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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP211225S
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00:12 >> A blessed Christmas Day. Welcome to you. 00:19 I got to tell you, just seeing your shining 00:24 smiles sure adds some warmth to -- you got it -- 00:29 Christmas in Michigan. Can you believe this? 00:32 Rain and 50-some degrees. But we're glad you're here. Thank you for pushing away from 00:42 maybe even visiting family that say, "No, we'll stay at home and we'll watch on livestream." 00:47 But thank you for coming and being here. Want to welcome all of you who 00:51 are watching on livestream right now. I want to tell you something -- 00:54 I already know this -- you're in your pajamas. We can see it. 00:57 There's a reverse lens on this, and we can see. [ Laughter ] 01:02 But, anyway, be comfortable, and we're glad you are. And we're glad you're here. 01:06 We're here to worship. And we need the angel choir to just burst into song above, and 01:12 we'll be sending music heavenward in just a moment. But those words, what are they 01:17 in the Latin? "Gloria in excelsis Deo." "Glory to God in the highest, 01:23 and on earth, peace." Peace to all. But the Christmas Call -- so, 01:28 it's on the left panel of the "Worship" page, it's also going to be on the screen. 01:32 We're going to read this responsively together. Karen and I will be reading 01:37 with you. Karen will lead the congregation where it says "People." 01:42 And let us hear God calling us to this hour of worship with Him. 01:48 I read... "Break forth, O beauteous 01:51 heavenly light, to herald our salvation." 01:55 >> "He stoops to earth -- the God of might, our hope and 02:00 expectation." >> "He comes in human flesh to 02:04 dwell, our God with us, Immanuel." 02:07 >> "The light of darkness breaking, our fallen race 02:12 befriending." >> "O come, let us adore Him, 02:17 Christ, the Lord." >> "Amen." 02:20 Let us pray. 02:24 Dear Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, we have come to worship You this Christmas Day. 02:31 Our mouths may be masked, but our hearts are wide-open. And with our hearts, we proclaim 02:39 our collective welcome. Come, Holy Child, and dwell with us this day and this hour of 02:46 worship. Receive our grateful praise, we pray, in Your beautiful name. 02:51 Amen. >> Amen. Invite you now to sit a 02:54 little bit higher in that pew. Get your vocal cords relaxed for a cycle of carols that our 03:03 minister of music has titled "Born to Save." We're delighted to have 03:08 Leanne Miller leading us, Byron Graves with the clarinet, and of course, our own 03:13 Minister of Music Ken Logan at the organ. Let's sing together. 03:19 [ "Good Christians Now Rejoice" begins ] 03:23 [ Instrumental music plays ] ♪♪ 03:35 ♪♪ ♪♪ 04:54 [ Instrumental music plays ] ♪♪ 05:03 [ "Now Is Born the Divine Christ Child" begins ] 05:07 [ Instrumental music plays ] ♪♪ 05:15 ♪♪ 06:39 ♪♪ [ "O Little Town of Bethlehem" 06:49 begins ] [ Instrumental music plays ] 06:55 ♪♪ ♪♪ 07:14 ♪♪ 09:11 [ "Angels from the Realms of Glory" begins ] 09:15 [ Instrumental music plays ] ♪♪ 09:27 ♪♪ ♪♪ 11:16 >> Amen. 11:21 >> I'm going to invite my friend Ricky to come on up, and he's going to bring his buddy 11:25 Rich Aguilera. And, Ricky, it's good to see you again. 11:29 We don't get to see you enough. That's the problem. >> It's great to be here. 11:33 We're so excited 'cause it's Christmas! >> I can tell. 11:36 You got your red outfit on. >> That's right. 11:39 And we started really early this morning. 11:41 >> Oh, like, what time did you start? 11:43 >> Oh, well, we got up because there was something really 11:46 special we had to do. We got on the NASA YouTube 11:49 channel to see a rocket take off! 11:52 >> You did? >> Yep, yep, yep. NASA launched a brand-new 11:56 microscope into space. >> It was a telescope. >> [ Chuckling ] Telescope. 12:02 >> What's a telescope? >> Telescope? Come on, Ricky. You know what a telescope is. 12:07 It just zooms in on the stars in the universe. But you know what? 12:11 I got there just a little after you did. I got there about one minute and 12:16 40 seconds into the lift-off. Absolutely phenomenal, wasn't it? 12:19 Did you watch it for a few minutes. >> I did. 12:21 >> Come on, let's -- >> That's so cool. >> Let's put some pictures 12:24 on the screen. You okay with that? >> Got some pictures? 12:27 >> Get out of your way here. >> Cool. >> Let's go to, uh, this 12:30 picture, because everybody knows this picture. >> Whoa. 12:33 >> This is the famous Pillars of Creation. >> Wow. 12:36 >> And this is way out in space. And this was taken by the Hubble telescope. 12:39 >> That's the old one, right? >> That's the old one. It circles around the earth. 12:43 But now they just sent up today, this morning, while you and I were watching -- a million miles 12:49 away it's going to go -- that's the James Webb Space Telescope. >> Wow. 12:54 >> This is a picture that the Hubble can take because it's a reflector telescope. 12:59 It has to just have light in order to take a picture. >> Uh-huh. 13:04 >> But the Webb telescope is an infrared. Watch this. 13:07 So, this is the Hubble telescope. Now let's look at a picture that 13:10 simulates the infrared. >> That's a lot better. >> Yeah. 13:15 That's Hubble using infrared. So, this is nothing like the Webb that just went up today. 13:19 100 times more powerful, by the way. >> Whoa! 13:22 >> But you remember where all those clouds and dust were -- they call it space dust -- where 13:27 stars are created? >> Uh-huh, uh-huh. >> Now they can look right 13:30 through that, so they can see anywhere where there's infrared light. 13:33 >> Whoa, that's so cool! >> Yeah, it's really cool. Let me show the mirror that they 13:37 constructed for this James Webb telescope. This mirror is 21 feet long. 13:43 So we're talking about the length of this -- yeah, 21 feet long. 13:46 >> That's huge! >> Mm-hmm. It's made out of these little 13:49 hexagons. There are 18 of them put together like a puzzle. 13:52 They're overlaid with gold because they found out that the gold is very sensitive to 13:57 infrared light? >> Real gold? >> Yep, real gold. 14:00 Only, it's only 1,000 atoms in thickness, so it's not very thick. 14:03 >> Oh, okay. >> So, they've covered that up. This is the camera, right here, 14:07 that will be pointed to outer space. >> Wow. 14:10 >> They're going to go places that no man has ever gone... >> That's amazing. 14:14 >> ...through infrared. 13.6 billion light-years away, they're going to go. 14:20 Maybe not quite 13.6 billion. But can you believe that? Look at this, Ricky. 14:25 When they're all done with this -- and so they had to make the big gold space mirror. 14:31 Then, they -- You see this little shiny blanket here? You see the shiny blanket? 14:36 >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> That's the sun shield. >> It's all folded up, though. 14:39 >> It's all folded up because this now is going to be -- this was what was squeezed into that 14:44 rocket we saw go up -- the Ariane 5 rocket. >> Oh. 14:48 >> Just squeezed. But the reason they need the space shield -- this is so 14:52 interesting -- because Hubble goes around the earth, but this telescope will go around the sun 15:00 with earth. So it will track the earth the whole time. 15:03 So the earth will be a shadow to protect it, because the temperature from the sun, 15:08 a million miles away -- what's the temperature? -- I got it written down here -- it's 15:12 260 degrees Fahrenheit. That is "ouch" hot. >> That's very caliente. 15:17 >> Mm-hmm. On the other side -- Hey, Ricky, on the other side, which is what 15:21 they're protecting this lens that we just saw, the temperature drops down -- and 15:25 it has to be this low -- minus-370 degrees. >> What? So, wait a second. 15:31 Wait a second. One side is super cold, and the other one is super hot? 15:33 >> You got that right. >> Freeze or fry. >> Freeze or fry -- that's 15:37 exactly the choice. >> Wow. >> Now, this is interesting. 15:40 The shield has SPF -- you know -- is it SPF that we... >> Yeah, when we go to the 15:45 beach. >> When we go to the beach? >> Of course. I always wear it. 15:47 >> Okay, SPF. And we usually wear about 50. You might wear about an 80. 15:52 >> Yeah. >> Do you know what? The value of this is 15:56 one million SPF. >> Whoa! >> That's how much of the 15:59 sun rays it can shield. Five layers of that. >> That's amazing. 16:03 >> Anyway, it's incredible. 10,000 people worked on this. >> How many? 16:07 >> 10,000 people. >> That's crazy. >> It cost $10 billion. 16:10 >> That's a lot of money. >> And it's going one million miles away. 16:13 >> That's a very far way away. >> Come on, you can't even believe it. 16:16 >> Wow. >> And it started on Christmas Day, today. 16:19 >> That is such a... >> In fact, there's the rocket. >> Oh, wow, look at that! 16:23 >> A French rocket, Ariane 5. >> And it's going up there right now. 16:26 >> It's on its way right now. And in fact, if you get your mom and dad -- do you have a 16:30 mom, too? >> Kinda. >> Sort of? Okay. 16:32 [ Laughter ] If you get your mom and dad to go to NASA.gov... 16:37 >> NASA.gov. >> ...there's some cool YouTubes that will show you how this 16:41 works. >> YouTube channel. >> Because I'm watching this, 16:44 and I'm thinking to myself -- One more picture. I'm thinking to myself, "These 16:47 are the guys that worked on just the mirror." >> Wow. 16:50 >> Dressed in white -- white masks like us here in church. They had to be just spotless 16:56 and perfect, no chance for one mistake, because you can't go out there and fix it. 17:01 >> Right. >> It's over. >> Wow. 17:02 >> So, look at them. When I saw this picture, you know what I thought about, 17:06 Ricky? >> What? >> I thought about God. 17:08 Here is man, building this $10 billion telescope so we can go out into space, and I thought 17:15 about God, who was preparing not just 10,000 helpers but 10,000 times 10,000 angels, 17:23 everybody in heaven. You thought this was intricate? They had to follow a plan, you 17:29 could not be off by one iota. >> Those guys look like angels, too. 17:33 >> They do. And that's what God had, because it has to be a perfect plan. 17:38 Not for God to go out into space; it's for God to come out of space into this world. 17:44 And that's why we have Christmas. >> Wow. 17:46 >> That's what we're celebrating. >> I have a question, 17:49 Dr. Dwight. >> You bet. What? >> So, all those scientists did 17:52 so much work to take that telescope out into space. >> Yep. 17:56 >> But -- But God also did so much work so that He could send baby Jesus to be here 18:00 with us. >> Yes, He did. That's the point. 18:03 >> But -- But -- But my question is, why? >> Why? 18:08 >> Why would He do that? That's such a big thing to do. >> Only one reason I can think 18:12 of, Ricky. >> Why? >> Because He loves us 18:15 to death. That's why. >> Oh. 18:18 And the kids, too? >> And the kids, too. >> That's awesome. 18:21 >> And you, too. >> That's super awesome. >> Yeah. 18:23 So, Ricky, a blessed Christmas to you. >> You too, Dr. Dwight. 18:27 >> Keep in touch. >> Yeah. >> I hope you come again. 18:29 We'll try this again. >> Sounds good. >> Alright. 18:31 >> I'm here. >> Merry Christmas. >> Do we have something for the 18:34 kids, too? >> Oh, we do! Thank you for reminding me. 18:36 Boys and girls -- >> Present time. >> Boys and girls, this is 18:39 present time. Wherever you are, in the balcony or in the back, the organ will 18:42 be quietly playing, but you come on up. We got ladies that are ready to 18:47 meet you and greet you and give you a Christmas gift. So, you come on forward. 18:52 We love you, boys and girls. And one of these days, we'll get back to children's stories 18:58 every Sabbath, right up front. God bless all of you. Come on down, kids. 19:01 Yep, good for you. 19:06 >> Happy Sabbath, and merry Christmas. 19:09 Today our Scripture reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke, 19:14 chapter 2, verses 1 through 7. 19:21 I'm going to read from the New King James version. 19:27 "And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the 19:35 world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing 19:41 Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 19:50 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the 19:57 city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 20:05 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 20:12 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 20:19 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid 20:27 Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." 20:51 [ "What Child Is This?" begins ] [ Instrumental music plays ] 20:57 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:13 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:29 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:44 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:31 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:47 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:03 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:18 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:34 ♪♪ ♪♪ 23:50 ♪♪ ♪♪ 24:06 ♪♪ ♪♪ 24:21 [ Applause ] 24:36 >> "What child is this, who, laid to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping?" 24:45 It's a question we ask at Christmastime. Such a plaintiff, beautiful 24:51 rendition. Betania Cañas, thank you. Beautiful. 24:55 Ken Logan, as well. 25:04 John Shea, in his book "The Hour of the Unexpected," shares this bit of free verse -- 25:12 whimsical, but perfect for right now. He titles it 25:18 "Sharon's Christmas Prayer." "She was five, sure of the facts, 25:26 and recited them with slow solemnity convinced every word 25:30 was revelation. She said they were so poor 25:34 they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat and they went a long way from 25:38 home without getting lost. The lady rode a donkey, the man walked, and the baby 25:43 was inside the lady. They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass 25:49 (hee-hee) but the Three Rich Men found them 25:52 because a star lighted the roof. Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep but not feed them. 25:58 Then the baby was borned. And do you know who He was? Her quarter eyes inflated 26:07 to silver dollars. The baby was God. And she jumped in the air 26:15 whirled round, dove into the sofa and buried her head under the 26:19 cushion which is the only proper response 26:22 to the Good News of the Incarnation." The end. 26:29 Let's pray. The only proper way to respond to the good news of the 26:36 incarnation, God? Probably not. But, dear Lord, I don't suppose 26:43 a little whirly jig of joy would hurt us, we who have been... made somber by the season of the 26:54 pandemic. Look at us. But here we are. 26:57 It's Christmas Day, and you surely have a word for us. And if those angels could sing 27:03 over that stinky backyard stable, then surely we, too, will find reason... 27:10 to joy over the inestimable gift we call Jesus... in whose name we pray. 27:19 Amen. 27:21 So, which is greater? Picasso the artist 27:26 or the artwork of Picasso? My friend Clifford Goldstein, 27:33 who was assigned to write a series of studies for our faith 27:36 community, that we would read this fall, out of all books, 27:41 Deuteronomy -- in that series of studies, Cliff, who has this 27:47 penchant for philosophy, he makes this comment. 27:50 And I'm going to put is words on the screen for you right now. 27:54 "Now, it's a principle of existence: whatever conceives of and creates something must be 28:01 greater than, and transcend, what it conceived of and created. 28:06 Picasso is greater than and transcends an artwork by Picasso." 28:12 And we all nod our heads and say, "Right on, Goldstein. Good job." 28:16 But he goes on. "The God who conceived of and created our cosmos must be 28:23 greater than the cosmos, and transcend it, as well." Hmm. 28:30 And then he proceeds to drive his point home by running some numbers by us. 28:35 And by the way, these numbers will change when the Webb Space Telescope begins to 28:41 send pictures back, infrared, of the far reaches of this universe. 28:46 But here are the numbers. Cliff says, "Our universe, it is now estimated, is home to 28:52 2 trillion galaxies." So, here's the number 2 trillion. 28:56 That's what it looks like. 2 trillion galaxies. Unbelievable. 29:01 And each galaxy, he reminds us, by the way, approximately, contains 100 billion stars. 29:08 So we'll put up 100 billion stars per galaxy. Now, we learned in arithmetic 29:15 that if you have all these zeros, you just have to multiply the two numbers there and then 29:19 count all the zeros and add them, correct? So, what's the answer? 29:23 Well, here it is. 200 with 21 zeros after it. What are you going to call that 29:31 number, huh? "200 with 21 zeros after it"? I had to go to Google. 29:35 I said, "Google, what's this number?" Pbht. 29:37 And Google says, "That would be 200 sextillion stars." 29:43 Yeah, you got million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion. 29:50 You can't even fathom it. 200 sextillion stars. So, here's the big question 29:57 for you and me right now. Which one is greater -- the 200 sextillion stars or the 30:04 one Creator who shaped them all into existence? Oh, that's a no-brainer. 30:09 Of course it is. There's a beautiful little Christmas carol -- we noted them 30:14 last Sabbath, but this is the last one. This is an ancient hymn -- we'll 30:19 call it a Christmas carol -- tucked away. It's so short that we blow right 30:23 past it, and we miss it, I fear, to our great loss. So I'm going to invite you to 30:29 take that carol and put it on your lap right now. You got your Bible with you. 30:32 I saw it. You have it. Please turn to the New Testament, 1 Timothy 3. 30:38 This is a letter scribbled by the apostle Paul, who has been our hero that we tracked 30:43 all this fall. And he's writing to a young protégé pastor friend of his, 30:48 named Timothy. Alright? So, 1 Timothy 3. 30:51 Have you found chapter 3 in your Bible? 1 Timothy 3. 30:54 It's so short, you're going to blow right by it, so we'll just slow it down. 30:59 This is a one-line -- a one-verse retelling of the Christmas story. 31:08 Let's get -- Let's get the preamble. 1 Timothy 3:16 -- "Beyond all 31:14 question --" okay? -- "Beyond all question, the mystery --" Now, look, I hit the Pause 31:20 button right there and I inserted this word, because this is the Greek word, "musterion." 31:24 Well, you can tell, musterion is the basis for "mystery." So "mystery" is just a 31:30 transliteration of this Greek word. "Beyond all question, the 31:33 mystery --" the musterion -- from which true godliness springs is great." 31:39 And the Greek word for "great" is "mega." So, what do we have? 31:43 We have a mega musterion going on. And we haven't even gotten to it 31:47 yet, because now Paul says, "I want to teach you a six-stanza hymn that is so short, we can 31:52 say it in one breath." Here we go -- six lines. Count them. 31:56 Line number 1 -- stanza number 1, "He appeared in the flesh." 32:02 Ancient hymn sung by the 1st-century Christians. Stanza number 1 -- "He appeared 32:07 in the flesh." Stanza number 2 -- "Was vindicated by the Spirit." 32:09 Stanza number 3 -- "Was seen by angels." Stanza number 4 -- "Was preached 32:13 among the nations." Stanza number 5 -- "Was believed on in the world." 32:17 And stanza number 6 -- "Was taken up to glory." Six terse lines, and we know 32:23 exactly whom they describe -- our beloved Lord Jesus, the hero of every hymn we sing. 32:34 No different in the beginning. And those six lines are summarized in those two Greek 32:40 words, mega musterion -- a mega mystery. Puh. We understand that. 32:48 What's a mega mystery? Well, the mega mystery is, He appeared in the flesh. 32:52 We just read it. So identifying this mystery is not the problem. 32:56 Trying to prove it, trying to grasp the mystery, that's a whole nother ballgame. 33:01 I mean, what is this capital-I "Incarnation." He appeared in the flesh. 33:07 The enfleshment -- that's what the Incarnation means -- the enfleshment of God. 33:12 Now, when the apostle -- the beloved apostle John comes along, the Christmas story has 33:17 already been written up. Matthew wrote it, Luke wrote it, but they're the only two. 33:22 Mark doesn't say a word about Christmas. John will include just one 33:26 majestic line, and Paul has given us three. Do you know why they're so short 33:33 on the Nativity? I'll tell you why. Because it's the ending to the 33:37 story that everybody in the 1st century was talking about. And that's why the Cross 33:43 looms high above the manger. Can't separate them. So, how did John write it -- 33:51 that majestic line? "In the beginning, was the Word," and "the Word became 33:56 flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the 34:01 Father, full of grace, full of truth." Paul wrote that line first, and 34:06 so he wrote it less. Less words. Paul's line -- "He appeared 34:11 in the flesh." Ah. What's up? That's why. 34:17 We already know this, but may I remind you, that's why Christmas, which has nothing 34:22 to do with the day, has everything to do with the way God appeared in the flesh. 34:30 That's the story. John Weborg -- C. John Weborg, in "The Covenant Companion," 34:39 injects some earthy, earthy humanness to the Incarnation with these words. 34:45 C. John Weborg, here we go. "There is --" We're watching now. 34:51 We're watching the couple heading to Bethlehem. "There is God in the flesh, 34:56 thriving in a placenta, protected by a water bag, bouncing on a donkey ride to 35:03 Bethlehem where his folks had to meet with the local IRS. No different than any other baby 35:09 at the time... God asked no human favors and got none. 35:12 When inns are full, they are full. Sleep where one can. 35:16 God deep in the flesh --" that's Martin Luther's line -- "God --" oh, I love that line -- "God 35:23 deep in the flesh became God deep in the straw. Mary, the mother of the Creator, 35:29 sustained the one who sustained all the living." Yep, 200 sextillion stars 35:37 from His hand and mouth. My. How can it be? 35:44 How do you describe this? Just two words. Provocative words in the Greek, 35:50 provocative words in the English -- mega musterion -- great mystery. 35:53 What else can you call it? A great mystery. Mercy. 36:00 As Madeleine L'Engle -- was it last week? -- she described the moment -- and I like the way she 36:06 put it -- she said, "This God, who --" these are her words -- "went with all His love into 36:12 the womb of a young girl." As Weborg noted it, "thriving in a placenta, protected by a 36:22 water bag." Tell me the story. Mega musterion. We don't know. 36:27 We can't. 36:31 The 20th-century great apologist for Christianity -- 36:36 and you know of whom I speak -- C.S. Lewis -- in the book 36:39 "God in the Dock," described an imaginary conversation with 36:44 an atheist friend of his. Lewis, who himself had been an 36:46 agnostic, an unbeliever, but came to believe in Christ. 36:50 He describes it this way, and I'm going to just read his 36:53 description. "'Miracles', said my friend. 36:56 'Oh, come. 36:58 Science has knocked the bottom out of all that. We know that Nature is governed 37:01 by fixed laws.' 'For instance, take a story like the Virgin Birth. 37:05 We know now that such a thing couldn't happen. We know there must be a male 37:09 spermatozoon.' 'Modern science has shown that there's no such thing as a 37:14 virgin birth. So, there.' 'Really,' said I. 37:18 'Which of the sciences?' 'Oh, well, that's a matter of detail,' said my friend. 37:22 'I can't give you chapter and verse from memory.' 'Ah, but, don't you see', 37:26 said I, 'that science never could show anything of the sort?' 37:30 'Why not?' he retorted. 'Because science studies Nature. And the question is whether 37:35 anything besides Nature exists -- anything outside. How could you find that out by 37:41 studying simply Nature?'" Well, that's pretty good. He's right. 37:48 Science is unable to explain what it cannot examine. But does that inadequacy 37:53 consequently limit the universe of reality to only what science can examine? 37:57 No. So, Lewis asked his imaginary friend -- this is good -- He 38:05 said -- He asked him, "Listen, if the laws of arithmetic can prove that putting a quarter in 38:10 a drawer today, and then putting another quarter in the same drawer tomorrow will guarantee 38:18 that in two days -- would your laws of arithmetic guarantee that in two days, I'll find 38:23 two quarters in that drawer?" The friend says, "Yes, but of course, if someone walks off 38:28 with one of the quarters, it wouldn't work." Ah! 38:33 Now, I want you to read Lewis. I'll put him on the screen here. Ah, "The laws of arithmetic can 38:39 tell you what you'll find, with absolute certainty, provided that there's no interference... 38:45 Now, aren't the laws of Nature in the same boat? Don't they all tell you what 38:51 will happen provided there's no interference? If there was anything outside 38:56 Nature, and if it interfered, then events which the scientist expected wouldn't follow. 39:02 That would be what we call a miracle." It would be what Scripture calls 39:07 a mega mystery. 39:14 How could we ever possibly -- I'm talking about you and me -- grasp, with our puny minds... 39:23 this mega ministry. As Paul described it, "Beyond all question, the mystery --" 39:30 beyond question, without argument -- "the mystery from which true godliness springs is 39:35 great: He appeared in the flesh." Stepping outside of capital-N 39:43 Nature, into the very body and mind and soul of humanity, that's the miracle. 39:49 That's the mystery of Immanuel, God with us, Jesus. That's it. 39:58 But in the end -- come on, tell me if this isn't true -- in the end, the great mystery of the 40:06 season of Christmas, that it compels us to ponders, isn't so much that God could do it, 40:14 it is that God would do it. And why would He, knowing you and me? 40:27 A century ago, these words were written, trying to articulate, feebly, this mystery. 40:34 "The work of redemption is called a mystery, and it is indeed the mystery by which 40:40 everlasting righteousness is brought to all --" that everlasting salvation -- "is 40:44 brought to all who believe. The human race in consequence of sin was at enmity --" at war -- 40:51 "with God." Now here comes the striking sentence. 40:53 "Christ, at an infinite cost, by a painful process, mysterious to angels as well as to men --" and 41:02 women, you and me -- "assumes humanity. Hiding His divinity, laying 41:07 aside His glory, He was born a babe in Bethlehem." Explain that to me, will you, 41:15 please? Let's just take a look at this one sentence. 41:19 "Christ, at an infinite cost --" there's no way we can wrap our minds around that. 41:26 "Christ, at an infinite cost, by a painful process --" painful process? 41:34 What are you talking about? The angels don't know. I don't know. Do you? 41:41 "By a painful process, mysterious to angels as well as to men," women, and children, 41:46 he assumes humanity. What a provocative line. You know why? 41:54 Because how easily we crassly reduce the price of the Incarnation to Jesus having to 42:03 give up celestial breakfasts in bed and 24-hour angelic maid service -- "Aw, I'm not 42:09 going to have this anymore?" Wrong. What is this painful process? 42:17 What is this infinite price? How can we ever know the depths? Philip Yancey, the American 42:25 writer, he wondered the same. "It took courage, I believe, for God to lay aside power and glory 42:32 and to take a place among human beings who would greet him with haughtiness and skepticism... 42:37 It took courage to risk descent to a planet known for its clumsy violence, among a race known for 42:44 rejecting its prophets. What more foolhardy thing could God have done?" 42:49 G.K. Chesterton, the great English journalist and writer -- "Alone of all creeds, 42:55 Christianity has added courage to the virtues of the Creator." It took courage, 43:04 painful process we don't know. 43:09 "Desire of Ages" peels one more layer aside. "He not only became an exile 43:15 from the heavenly courts, but for us took the risk of failure and eternal loss." 43:27 And we sit around the tree and wonder, "Are there any more presents, please?" 43:32 And, "That was sure a great dinner. Can we get seconds?" 43:37 And Christmas has become, for us, a day of celebrating ourselves. 43:42 Oh, we love each other and we give these gifts, ostensibly out of that love. 43:51 Look at this mega mystery! And we have no clue! We just know it happened. 43:58 And so we worship. Like little Sharon, we dive into that sofa, put our head under 44:04 the cushions. And we shout for joy. But we don't know why. 44:11 Just that He came. "Beyond all question, the mystery from which 44:18 true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh." In the end, I repeat, 44:26 could it be that the mystery is not so much "How could He?" but rather "Why would he?" 44:33 To answer that question, I have one of my favorite heartwarming stories that 44:39 Brennan Manning tells, is this one. It's a story about a little 44:42 7-year-old boy named Richard Ballinger in Anderson, South Carolina. 44:47 And it goes like this. It's the day before Christmas. Richie's mom is busy with 44:54 packaging, wrapping, and so she asks her young son if he would please shine her shoes. 45:02 And soon, with a proud smile only a 7-year-old can muster, he returns with shiny shoes 45:10 to his mother. Job well done, and she is so impressed, she reaches down 45:15 and grabs a quarter and gives it to him. "Thank you." 45:20 On Christmas morning, as she -- as she put on her shoes, she felt a strange lump 45:29 in one shoe. You were doing the same today. Christmas morning. 45:34 She turned the shoe upside-down, and out it came -- a quarter wrapped in paper. 45:42 And on the paper, in a child's scrawl, were the words, "I done it for love." 45:51 >> Aww. >> "You can have your quarter back. 45:57 I done it for love." That's it. 46:02 That has to be it -- this mega mystery. 46:07 How else shall we explain it? "I done it for love." 46:13 We rip the wrapping off of the very first Christmas gift in 46:17 history, and in that little backyard stable, and when the 46:21 wrapping is wrinkled but exposed, there, in God's 46:25 handwriting, "I done if for love." 46:29 Now, look, his grammar would be better, but he could not be clearer. 46:33 "I done it for love." Wow. "For God so loved the world 46:46 that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have 46:55 everlasting life." The mystery -- the mega mystery of divine love... 47:04 birthed in a box of feed... executed on a cross of wood... ascended on a cloud of glory. 47:16 The great mystery of God with us -- this God who says He's coming soon. 47:25 And that's the truth about Christmas. "I done it for love." 47:39 I have two Latin words scribbled here -- "divinum mysterium." It's the title to the tune that 47:48 Elizabeth Wilson is going to sing for us now. It's a -- It's a -- It's a 47:53 plaintive tune from centuries ago. The words are, "Of the Father's 47:58 love begotten." I want you to close your eyes as Elizabeth sings. 48:03 Just close your eyes and see if you can hear the announcement, 48:11 "I done it for love." 48:14 [ "Of the Father's Love Begotten" begins ] 49:06 [ Instrumental music plays ] ♪♪ 50:00 [ Instrumental music plays ] ♪♪ 50:08 ♪♪ 51:08 >> Amen. >> Amen. 51:18 >> Let's stand as we pray. 51:29 Of the Father's love begotten forevermore. 51:32 Oh, God, don't let us forget the Christmas truth, 51:39 "I done it for love." 51:42 What can we say, except, "We love You back very much." 51:50 Please come soon, dear Jesus. >> Amen. >> Amen. 51:56 >> Amen. >> Amen. Go with peace 52:00 and hope in your heart. We'll see you again next year. And may God hold you close 52:09 every step of the way. And don't -- don't forget the hot chocolate 52:13 at the back and at the front. You'll be ushered out. Our ushers will save you having 52:19 to face the crowd. You'll be able to move in an orderly pace. 52:23 Merry Christmas. 52:25 [ Indistinct conversations ] [ "In Dulci Jubilo" 52:28 ("In Sweet Jubilation") begins ] [ Instrumental music plays ] 52:34 ♪♪ ♪♪ 52:52 ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:09 ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:26 ♪♪ ♪♪ 53:44 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:01 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:19 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:36 ♪♪ ♪♪ 54:53 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:11 ♪♪ ♪♪ 55:28 ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversations ] 55:43 ♪♪ >> What is it about the holiday 55:46 season that has given you the greatest joy? 55:49 Is it the time spent cutting down the family Christmas tree 55:51 at the local farm, or maybe a special ornament 55:54 placed on that lighted bough? Or do you find joy in 55:57 contemplating the profound meaning of the carols we sing? 56:01 Maybe Christmas joy is found in the memories you make together 56:04 with friends and family, or the spirit of giving that 56:06 surrounds this season. As we reflect on these joys, 56:11 let's always remember the great light who guides us -- the one 56:14 who brings joy and meaning to life -- a loving Father who is 56:17 at the heart of all treasured relationships, and the wonderful 56:20 God who gave the ultimate gift in a newborn child. 56:25 Some of my joy this season comes in part from your letters, 56:28 your prayers, and your faithful giving of support to this 56:31 ministry, which reaches literally around the world. 56:34 If you've been blessed this year, I'd like to ask you to 56:37 join the many people who financially support this global 56:40 New Perceptions Ministry. 56:42 It's simple to do. Just call our toll-free number, 56:45 877 -- two words -- His Will. One of our friendly operators 56:49 will be happy to help you. You can also click the "donate" 56:52 link at the top of our website. Trust me, no gift is too small 56:56 for God to use to spread the good news of His love, 56:59 His sacrifice, and His future plans for our happiness. 57:03 Every gift, by the way, is entirely invested in our 57:07 mission to communicate God's good news to a generation who 57:10 needs the hope found in Jesus, which will bring them to joy 57:14 in life. So, once again, the number to 57:16 call is 877-HIS-WILL. 57:19 This season, my wish for you is that the Mighty God, 57:22 the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, 57:25 will be at the heart of the very best memories made together 57:29 with your family and friends. 57:31 ♪♪ ♪♪ 57:47 ♪♪ 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:13 ♪♪ ♪♪ |
Revised 2021-12-30