WEBVTT 00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:06.320 So our church is uh almost three years old, somewhere around three years old. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:08.320 Um at first there were eight of us. 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:16.079 We sat around a kitchen table and talked about what perhaps our church could be like or look like or what a church would be like that we might be interested in being a part of. 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.120 And so there were eight of us, and then there were six of us. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:20.399 So it wasn't a great start. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:24.000 You know, the church growth statistics were not the best there at the beginning. 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:27.120 Uh so we went from eight to six, and now there's a few more of us. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:39.039 But one one of our first loyal, um, at first kind of just cheerleaders for us, and then uh a tender and eventual uh members uh was a good friend named Stuart Sims. 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:43.119 And we lost Stuart uh in our first year as a church. 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:53.439 And I I think about him a lot, and and I mentioned him, uh I mentioned him this afternoon because uh when he died, a friend of mine did something for me. 00:00:53.840 --> 00:01:11.840 So we were in Florida, my family we were in Florida, it was spring break, and I get the phone call that Stuart had passed, a very sudden, tragic death, and so I get the phone call that Stuart had died, and and so I I'm a little unsure, you know, I it was about five o'clock, and we're planning on coming home the next day, and like you know, so you're going, okay, do I do I wait or do I not? 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:12.799 Do I come home now? 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:14.640 And you know, what's the situation? 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:16.879 And so I get off the phone and then I call my friend Jim. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:18.400 A lot of y'all have met Jim. 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:22.079 He's he's come and he's he shared about what he's doing in Cuba through a ministry. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:23.519 Anyway, so so I call my friend Jim. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:25.519 I say, Jim, you know, here's the situation, here's going on. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:26.879 You know, uh what do I do? 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:28.480 You know, I don't know, I don't know what I should do. 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:36.959 Do I need to drive through the night, or can I just can I wait and the girls can sleep, and then uh we wake up in the morning, and he says, No, you you you need to drive through the night. 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:44.799 And so so we packed our bags and uh we we packed the car and we get the girls loaded up in the car and we drive through the night and we get home. 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:47.760 And at 8 30 the next morning, Jim's at my house. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:02:01.359 At my house at 8 30 the next morning, and he drives me to Stuart's law firm where he uh worked, and I give a devotional and I pray for the people, and Jim, Jim drives me, walks with me, stands beside me. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.079 Um I don't I don't know if he talked, to be honest. 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:05.840 I think he was just there. 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:10.000 Like he was just he was just with me, is what he was. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:15.120 Uh and I've walked and I did the thing that I was asked to do, and he was just always beside me. 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:16.240 He was just ready. 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:19.199 If I needed anything, he was he was there. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.800 Uh two days later, the the day of the funeral, same thing. 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:25.360 Jim shows up at my house that morning. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:26.960 He drives me. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:28.639 Drives me to the church. 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:31.360 He's just kind of beside me the whole day. 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:32.479 He walks with me. 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:34.080 Wherever I walk, he walked with me. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:35.599 Now I'm walking back, talk to the family. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.479 I'm walking over to get a microphone, I'm walking everywhere, and he's walking. 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:42.000 Let's be honest, he had other places he could have been. 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:44.080 Like, he's a pastor, also. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:46.560 Like, he's got his own stuff to deal with. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:48.159 Like he has his own things to do. 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:53.439 He made sacrifices to be there and to be with me and to do this, to be with me. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:55.759 He didn't have to do that, right? 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:57.919 Like he didn't have to come into that mess. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:58.879 Like, that's a mess. 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:01.280 That's a mess of suffering. 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:06.879 And he didn't have to be my driver, he didn't have to be my companion for two days, but he was willing. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.240 He was willing just to be with me. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:11.520 And here's what we know. 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:20.159 We know that when some when you know someone's with you and for you, it changes everything. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:21.599 Doesn't it? 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:40.000 I mean, you maybe you've had that experience where somebody, you just know somebody's been with you and for you in a difficult time, in a suffering situation, maybe at a time where you weren't at your prettiest or your best, and maybe you had fallen and you've messed up and screwed up, but somebody was with you. 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:42.719 So we have this Christmas story. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:51.120 And the Christmas story, Matthew, uh, it what it reminds us of, it reminds us of that that Mary was legally pledged to Joseph. 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.199 And then Mary becomes pregnant as a virgin by the Holy Spirit. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:56.800 And so you're going, oh, that's crazy. 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:57.520 Yeah, it is crazy. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:03:57.840 You're right. 00:03:57.919 --> 00:03:58.639 It's very crazy. 00:03:58.719 --> 00:03:59.599 So hang with me. 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:04.000 So Joseph decides, he hears this, and he decides, well, I'm I'm out. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.280 Like, like I am not going to come into this scandal. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:08.719 Like, this is something I'm not interested. 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:12.879 This is not what I signed up for when I was going after Mary. 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:21.680 And so he says, I'm I'm out of this, but then an angel comes to him in a dream, and here's what the angel says, chapter one of Matthew, starting about halfway through verse 20. 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:30.160 Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:37.600 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:41.519 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:52.319 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:54.720 Emmanuel. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:58.720 Or maybe more correctly, with us is God. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.759 Not God's against us. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:14.160 That could have been easy because we weren't exactly at this point in history or at any point in any of our personal histories exactly perfect in how we are for God, but he's for us, and not God's sorta for us. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.040 That's pretty fantastic, you know, that he's not sorta for us. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:23.120 And what's also not what's also fantastic is that it's not like he's for you once you're really for him. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:35.759 Like like he's playing it safe, and then once you're really for him, like, okay, you're a little for him, he's not sure, but then when you're really for him, like you did something really passionate, and then he's for you. 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:37.279 Like that's not what it is. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:40.240 He's just he's with you, he's for you. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:41.839 Because he comes into the mess. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.959 He comes into the mess of being born into a barn. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:49.759 And so the name speaks of his nature of grace with us. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:54.639 The name speaks of the incarnate Christ amongst us. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:56.959 That's kind of a big word, incarnation. 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:58.160 You probably maybe you've heard this. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:03.040 I mean, when I told the gym story just a second ago, that's a story of incarnation. 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:08.879 Incarnation is a big church word, just it means to be with someone. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:15.120 And this is about God breaking into the physical world as a human being. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:17.519 It is God revealing himself. 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:26.800 This is what Christmas is: God revealing himself to us so we will know once and for all how he regards us. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.600 And this isn't the beginning of the existence of Jesus. 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:37.439 This is just, this is the revealing of Christ in physical form. 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:39.439 And it sounds crazy. 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:40.480 I mean, it's a crazy story. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:44.399 Maybe you're here, you're from a different faith, maybe you're here and you're just like, I'm not sure about the Christian faith. 00:06:44.560 --> 00:07:06.480 It sounds like a crazy story, but here's what I want to ask you is like, okay, if there's a God who doesn't desire to coerce with a strong hand, and if there's a God and he doesn't care to coerce forcefully and make you, and he's not force you to follow him, and if there's a God and he in fact loves you, what narrative do you want him to write? 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.439 To reveal this to you? 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:15.519 To explain his grace and love to you and his mercy to you while he remains just and holy? 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:21.279 What's the narrative you would like him to write into history for you to understand it? 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:25.920 So he says to us, I'm gonna be born. 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:29.680 I'm gonna, I'm going to incarnate myself. 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:31.279 I'm coming in. 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:33.839 Into your mess, I will come. 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:41.279 He says to you, he says to me, You, you, my child, you're never alone. 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:44.079 I am Emmanuel for you. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:45.600 And he wanted to make it real clear. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:46.720 So he takes Mary. 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:48.800 Mary's from a priestly class. 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:58.000 So a priestly class where everything is shaped around being clean and remaining clean and remaining clean ceremonial and what is clean and what is not, and how to keep yourself clean, how to get yourself clean again. 00:07:58.079 --> 00:07:59.199 I mean, it's all around this. 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.399 And then you have the scandal because Mary's pregnant, that's not real clean, and so Mary's pregnant before marriage, and not real clean. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:10.639 So you got all this going on, and now they're headed south, and they're scandalous, you know, compared to everybody else in the culture. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.360 They are scandalous, and nobody wants to do anything for them. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.399 They can't find anywhere to stay, there's no room in the inn, right? 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:17.759 We've heard that, and so they end up. 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:19.040 Where do they end up? 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:24.560 Stable, barn, right. 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:26.639 The animals, they're hanging out with the animals. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.720 Unclean animals. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:31.759 And all of this is saying something. 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:32.720 Here's what it's saying. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:37.759 He's it's it's it's saying, I know you're more of a mess than you let on. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:40.159 This is what God is saying in the story. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:43.120 I know you're more of a mess than you let on. 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:47.519 And in that unclean, unholy place, I will meet you. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.799 He could have been born anywhere. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:55.519 I'll be with you and I will be for you. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:02.480 A friend of mine, author David Zall, uh, he tells a story of the actor, all-around fun guy, Bill Murray. 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:03.519 Everybody loves Bill Murray. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:05.440 You just can't hate Bill Murray, let's be honest. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:07.039 I mean, everybody loves Bill Murray. 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.000 He's he actually owns a minor league baseball team in Charleston. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:14.960 And I think his his title is like fun manager or something, like manager of fun. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.600 Like that's that's his job, and he's a co-owner there. 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:19.840 And so um here's here's the story. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:25.919 The story is that there was this guy in Charleston, and he had a fear of crowds, and I think that's agoraphobia. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:27.200 Anybody? 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:29.279 Well, you're probably not here if you have it. 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:30.639 I recognize that. 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:32.559 So maybe none of us would know the name of it. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:33.919 I think it's agoraphobia, maybe not. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:35.039 Maybe that's spiders, who knows? 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:41.519 All right, so, anyways, I so whatever the phobia is, the guy is afraid of crowds, and maybe he's afraid of spiders too, that's possible. 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:45.360 And so he's there at the baseball game to kind of like face his fear. 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:47.759 Like, this is a big deal to this guy. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.120 And so he's in the stands and it begins to rain. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.879 And so you know what happens at a baseball game when it just starts to pour. 00:09:55.279 --> 00:10:03.200 Everybody leaves the stands and they go and they they're huddled up in the kind of the where it's where it's covered, slammed together. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.000 This guy's worst nightmare. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:12.639 And so he stays in the stands, just sitting in the rain, all alone. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:17.279 And Bill Murray from up in the owner's box, he sees it. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:25.039 And he walks down and he sits next to the guy, and he just sits next to him in the rain. 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:27.279 He's just with him. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:33.360 He chooses just to simply be with the man. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:42.240 I what I know, because I'm like you, I'm no different, but what I know is there's a lot of days you feel stuck in your issues. 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:52.879 Like you feel stuck in your shame or your sin or that feeling like my life isn't just what I thought it would be, or like I as a person, I'm just not quite enough. 00:10:53.039 --> 00:11:00.960 I just can't quite get my act together like I thought I should at the age of 15 or 25 or 45 or 75. 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:04.240 I just thought I'd be put more put together at this point. 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:10.799 And it can feel like hopelessly sitting in the rain, can't it? 00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:20.720 And into that world, into your mess, into that brokenness, into that sin, into that shame, into that suffering, into that stable. 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:23.279 We get Amy and you well. 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:29.279 Verse 21, she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:31.519 Here's the great news, this verse. 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:35.840 You and I, we were given a gift, but it is a hostile gift. 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:40.240 This is not just like Merry Christmas, like big bell on top. 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.799 I mean, this is a hostile gift. 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:56.879 Because the incarnate Christ, he says, I'm with you, I am for you, but it only makes sense when you are done trying to be your own Savior. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:09.519 When you're done trying to justify your existence and justify your righteousness by your accomplishments and your religious record and your merit, he only makes sense when you're done. 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:22.720 And when we're done placing faith in ourselves, we can place faith in him and that righteous life that he lived, which we don't, gets put upon us as our sin is put upon him. 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:24.960 And that's what the cross is about. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:31.440 See, Emmanuel is the good news that merit is never the way to life. 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:37.759 And never the way to relationship with God, but mercy and grace is. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:00.559 Let's pray together. 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:17.120 God, thank you that you chose to pursue us while we did not pursue you, and just at the right time you came into this world. 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:20.720 While we were dead in our sin. 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:26.720 Thank you that you are Emmanuel. 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:30.000 You are with us, and you are for us. 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:38.399 Would you help us, so many of us, that are so much trying to save ourselves? 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.440 Would we recognize the exhaustion of our pursuit? 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:52.080 And would we receive the pursuit that you are on for our hearts and for our lives? 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:58.720 God, thank you for the incarnation. 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:04.559 That you're with us, that you're with us in the situation that we are in today. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:10.000 Help us as we lack faith and lack trust. 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:14.000 Would you help us to place our faith and trust in you? 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:15.440 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:16.320 Amen.