, if you didn't know

those things, then maybe open yourself

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up to the idea that there's

more to a story like this than you.

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First saw.

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And if there are, if there's more,

like on a Bible trivia perspective,

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then maybe there's more in a life shaping,

life changing perspective.

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So if you have a Bible,

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would you take it out

and open it to Matthew chapter two?

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If you don't have one,

you want to use one.

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There's one in the pew in front of you

or in the back of his hall.

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And I can tell you that it's on page 757.

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But we want to do this

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morning is lean into this story

and find a little bit of joy in it for us,

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because after all, that's our theme

this Christmas joy.

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So my outline is three points,

very simple.

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And they go like this

I want to show you the source of joy,

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the reach of joy, and the path to joy.

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Okay.

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The source of joy,

the reach of joy and the path to joy.

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All right.

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Let's start with the first one,

the source of joy.

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Probably notice when this passage was read

that there's a lot of joy

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in this passage,

a lot of excitement, a lot of happiness.

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If you didn't notice,

let's read it together.

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Verses one and two, and then we'll read

a couple verses later in the passage.

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Here's what they say

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now. After Jesus

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was born in Bethlehem of Judea

in the days of Herod

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the king, behold, wise men from the east

came to Jerusalem, saying,

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where is he

who has been born king of the Jews?

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For we saw his star when it rose,

and have come to worship him.

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Skip down to verse nine.

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After listening to the King,

they went on their own way,

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and behold, the star that they had seen

when it rose went before them

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until it came to rest over the place

where the child was.

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And when they saw the star,

they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

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And going into the house

they saw the child with Mary,

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his mother,

and they fell down and worshiped him.

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Then, opening their treasures,

they offered him gifts,

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gold and frankincense and myrrh.

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So you see, the wise men are very excited.

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They are very joyful that there's

a star in the sky, that there's a king

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who's been born, and that finally

they meet this little toddler King Jesus.

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But here's my question

what is so joyful about that?

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For them?

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I mean, they don't know anything

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about who Jesus is going to become.

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Probably the real answer to who

Jesus would be would have shocked them

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that Jesus would grow up

to be a sinless man,

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that he would go to the cross and suffer

under the weight of the sin of the church,

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under the judgment of God, that he would

die and raise three days later.

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They they know none of that.

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All they know is there's a star,

there's a king, and this is him.

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So why are they so joyful?

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I think the answer to

that is found in the concept of a story.

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But let me put it to you

this way. It's Christmas.

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You probably have a lot of family

traditions.

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So does my family.

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And some of those traditions

revolve around movies.

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We like to watch Christmas movies

we love Home Alone, one and two.

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We pretend there are no other home alones

after that, Die Hard.

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That's a Christmas movie,

if you ask me any movie, you say ho

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ho ho, it is a Christmas movie, okay?

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And in my house, what that means

Christmas season means we're

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watching a lot of hallmark movies.

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Now, when I talk about hallmark movies,

I mean, like all hallmark movies,

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I look this up.

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36 million Americans

watch hallmark movies.

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So some of you are lying.

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Nostalgia. You're lying. Okay.

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And if you haven't seen a hallmark movie,

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let me catch you up on the most recent one

I watched,

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which is really the same as all of them

I've ever watched.

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Okay, here's how they go.

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There's a woman who lives in the city.

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She has a hotshot job as an architect.

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Or maybe like a cupcake designer.

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Okay, it's a thing.

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She has a boyfriend.

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He's very handsome,

very successful, usually very wealthy.

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But she's up for a promotion.

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And the only way to get a promotion

is to lead out on a project.

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You're not going to believe this.

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That just happens

to be taking place in her home town.

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What are the odds of that?

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She says goodbye to her

wildly handsome and wealthy boyfriend,

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goes back to her hometown.

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While she's there, she runs into her

old high school boyfriend

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who doesn't have a job and may

or may not be homeless.

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Okay.

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Over the course of her time

in her hometown, she realizes

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the city is bad, work is bad.

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Handsome, wealthy boyfriend are bad.

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She realizes Christmas is good.

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Homeless guys are great.

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They fall in love. They kiss. It snows.

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The end.

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That's every hallmark movie ever made.

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And sometimes

when I'm watching with my wife

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five minutes

in, I tell her what the plot is.

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And she's always like,

how did you guess that?

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And I'm like, how did you not guess that?

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Even if I haven't seen this one,

I've seen this one, right?

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And I'll say to her,

why do you like these?

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They're so formal.

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And she has a great answer.

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She says, but it's a good formula,

and I think she's right.

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That's how stories work.

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Like every Christmas

I watch It's a Wonderful Life.

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I know what's going to happen.

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I know how things are going to end.

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For George Bailey.

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I watch A Christmas Carol, the George C

Scott version, the true version,

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and I know how things are going to go

for Scrooge, but that's why I watch them,

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because these stories are full of low

moments,

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difficult chapters.

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I know that's how life works.

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You know that's how life works.

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But I also know that

even though the moment might be long,

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even though the chapter might be hard,

I know we're headed somewhere great.

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So I hang in there because I know

the ending is going to make it worth it.

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You see, here's what the wise men know.

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If God sent a star,

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if God sent a king,

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then that means that human history is not

random.

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It's not chaos.

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It's not arbitrary.

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It means that God is writing a story.

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And if God is writing a story,

then it means I'm not random.

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It means no matter how low the chapter,

no matter how low the moment

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or how difficult the season,

we are headed somewhere good.

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You see,

Christmas is a reminder to us every year

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that God is writing a story.

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You know, the Bible never tells you to

pretend the season you're in isn't hard.

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It never tells you to cover your ears,

cover your eyes.

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Pretend everything is okay.

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Pretend you're not lonely.

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Pretend

you don't wish you had a family to go to,

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or wish you weren't

going to see your family.

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To pretend

you don't miss that family member

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that you won't see this Christmas

because they're no longer with us.

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The Bible never asks us to pretend.

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It says, look, some moments are low,

some chapters are hard.

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What it tells us

every Christmas is if God sent his son,

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then life is a story.

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And stories are always headed somewhere

great.

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Do you need to hear that this year?

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You are not random.

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Life is not chaos.

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God is writing a story.

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Now you might be thinking,

well man, that's a beautiful thought

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that God is writing a story,

that human history is headed somewhere.

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But but even if God is writing a story,

how could I ever believe?

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How could I ever know that?

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That he wants me to be part of it?

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I mean, maybe he's writing a story for

some people, but not for people like me.

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Well, that's actually my second point.

Not just the source of joy.

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God is writing a story,

but the reach of joy.

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You see, sometimes we read a story

and we think we know it,

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but we don't like just

who are these wise men?

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Look, look with me.

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How they're described in chapter one

and two.

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Here's what it says now,

after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea

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in the days of Herod

the king, behold, wise men from the east

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came to Jerusalem, saying, where is he

who has been born king of the Jews?

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For we saw his star when it rose,

and we've come to worship.

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And we read that phrase,

wise men from the East.

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And I know what you're picturing

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turbans and beards

and these guys that go around quoting

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like pithy one liners all the time,

but that's not who they were.

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So you have to understand

that Matthew was written,

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Matthew is a story of Jesus life, death

and resurrection.

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It's written to a first century

Jewish audience.

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One of the ways we know that

is that throughout the Gospel of Matthew,

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he quotes the Old Testament time

and time again.

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He's assuming that his audience is Jewish.

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So the question isn't, what do you think

of when you read wisemen from the East?

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The question is,

what would a first century Jewish

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person have thought of

when they read wisemen from the East?

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Like, for example,

these guys are most likely from Babylon

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now Babylon.

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If you don't know much about the Bible,

Babylon is the place

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where Israel just came out

of after living in exile.

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They're basically slave

holders, oppressors.

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They're the bad guys.

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In the book of revelation, Satan's kingdom

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is referred to as the great Babylon.

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Okay, that's that's Babylon.

00:13:24:31 - 00:13:27:59

You know how if you're a child of the 80s

or 90s, every bad guy in

00:13:27:59 - 00:13:30:59

every movie was Russian.

00:13:31:17 - 00:13:34:15

If they had made first century

Jewish movies,

00:13:34:15 - 00:13:37:36

Sylvester Stallone

would have been fighting the Babylonians.

00:13:37:58 - 00:13:42:03

They would have been the bad guys, not

only, though, are these guys Babylonians.

00:13:42:03 - 00:13:48:08

They're not Jewish, which means they don't

believe the Old Testament is God's word.

00:13:48:20 - 00:13:50:39

They're not sitting around

waiting for the Messiah.

00:13:50:39 - 00:13:51:52

They don't keep the law.

00:13:51:52 - 00:13:53:56

They don't follow the Torah.

00:13:53:56 - 00:13:58:48

Not only are they Babylonians

who are pagans, but they're astrologers.

00:13:59:33 - 00:14:03:41

They look to the stars for the answers

about what's coming in the future,

00:14:03:43 - 00:14:06:55

something

the Old Testament expressly forbids,

00:14:07:18 - 00:14:11:05

something that can even

have you killed in the Old Testament.

00:14:11:28 - 00:14:12:49

So why do I say that?

00:14:12:49 - 00:14:14:46

You see,

when you read wisemen from the East,

00:14:14:46 - 00:14:17:30

if you think turbans and beards,

you will say,

00:14:17:30 - 00:14:21:04

even if God is writing a story, it's

not for people like me.

00:14:21:09 - 00:14:23:10

But if when you read wisemen

from the East,

00:14:23:10 - 00:14:26:28

you think people from the wrong country,

with the wrong religion,

00:14:26:31 - 00:14:30:50

from the wrong background,

you'll realize the whole reason they're in

00:14:30:50 - 00:14:33:50

the story

is so that you know you can be to.

00:14:34:11 - 00:14:37:33

But let me give you just a story from

my own life that will illustrate this.

00:14:38:03 - 00:14:41:30

My wife, Amy and I a couple of years ago

attended a fundraising event

00:14:41:50 - 00:14:44:37

at which Tim

Tebow was the keynote speaker.

00:14:44:37 - 00:14:46:14

If you don't know who Tim Tebow

00:14:46:14 - 00:14:49:45

is, the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback

from the University of Florida.

00:14:49:45 - 00:14:53:17

I remember him as a quarterback

who beat the Steelers in the playoffs.

00:14:53:17 - 00:14:55:26

You can remember him however you want.

00:14:55:26 - 00:14:57:54

Great guy.

He did an awesome job at the event.

00:14:57:54 - 00:15:01:22

Now at this event,

Amy and I are sitting at the VIP table.

00:15:01:40 - 00:15:04:40

You're probably looking at me

going, why, that's a great question.

00:15:04:51 - 00:15:07:04

Okay, it wasn't because we were important.

00:15:07:04 - 00:15:10:04

The people we were with were important.

00:15:10:06 - 00:15:11:48

We didn't have any money to give.

00:15:11:48 - 00:15:13:36

We weren't going to give any money.

00:15:13:36 - 00:15:16:22

We were just kind of like their plus one

and plus two.

00:15:16:22 - 00:15:19:50

So after Tim gets done talking,

then we're all eating dessert,

00:15:19:50 - 00:15:22:07

like, all in this ballroom

or wherever we are.

00:15:22:07 - 00:15:24:49

And his handlers

bring him down off the stage

00:15:24:49 - 00:15:28:48

and bring him to the VIP table

so he can meet all the VIPs.

00:15:28:48 - 00:15:30:14

And he's going around the table

00:15:30:14 - 00:15:33:14

shaking everybody's hand, saying,

hey, I'm Tim, thanks for being here.

00:15:33:16 - 00:15:34:31

Thanks for giving money.

00:15:34:31 - 00:15:37:33

He shakes everyone's hand at the VIP table

but skips,

00:15:37:33 - 00:15:40:33

Amy and I, they

they his handlers don't bring them to us.

00:15:40:38 - 00:15:41:32

Don't bring him to us.

00:15:41:32 - 00:15:43:47

They take him to the next VIP table.

00:15:43:47 - 00:15:45:11

We weren't offended, right?

00:15:45:11 - 00:15:46:56

Because we knew we weren't important.

00:15:46:56 - 00:15:49:23

They knew

we weren't going to give any money we got.

00:15:49:23 - 00:15:52:21

It was just cool to be close to him

and that way.

00:15:52:21 - 00:15:55:57

But about 30 seconds after

he leaves our table to go to the next one,

00:15:56:06 - 00:15:59:06

he leaves his handlers

and comes back to Amy

00:15:59:06 - 00:16:02:13

and I shakes our hand and says,

hey, I'm Tim, I realized I missed you.

00:16:02:25 - 00:16:04:17

Thanks so much for being here.

00:16:04:17 - 00:16:05:29

It was awesome.

00:16:05:29 - 00:16:06:43

But man, it was apparent.

00:16:06:43 - 00:16:10:33

I thought, what did his parents teach him

and how do I teach it to my kids?

00:16:10:33 - 00:16:12:24

It was very, very cool,

00:16:12:24 - 00:16:15:53

and I can't think of a better metaphor

for why the wise men are in this story.

00:16:16:43 - 00:16:19:43

Because you and

I think if God is writing a story in human

00:16:19:43 - 00:16:22:48

history,

it's for people sitting at the VIP table.

00:16:23:33 - 00:16:25:52

But every Christmas,

God comes back to our table,

00:16:27:20 - 00:16:29:17

puts his hand out and says, hey,

00:16:29:17 - 00:16:33:50

I'm writing a story

and there's a place in it for you.

00:16:34:44 - 00:16:39:39

Even if you're a Babylonian pagan

sorcerer, there's a place in it for you.

00:16:39:39 - 00:16:42:39

Even if you're divorced,

00:16:42:51 - 00:16:45:51

even if you're alone this Christmas,

and it's your fault.

00:16:46:47 - 00:16:49:47

Even if you have the wrong

religious background,

00:16:50:21 - 00:16:53:37

even if you're ashamed or guilty

00:16:54:16 - 00:16:56:37

or broken, there's a place in it for you.

00:16:56:37 - 00:16:58:01

Now, I know you might be thinking,

00:16:58:01 - 00:17:01:49

well, listen,

good for these Babylonian sorcerers, but.

00:17:01:57 - 00:17:04:06

But they had a star in the sky.

00:17:04:06 - 00:17:05:43

That's how they knew they were included.

00:17:05:43 - 00:17:09:15

And if I had a star,

then maybe I would believe.

00:17:09:15 - 00:17:12:08

Well,

first of all, don't overestimate the star.

00:17:12:08 - 00:17:15:20

Because, as we'll see in a minute, a

lot of people don't know what's going on.

00:17:15:53 - 00:17:18:44

It wasn't that demonstrative.

00:17:18:44 - 00:17:21:16

But what I want you to see

is that the wise

00:17:21:16 - 00:17:24:36

men themselves are your star.

00:17:26:24 - 00:17:27:59

They're the neon sign in the

00:17:27:59 - 00:17:30:59

story of God saying, you,

00:17:31:48 - 00:17:35:54

you, you see,

the reach of joy is for anybody,

00:17:36:57 - 00:17:42:21

for everyone who wants to be included.

00:17:42:51 - 00:17:48:04

So if this Christmas, it feels like

everyone else is sitting at God's table.

00:17:48:04 - 00:17:51:06

They all have homes full of joy

and happiness

00:17:51:06 - 00:17:54:58

and presence and fun,

and you don't have any of those things.

00:17:54:58 - 00:17:57:50

And if you feel like even for a moment,

I understand,

00:17:57:50 - 00:17:59:18

I understand

God gives things to those people.

00:17:59:18 - 00:18:01:06

He doesn't give things to me.

God includes them.

00:18:01:06 - 00:18:01:57

He doesn't include me.

00:18:01:57 - 00:18:02:42

Here comes God.

00:18:02:42 - 00:18:05:22

Back to your table handout this Christmas.

00:18:05:22 - 00:18:08:21

Yet again saying no, no, no no no.

00:18:10:06 - 00:18:11:48

I am God,

00:18:11:48 - 00:18:16:20

I'm writing a story

and there's a room for you in it.

00:18:17:11 - 00:18:18:31

And you might be thinking, what?

00:18:20:44 - 00:18:23:12

How do I how do I get into it?

00:18:23:12 - 00:18:24:34

Then what's my third point?

00:18:24:34 - 00:18:26:33

Actually, not just the source of joy.

00:18:26:33 - 00:18:29:38

God is writing a story,

not just the reach of joy for anyone

00:18:29:38 - 00:18:33:27

and everyone who wants to be included,

even Babylonian pagan

00:18:33:27 - 00:18:36:41

sorcerers, but also the path to joy.

00:18:37:24 - 00:18:40:24

First thing I want you to notice is not

everybody gets it.

00:18:40:42 - 00:18:43:00

Pick it up in verse three,

we'll see some people that are left out.

00:18:43:00 - 00:18:44:39

Here's what it says.

00:18:44:39 - 00:18:47:39

When Herod the king heard this,

he was troubled

00:18:48:04 - 00:18:52:14

and all Jerusalem with him, and assembling

all the chief priests and the scribes

00:18:52:14 - 00:18:55:48

of the people, he inquired of them

where the Christ was to be born.

00:18:55:57 - 00:18:58:57

And they told him, in Bethlehem of Judea.

00:18:59:13 - 00:19:02:24

For so it is written by the prophet,

and you, O Bethlehem,

00:19:02:40 - 00:19:06:43

in the land of Judah, are by no means

least among the rulers of Judah.

00:19:06:43 - 00:19:10:38

For from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.

00:19:11:01 - 00:19:14:57

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly,

and ascertained from them what time

00:19:15:06 - 00:19:16:20

the star had appeared.

00:19:16:20 - 00:19:20:30

And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,

go and search diligently for the child.

00:19:20:35 - 00:19:25:08

And when you have found him, bring me word

that I too may come and worship him.

00:19:25:08 - 00:19:26:44

Of course,

we know that's not what he has in mind.

00:19:26:44 - 00:19:29:06

He's going to murder

all the children under two.

00:19:29:06 - 00:19:30:07

Here's my point.

00:19:30:07 - 00:19:33:10

Herod has all the information

the wise men have.

00:19:35:05 - 00:19:38:05

There's a star and a king.

00:19:38:09 - 00:19:40:38

That's all everyone knows.

00:19:40:38 - 00:19:41:57

But he misses it.

00:19:41:57 - 00:19:42:33

But he misses it.

00:19:42:33 - 00:19:47:21

In fact, he goes to Bible study,

and he has everybody at Bible study.

00:19:47:35 - 00:19:50:35

And they miss it too. Why?

00:19:51:09 - 00:19:55:14

What tells us Herod is the king is he.

00:19:55:14 - 00:19:57:09

He has a scarcity mindset.

00:19:57:09 - 00:19:58:39

Herod is thinking,

wait a minute, wait a minute.

00:19:58:39 - 00:20:01:39

I like my story.

00:20:01:42 - 00:20:03:59

In my story I'm king.

00:20:03:59 - 00:20:08:36

And if God is writing a story, then,

then that threatens my story.

00:20:08:36 - 00:20:10:18

If God is writing a story, maybe.

00:20:10:18 - 00:20:15:08

Maybe he has less for me

and so I have to get rid of it.

00:20:16:22 - 00:20:18:40

Now, can I tell you every year

00:20:18:40 - 00:20:21:40

all kinds of people make that choice?

00:20:22:14 - 00:20:24:25

We like our story.

00:20:24:25 - 00:20:25:25

We want to be king.

00:20:26:28 - 00:20:28:39

We don't want God to threaten it.

00:20:28:39 - 00:20:30:18

And when you do that, you miss it.

00:20:30:18 - 00:20:31:58

The wise men don't know anything.

00:20:31:58 - 00:20:35:50

All they know is God is writing a story,

but they have an abundance mindset.

00:20:35:50 - 00:20:36:32

They wait, wait a minute.

00:20:36:32 - 00:20:41:09

If God is writing a story,

then surely it's better than the story.

00:20:41:09 - 00:20:42:13

I have.

00:20:42:13 - 00:20:45:56

Let me put it to you this way

I love to give Christmas gifts.

00:20:46:14 - 00:20:49:50

I mean, I love it, I love it,

I do all the shopping with my wife.

00:20:50:28 - 00:20:53:56

I have a spreadsheet where I keep

track of what we've got, each kid

00:20:53:56 - 00:20:56:22

and how much we spend so that it's even.

00:20:56:22 - 00:20:57:43

I know some of you think that's awesome.

00:20:57:43 - 00:21:00:14

Some of you think

I'm a nerd. Haters. I don't care.

00:21:01:30 - 00:21:02:29

Friday is my day off.

00:21:02:29 - 00:21:04:19

We spent all Friday wrapping presents.

00:21:04:19 - 00:21:05:41

I'm there. I'm wrapping with her.

00:21:05:41 - 00:21:08:34

I even number them

so they open them in the correct order.

00:21:08:34 - 00:21:10:49

You're welcome for that tip, by the way.

00:21:10:49 - 00:21:14:39

Okay, but I love it,

I love it, which also means and fellow

00:21:14:39 - 00:21:17:39

gift givers, you'll get this

I hate Christmas lists

00:21:18:44 - 00:21:21:31

you like a terrorist list of demands.

00:21:21:31 - 00:21:24:31

Hey, if you want me to be happy,

you'll get me these things.

00:21:24:34 - 00:21:28:12

And I especially hate

when someone says, just give me money.

00:21:28:50 - 00:21:29:35

Just give me money.

00:21:29:35 - 00:21:31:40

Because it's like they're saying to me,

hey, Zach,

00:21:31:40 - 00:21:35:49

I want your resources,

but I know what's best for me now.

00:21:35:49 - 00:21:39:08

My kids asked for some things

this Christmas, but the gifts?

00:21:39:08 - 00:21:40:00

I have two daughters right here.

00:21:40:00 - 00:21:43:45

I'm telling you, the gifts,

they're going to blow their minds are

00:21:43:45 - 00:21:45:01

the ones they didn't ask for.

00:21:46:18 - 00:21:47:35

You know why?

00:21:47:35 - 00:21:50:35

Because they asked for this.

00:21:51:45 - 00:21:52:32

For my wife, Amy.

00:21:52:32 - 00:21:54:56

Our love for them.

00:21:54:56 - 00:21:57:29

It's here, it's here.

00:21:57:29 - 00:21:59:04

They thought too little.

00:21:59:04 - 00:22:00:02

Can I tell you this?

00:22:00:02 - 00:22:03:01

That's the exact difference in this story.

00:22:03:43 - 00:22:07:47

Herod is king, and he thinks

it could never be better than this.

00:22:07:51 - 00:22:10:22

If I give God my story,

if I enter God's story,

00:22:10:22 - 00:22:13:29

if I give God control,

he'll give me less carrot.

00:22:13:33 - 00:22:15:58

Herod holds on to King and he dies.

00:22:15:58 - 00:22:18:58

And you know when he gets, he's

a footnote in history.

00:22:19:25 - 00:22:22:25

He's a bad guy in the greatest story

ever told.

00:22:23:03 - 00:22:25:39

The wise men say,

I don't know what God is doing,

00:22:25:39 - 00:22:30:50

but if God is writing a story, surely

it's got to be better than the one I have,

00:22:30:54 - 00:22:35:41

and they become an integral part

of the greatest story ever told.

00:22:35:45 - 00:22:40:06

How many of us are guilty of going to God

and saying, just give me cash?

00:22:42:06 - 00:22:43:25

I want your power, God.

00:22:43:25 - 00:22:44:50

I want your resources.

00:22:44:50 - 00:22:46:25

God, I want your help.

00:22:46:25 - 00:22:49:25

But I've got the story.

00:22:49:54 - 00:22:52:54

I know what's best for me.

00:22:53:01 - 00:22:56:13

And if that's the mindset you take,

you miss the joy of Christmas.

00:22:56:55 - 00:23:01:13

That's why you can come every year

at this time, hear the story and miss God.

00:23:01:13 - 00:23:04:42

Because you want to be king. So do I.

00:23:04:49 - 00:23:09:01

But God says this story is missed

if you love yours.

00:23:09:01 - 00:23:12:31

But anyone who's hungry

for a better story,

00:23:12:37 - 00:23:16:38

anyone who's desperate for the idea

that life isn't random,

00:23:16:38 - 00:23:19:57

that life is in chaos,

that God is doing something

00:23:20:33 - 00:23:23:33

they find the joy of Christmas

00:23:23:46 - 00:23:27:03

because the wisemen had no idea

that this little toddler boy

00:23:27:03 - 00:23:31:37

would become the sinless sacrifice of God

on the cross,

00:23:31:58 - 00:23:36:32

that he would carry

all the sins of being a Babylonian pagan

00:23:36:37 - 00:23:42:10

sorcerer, or an addict, or divorced

or whatever shame you're carrying.

00:23:42:10 - 00:23:45:40

Or I'm carrying or whatever guilt

we're carrying that he would become that,

00:23:45:47 - 00:23:50:19

and the God the Father would pour out

his anger and wrath and judgment on him,

00:23:50:19 - 00:23:53:55

so that his dying words would be,

it is finished.

00:23:54:04 - 00:23:54:52

And the three days

00:23:54:52 - 00:23:58:37

later, when he rose from the dead,

he would say to Babylonian pagan

00:23:58:37 - 00:24:03:00

sorcerers in me you can be forgiven in me

you can be loved.

00:24:03:07 - 00:24:05:43

In me you can be included forever.

00:24:05:43 - 00:24:09:03

Friends, every Christmas

God is saying that the secret

00:24:09:03 - 00:24:12:08

to joy is to unclench your fist.

00:24:14:34 - 00:24:15:35

To let go of

00:24:15:35 - 00:24:20:08

relationships or career path or choices

or patterns.

00:24:20:12 - 00:24:22:05

To open up your hand,

00:24:22:05 - 00:24:27:05

to put down your list and to say to God,

I'll tell you what, you know me.

00:24:27:25 - 00:24:30:12

You see me, you love me.

00:24:30:12 - 00:24:33:39

Why don't you give me what you think

I need?

00:24:36:44 - 00:24:38:30

Every Christmas,

00:24:38:30 - 00:24:41:30

God is saying that the path to joy

00:24:42:15 - 00:24:44:12

is to leave our little,

00:24:44:12 - 00:24:47:12

insignificant, broken story

00:24:48:08 - 00:24:50:57

and enter into his through

00:24:50:57 - 00:24:53:56

Jesus Christ, His son.

00:24:54:09 - 00:24:54:52

Let me pray for us.

00:24:54:52 - 00:24:58:12

Father God,

thank you so much for the inclusion

00:24:58:30 - 00:25:01:30

of the wise men from the East,

00:25:01:46 - 00:25:05:00

because their inclusion is my inclusion.

00:25:06:52 - 00:25:10:06

You're so kind and you're so gracious,

and you're so good

00:25:10:16 - 00:25:14:12

that you put these guys in the story

like a like

00:25:14:12 - 00:25:18:36

a neon sign saying to every hurting,

lonely, broken person.

00:25:18:56 - 00:25:21:33

I've come back to the table for you.

00:25:24:14 - 00:25:25:44

God, to the power of your Holy Spirit.

00:25:25:44 - 00:25:29:56

Would you unclench our fists,

of our lives, of our stories,

00:25:29:56 - 00:25:33:16

of our choices, of our obedience

so that we might come to you

00:25:33:16 - 00:25:36:37

with an open hand

and you might blow our minds

00:25:37:18 - 00:25:40:18

with your goodness and your grace.

00:25:40:25 - 00:25:42:20

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.