1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,040 I'm going to go ahead and turn 2 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:09,540 it over to Greg. Alright. Well, 3 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:11,040 hey everybody. Uh if I haven't 4 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,180 said it yet, my name is Greg, 5 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:14,980 one of the pastors here. I 6 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,580 felt like sitting down today. 7 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,380 Um sometimes I feel like when 8 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,980 I'm standing up, I just my body 9 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,180 wants to be more animated than 10 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,880 it needs to be and so, uh I'm 11 00:00:22,260 --> 00:00:25,420 just gonna, I'm gonna sit today. 12 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,920 You're all sitting so I'm just 13 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:32,900 gonna do a little bit of an 14 00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:36,740 event which is obviously at this 15 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:38,340 point, 123, joy. Yeah. And 16 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,140 during that, we're we're 17 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,340 reminding of ourselves of all of 18 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,840 these things. We're but we're 19 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,940 also reminding ourselves that 20 00:00:42,900 --> 00:00:46,240 Jesus has arrived. Uh Advent 21 00:00:45,020 --> 00:00:47,240 just means arrival. So, we're 22 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,420 reminding ourselves that he's 23 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,820 arrived but we're also 24 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:52,820 reminding ourselves that he 25 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:54,320 will arrive again remembering 26 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,060 that God's people, the 27 00:00:54,380 --> 00:00:57,460 Israelites waited centuries and 28 00:00:57,460 --> 00:01:02,360 years for him to arrive. We 29 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,840 continue to await his return 30 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,700 again as we live in the 31 00:01:03,900 --> 00:01:08,840 meantime, in the now, and the 32 00:01:06,780 --> 00:01:11,580 not yet. And in that meantime, 33 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:14,040 we need some reminders of what 34 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,540 it is that God is offering and 35 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,020 what he offered. Reminders of 36 00:01:15,620 --> 00:01:21,380 hope, reminders of peace, 37 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:23,660 reminders of love, joy, light. 38 00:01:21,460 --> 00:01:25,920 A few years ago, uh I said 39 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,900 that I was in line of line of 40 00:01:28,220 --> 00:01:33,860 like on one unattainable thing 41 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:36,360 after another. I would say like 42 00:01:33,940 --> 00:01:39,340 okay, here, peace and hope, 43 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:41,300 joy, you know, like it's feels 44 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,800 like you uh to have all of them 45 00:01:41,380 --> 00:01:43,840 all lined up and to 46 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,240 consistently feel all of them 47 00:01:43,900 --> 00:01:47,340 kind of feels like finding 48 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:49,320 Bigfoot and then finding the 49 00:01:47,420 --> 00:01:50,820 Loch Ness Monster and then 50 00:01:49,380 --> 00:01:52,320 catching Saint Nick putting 51 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,920 Christmas presents underneath 52 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:59,360 them. It's all elusive because 53 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:02,660 sometimes we might feel like 54 00:01:59,420 --> 00:02:05,360 they're imaginary. But that 55 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:07,940 reminds us to look for hope, 56 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:12,340 peace, joy, love, and light in 57 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:16,340 a real place. In the story of a 58 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:19,340 real person. In the infant 59 00:02:16,420 --> 00:02:23,180 arrival of Jesus and to keep 60 00:02:23,180 --> 00:02:29,180 that in mind. Today, we are 61 00:02:26,780 --> 00:02:31,080 reminding ourselves of joy. 62 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:34,080 Alright, so let's open our 63 00:02:31,140 --> 00:02:35,760 Bibles and read the scriptures 64 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,160 together as we consider joy. 65 00:02:35,820 --> 00:02:39,420 We're going to be in the book 66 00:02:37,220 --> 00:02:40,660 of Luke. It's in the New 67 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,160 Testament. It goes Matthew, 68 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,660 Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans. 69 00:02:42,220 --> 00:02:44,900 If you see any of those, you 70 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,400 know that you're in the right 71 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,760 neighborhood. If you don't have 72 00:02:46,460 --> 00:02:49,000 a Bible, we have physical ones 73 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,560 out in the lobby. You're 74 00:02:49,060 --> 00:02:52,100 welcome to take one home with 75 00:02:52,100 --> 00:02:56,260 you. We have Luke two, six, 76 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,600 through twelve, and we have a 77 00:02:56,340 --> 00:02:58,800 tradition of just giving the 78 00:02:57,660 --> 00:03:00,140 scriptures our full attention 79 00:02:58,860 --> 00:03:01,340 when when we read them and so 80 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,900 you can do that any number of 81 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,300 ways. You can continue to sit 82 00:03:02,980 --> 00:03:07,440 or you can stand with me as you 83 00:03:04,380 --> 00:03:09,040 are able in body or spirit as I 84 00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:11,120 read Luke two starting in verse 85 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,120 six through twelve. Here we go. 86 00:03:11,180 --> 00:03:15,320 While they were there, the time 87 00:03:13,180 --> 00:03:17,560 came for the baby to be born 88 00:03:15,380 --> 00:03:19,560 and she gave birth to her first 89 00:03:17,620 --> 00:03:21,420 born, a son. She wrapped him in 90 00:03:21,420 --> 00:03:24,620 a blanket and said that there 91 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,700 was no guest room available for 92 00:03:24,700 --> 00:03:28,400 them and there were shepherds 93 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,700 living out in the fields nearby 94 00:03:28,460 --> 00:03:33,340 keeping watch over their flocks 95 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,700 at night. Angel of the lord 96 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,140 appeared to them and the glory 97 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,300 of the lord shown around them 98 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,840 and they were terrified but the 99 00:03:38,380 --> 00:03:41,340 angels said to them, do not be 100 00:03:39,900 --> 00:03:43,540 afraid. I bring you good news 101 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,840 that will cause great joy for 102 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,840 all the world for all the 103 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,980 people today in the town of 104 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,220 David, a savior has been born 105 00:03:50,220 --> 00:03:53,360 today. This will be assigned to 106 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,440 you. You will find a baby 107 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:58,700 wrapped in cloths and lying in 108 00:03:55,500 --> 00:04:00,640 a manger. Let's pray. God of 109 00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:02,040 every tribe, every tongue, 110 00:04:00,700 --> 00:04:03,040 every color, and every nation, 111 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:04,740 we thank you for the scriptures 112 00:04:03,100 --> 00:04:06,240 that they have persisted 113 00:04:04,820 --> 00:04:07,540 throughout the millennia and 114 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:08,520 that we get to read them today 115 00:04:07,620 --> 00:04:09,820 and I pray that whatever you 116 00:04:08,580 --> 00:04:11,220 have for us to learn that it 117 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,180 would stick, that it would 118 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,860 become a part of the framework 119 00:04:12,260 --> 00:04:15,380 of our faith, that our faith 120 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,660 would become stronger because 121 00:04:16,660 --> 00:04:25,860 we are in the process. Amen. 122 00:04:18,260 --> 00:04:28,200 Amen. Okay. On our way to joy, 123 00:04:25,940 --> 00:04:31,040 I just want to take a few 124 00:04:28,260 --> 00:04:33,640 minutes to clear up a couple 125 00:04:31,100 --> 00:04:35,640 cultural Christmas 126 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:38,140 mischaracterizations. Alright, 127 00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:40,080 you with me? First of all, it 128 00:04:38,220 --> 00:04:41,780 says in verse six, while they 129 00:04:40,140 --> 00:04:43,680 were there, the time came for 130 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:45,080 the baby to be born. In other 131 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:49,520 words, the idea that Mary and 132 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:52,060 Joseph were in a rush is not 133 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,560 accurate. Okay, they they 134 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,400 weren't in a rush. Thousands 135 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,040 of old Christmas programs have 136 00:04:55,460 --> 00:04:58,600 had Joseph and Mary in a hurry 137 00:04:57,100 --> 00:05:02,480 to find a place because she's 138 00:04:58,660 --> 00:05:04,880 about to pop. But if you read 139 00:05:02,540 --> 00:05:06,980 it, it's clear they were 140 00:05:04,940 --> 00:05:09,180 already settled in Bethlehem 141 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:12,280 after their journey while they 142 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:14,080 were there. Secondly, says in 143 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,020 verse six, they placed him in a 144 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,320 manger because there was no 145 00:05:17,100 --> 00:05:20,060 guest room available for them. 146 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,560 There's two things here. If I 147 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,000 said, close your eyes and 148 00:05:21,620 --> 00:05:26,000 picture where Jesus was born. 149 00:05:23,060 --> 00:05:28,000 Some of you might picture a 150 00:05:26,060 --> 00:05:30,100 cave or a barn, particularly a 151 00:05:28,060 --> 00:05:32,100 cave happens quite often and 152 00:05:30,180 --> 00:05:33,280 why? Well, it's because the 153 00:05:32,180 --> 00:05:35,080 image of Jesus being born in a 154 00:05:33,340 --> 00:05:36,980 cave is another one of those 155 00:05:35,140 --> 00:05:38,440 very popular images from 156 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:41,280 Christmas programs and the idea 157 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:42,980 does come from some very old 158 00:05:42,980 --> 00:05:47,420 story that over the centuries 159 00:05:44,620 --> 00:05:48,920 has continued to find its way 160 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:50,600 into the way that we tell the 161 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,900 story but it doesn't line up or 162 00:05:50,660 --> 00:05:55,600 agree with the way that Luke 163 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,960 tells this story and then we 164 00:05:55,660 --> 00:06:01,400 need to understand that they 165 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:02,780 were not looking for a hotel. 166 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,780 The problem here is a mixture 167 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:06,880 of translation and culture. 168 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:08,280 Okay, more than half of the 169 00:06:06,940 --> 00:06:09,920 Bibles. If you went to a store, 170 00:06:08,340 --> 00:06:11,380 a bookstore and said, hey, 171 00:06:09,980 --> 00:06:12,920 where are your Bibles? And 172 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,680 you're going to hear a 173 00:06:14,380 --> 00:06:17,120 scattering of 10 to 12 174 00:06:15,740 --> 00:06:18,920 different translations. Half of 175 00:06:17,180 --> 00:06:20,320 them that you pick up, this 176 00:06:18,980 --> 00:06:23,660 verse would say there was no 177 00:06:20,380 --> 00:06:24,920 room for them in the inn. And 178 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,820 then half of them would say for 179 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:32,160 there was no guest room 180 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:32,160 available to them. 181 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,440 In our modern minds, when we 182 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:39,240 hear the word in, what do we 183 00:06:36,500 --> 00:06:41,640 think of? Hotel. We think of 184 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:48,480 the hotel. We think of the 185 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:50,080 La Quinta Inn. We we think of 186 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,660 a hotel. The the word gives us 187 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,460 the impression that Joseph and 188 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,920 Mary were frantically looking 189 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,520 about trying to get a room at 190 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,100 the Hyatt or the Marriott, 191 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,760 right? But what's the context 192 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,240 here? The context is 193 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:02,760 Bethlehem, right? They're in 194 00:07:01,300 --> 00:07:04,000 Bethlehem. Why are they there? 195 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:05,400 They're there because there has 196 00:07:04,060 --> 00:07:06,840 been a census called according 197 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,840 to this story. They're in 198 00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:10,640 Bethlehem, the city of David. 199 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:15,080 Why is it called David? It's 200 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,280 called the city of David 201 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,060 because it's the first place 202 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:21,060 that King David was anointed 203 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:23,060 to become king. It's a very 204 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,560 special place in the history of 205 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:27,960 the Israelites. His family is a 206 00:07:25,620 --> 00:07:30,440 very special family in the 207 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,340 history of the Israelites and 208 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:34,140 Joseph, a descendant of King 209 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,840 David is in town with his 210 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:37,440 promised wife who is pregnant. 211 00:07:35,900 --> 00:07:38,440 The idea that Joseph and his 212 00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:40,580 pregnant bride had no family 213 00:07:40,580 --> 00:07:46,220 in town is just highly 214 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:47,800 unlikely. So, what does it 215 00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:49,200 mean? What does the word mean 216 00:07:47,860 --> 00:07:51,500 even? Remember, this story is 217 00:07:49,260 --> 00:07:54,700 about a census, right? We're 218 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:56,240 just being told, we're we're 219 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:59,180 being told that everyone in 220 00:07:56,300 --> 00:08:02,280 town already has at least one 221 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:04,940 guest staying with them. That 222 00:08:02,340 --> 00:08:06,980 all the traditional guest rooms 223 00:08:05,020 --> 00:08:08,420 are full. Be like if you came 224 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,780 to my house, if someone came to 225 00:08:09,780 --> 00:08:12,280 my house, I would have two 226 00:08:11,180 --> 00:08:13,320 bedrooms for the kids upstairs, 227 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,120 two bedrooms in the basement 228 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:16,620 for the kids. We have at times 229 00:08:15,180 --> 00:08:17,720 been like, hey, Wallace and 230 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,020 Adley, why don't you guys bunk 231 00:08:17,780 --> 00:08:20,920 up so that we can give this 232 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:22,400 room to someone else, okay? But 233 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,900 then, if it was more than that, 234 00:08:22,460 --> 00:08:24,900 it would be like, alright, and 235 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,140 you can sleep on the couch in 236 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,440 the basement and you can can 237 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,700 sleep on the couch in the 238 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:33,700 living room and then we would 239 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:35,200 be out of space for guests in 240 00:08:33,780 --> 00:08:37,840 our house but in the first 241 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:39,180 century, a home in this 242 00:08:39,180 --> 00:08:43,140 house, there would be this 243 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,680 space. Sometimes, it would be 244 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,140 dug down into the ground. 245 00:08:44,740 --> 00:08:47,940 Sometimes, it had its own 246 00:08:46,220 --> 00:08:52,220 entrance and exit in the back 247 00:08:48,020 --> 00:08:55,820 where every night, they bring 248 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,360 in the animals. It's because 249 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,020 most families didn't have a lot 250 00:08:57,420 --> 00:09:01,420 of livestock. They didn't even 251 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:03,060 have a separate barn and so, 252 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:04,260 what they would do is to 253 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,660 protect them, to keep them 254 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,100 warm, to keep them from being 255 00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:10,700 attacked by wolves or 256 00:09:08,460 --> 00:09:13,460 anything else. They would 257 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:16,100 bring their small number of 258 00:09:13,540 --> 00:09:18,700 animals into their home in the 259 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:20,700 back of their home. This is why 260 00:09:18,780 --> 00:09:22,100 it says that Jesus is placed in 261 00:09:20,780 --> 00:09:23,680 a manger not because they were 262 00:09:22,180 --> 00:09:25,580 born that he was born in a cave 263 00:09:23,740 --> 00:09:28,540 or he was born in a barn because 264 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:31,680 they were bunking with the 265 00:09:28,620 --> 00:09:33,660 animals in the same house as 266 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:36,460 everyone else which was 267 00:09:36,460 --> 00:09:41,400 why it says that. I think that 268 00:09:39,260 --> 00:09:42,840 when we dig into the context 269 00:09:41,460 --> 00:09:44,340 of this and we understand the 270 00:09:42,900 --> 00:09:45,700 cultural context of what's 271 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,100 actually being said here that 272 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,100 we add a bit of the joy back 273 00:09:47,180 --> 00:09:50,580 into the story when we know 274 00:09:48,180 --> 00:09:51,900 these things. What do I want? 275 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,440 What do I mean? Because Joseph 276 00:09:51,980 --> 00:09:57,880 and Mary and Jesus weren't 277 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,880 alone in a cave. 278 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:04,960 Joseph and Mary were most 279 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,600 likely to be born very likely 280 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:13,100 with extended if not immediate 281 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:15,880 family the night that Jesus was 282 00:10:13,180 --> 00:10:17,980 born. I think about the joy that 283 00:10:15,940 --> 00:10:19,920 is added when you have family 284 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,980 there for something like a 285 00:10:19,980 --> 00:10:26,260 birth. I think about when Brennan 286 00:10:23,060 --> 00:10:29,020 was born, the joy of my dad 287 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:30,900 holding my first point, my 288 00:10:29,100 --> 00:10:33,400 first born, the the joy of 289 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:38,000 getting down to hold Liam, the 290 00:10:35,940 --> 00:10:39,780 joy of Tim, my father-in-law, 291 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:42,640 driving to Colorado to hold 292 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:46,340 Wallace, the joy of all of my 293 00:10:42,700 --> 00:10:48,520 children getting to hold 294 00:10:46,420 --> 00:10:50,280 Adleria. We add joy back in the 295 00:10:48,580 --> 00:10:51,880 story when we think about the 296 00:10:50,340 --> 00:10:53,380 context and things and we strip 297 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,860 away all the cultural things 298 00:10:53,460 --> 00:10:56,620 that we've been convinced are 299 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:59,020 what happening and we see just 300 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,520 a little bit more. They're 301 00:10:59,100 --> 00:11:01,220 there. Now, a lot of these 302 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:02,200 things are just details that 303 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,100 we've been trying to get 304 00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:08,900 through. We live in the first 305 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:10,600 century. We live in a reductive 306 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:13,640 society. We like to reduce a 307 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:16,540 story down as much as we 308 00:11:13,700 --> 00:11:17,740 possibly can. lose details and 309 00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:19,440 and honestly, here's the 310 00:11:17,820 --> 00:11:21,980 biblical writers did the same 311 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:23,520 thing to a certain extent in 312 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,060 our men's group on Tuesday 313 00:11:23,580 --> 00:11:26,560 nights, we've been going 314 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,620 through the gospel according to 315 00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:31,120 Mark and almost every week, we 316 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,160 have to go through the 317 00:11:32,700 --> 00:11:35,300 biblical 318 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,340 because we don't understand 319 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,100 unless we dig into it more 320 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,600 because the writers when they 321 00:11:38,180 --> 00:11:41,180 were writing these gospels, 322 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,540 they made a lot of assumptions 323 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:47,020 about what the readers would 324 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:49,620 already know. They left a lot 325 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:51,120 out actually because they 326 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:52,560 thought that the people reading 327 00:11:51,180 --> 00:11:55,120 it would just know all of these 328 00:11:52,620 --> 00:11:57,120 things naturally for instance 329 00:11:55,180 --> 00:11:58,920 here in the Book of Luke, the 330 00:11:57,180 --> 00:12:00,060 passage that I read that that 331 00:12:00,060 --> 00:12:03,120 they're saying the same thing 332 00:12:01,260 --> 00:12:05,120 here in the Book of Luke, we 333 00:12:03,180 --> 00:12:07,260 see that shepherds are the 334 00:12:05,180 --> 00:12:12,060 first non-family members to get 335 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:12,060 to meet Jesus. 336 00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:17,300 Maybe when we read that, we 337 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,740 know enough about the Bible to 338 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:21,100 make the connection that Jesus 339 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,340 would be called the good 340 00:12:21,180 --> 00:12:25,040 shepherd, right? Maybe we know 341 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:26,480 enough about the Bible to make 342 00:12:25,100 --> 00:12:28,080 the connection that Jesus would 343 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:32,760 be called the good shepherd. 344 00:12:29,780 --> 00:12:34,460 But when the early Christians 345 00:12:32,820 --> 00:12:35,820 read the Book of Luke, 346 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:38,000 especially if they had any 347 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:39,600 connection to Judaism or that 348 00:12:38,060 --> 00:12:42,960 culture, they would have known 349 00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:46,000 immediately how scandalous it 350 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:47,800 was for shepherds to be the 351 00:12:46,060 --> 00:12:50,980 first ones to meet the Messiah 352 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:52,440 to meet a new king. Why? Because 353 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:55,280 shepherds were typically 354 00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:56,880 thought of as outsiders 355 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,860 because they were always dirty. 356 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:02,660 They worked all hours of the 357 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:04,020 night and so people assume they 358 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,460 probably weren't following a 359 00:13:04,100 --> 00:13:07,800 whole lot of those religious 360 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:11,340 laws out there with the sheep. 361 00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:13,900 These guys aren't your model 362 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:15,800 temple goers. These guys aren't 363 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:19,840 supposed to be the first people 364 00:13:15,860 --> 00:13:20,640 to get to meet a new king. 365 00:13:19,900 --> 00:13:23,840 There's a perfect example of 366 00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:25,320 this. If you read Matthew's 367 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,820 version of this whole story, he 368 00:13:26,820 --> 00:13:29,860 says, you know, remember, I'm 369 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:31,320 not going to read the whole 370 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:33,800 passage, but just hang with me. 371 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,700 Think about when the Magi go to 372 00:13:33,860 --> 00:13:39,200 King Herod and ask him where 373 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:41,140 the new king has been born. They 374 00:13:39,260 --> 00:13:42,840 go to the current king because 375 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,700 they would have assumed if 376 00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:47,200 anyone knew where the new king 377 00:13:44,780 --> 00:13:49,340 was born, it would be the 378 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,840 current king. The Magi didn't 379 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,640 think to go ask the shepherds 380 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:56,220 because that's not how the 381 00:13:56,220 --> 00:14:01,120 new king was born. This good 382 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:04,120 news will be great joy to all 383 00:14:01,180 --> 00:14:08,220 the people. Not just the ones 384 00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:10,200 up here. It's going to be good 385 00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:12,200 news of joy even to the 386 00:14:10,260 --> 00:14:14,400 outsiders because joy is 387 00:14:12,260 --> 00:14:15,860 available to everyone. Joy is 388 00:14:14,460 --> 00:14:20,140 available to everyone because 389 00:14:15,940 --> 00:14:20,140 Jesus is available to everyone. 390 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,580 Now, I could end there. It's a 391 00:14:25,580 --> 00:14:29,340 story of joy joy joy joy joy 392 00:14:26,780 --> 00:14:29,920 joy joy joy joy joy joy joy joy 393 00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:33,520 joy joy joy down in my heart 394 00:14:29,980 --> 00:14:36,380 and button it up right. down in 395 00:14:33,580 --> 00:14:36,380 my heart. 396 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:44,100 but like I've great and from 397 00:14:40,700 --> 00:14:45,100 Marshall, there's more. There's 398 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,760 still another layer that I want 399 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,660 to point out something that we 400 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,300 missed something that isn't 401 00:14:47,740 --> 00:14:51,500 obvious to us. So, so hang with 402 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,700 me. Okay. So, remember this 403 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,540 story that we're reading that 404 00:14:54,540 --> 00:14:58,540 we're talking about Jesus being 405 00:14:56,340 --> 00:15:01,300 born but it's also part of the 406 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,740 bigger story of Israel. This is 407 00:15:01,380 --> 00:15:03,900 something that we lose when we 408 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,180 think of the gospel and we 409 00:15:03,980 --> 00:15:07,140 think about oh, I'm going to 410 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:09,940 tell someone about Jesus. We we 411 00:15:07,220 --> 00:15:11,880 do it. We strip Jesus out of 412 00:15:10,020 --> 00:15:14,380 the story of Israel when we 413 00:15:11,940 --> 00:15:15,380 talk to people about him but 414 00:15:14,460 --> 00:15:16,460 when we read this, we have to 415 00:15:15,460 --> 00:15:17,980 remember that this is in the 416 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,860 larger context of something 417 00:15:18,060 --> 00:15:22,300 that had been going on for a 418 00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:27,400 long time. It's the angel 419 00:15:24,740 --> 00:15:29,040 appearing in the night sky. 420 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,540 Those of you who are well read 421 00:15:29,100 --> 00:15:32,240 in your scripture just saying 422 00:15:30,620 --> 00:15:33,820 that is already popping other 423 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,320 things up in your mind and it 424 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:38,320 would have popped things in the 425 00:15:35,380 --> 00:15:40,820 minds of early readers of this 426 00:15:38,380 --> 00:15:43,920 angels appearing in the night 427 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:45,260 sky speaking to someone giving 428 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,860 a message from God. It can 429 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:49,060 remind us of another shepherd 430 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:52,240 in another field on another 431 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,300 day. It's the night of the 432 00:15:55,340 --> 00:16:00,200 night that Jacob was running 433 00:15:56,360 --> 00:16:00,200 away from home. 434 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,180 Fleeing for his life, fleeing 435 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:05,720 from his brother because he has 436 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,240 tricked him out of his 437 00:16:05,780 --> 00:16:11,220 blessing. He laid down in a 438 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:14,220 field with his head on a rock 439 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,460 and he had a dream about angels 440 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,520 in the sky. A lot of people 441 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,060 call it Jacob's ladder. You 442 00:16:19,060 --> 00:16:24,540 know, it's a stairway. It says 443 00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:26,040 that God was there and he spoke 444 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,540 to Jacob and he said, I will 445 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:31,040 give you and your descendants 446 00:16:27,620 --> 00:16:34,420 the land on which you are 447 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:35,960 lying. So, think about it. 448 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,380 Jacob has just stolen 449 00:16:36,020 --> 00:16:39,420 something. He's running away. 450 00:16:37,460 --> 00:16:42,760 He's laid his head down on the 451 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:46,300 ground as a wanderer. He ends 452 00:16:42,820 --> 00:16:47,200 up being a shepherd. And God 453 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,300 says to you, that you will 454 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:51,680 be blessed through you. Your 455 00:16:50,380 --> 00:16:52,940 descendants will be like the 456 00:16:51,740 --> 00:16:54,140 dust of the earth and you will 457 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,080 spread out to the west, into 458 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,780 the east, to the north, to the 459 00:16:56,140 --> 00:17:00,420 south. Here's this word again, 460 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:03,080 all peoples on earth will be 461 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:05,120 blessed through you and your 462 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,720 offspring. This Jacob, this 463 00:17:05,180 --> 00:17:09,000 Jacob is the grandson of 464 00:17:06,780 --> 00:17:10,560 Abraham. The same Jacob that 465 00:17:09,060 --> 00:17:12,260 Isaiah prophesied about that I 466 00:17:10,620 --> 00:17:13,860 mentioned a couple of weeks 467 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,200 ago, the same Jacob that angel 468 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,660 the angel mentioned when 469 00:17:16,660 --> 00:17:23,380 the descendants of Jacob forever, the same Jacob that years later when he finally came home to face 470 00:17:23,380 --> 00:17:28,740 his brother the night before he would see Esau again, afraid of what would happen. The scriptures 471 00:17:28,740 --> 00:17:40,980 say that he wrestled all night with God and in the morning, God changed his name from Jacob to Israel. 472 00:17:40,980 --> 00:17:49,460 And his name became the name for all the people. 473 00:17:54,100 --> 00:18:02,180 The Israelites. From one God encounter to another were meant to be reminded how long they had been 474 00:18:02,180 --> 00:18:14,020 waiting, how long Israel had been waiting for God's promise to them to pay off, how long joy had been 475 00:18:14,020 --> 00:18:25,540 bottled up. I just wonder if like this whole thing, the way that we think about the Christmas story, 476 00:18:25,540 --> 00:18:33,700 maybe you've lost some of the details of your story too. Maybe some of those details need to 477 00:18:33,700 --> 00:18:40,580 be added back to give it a little joy where it belongs. And I wonder if maybe you have joy 478 00:18:40,580 --> 00:18:48,340 bottled up because the promise has been waiting so long. And I want to say that you're not alone. 479 00:18:48,340 --> 00:19:00,100 I feel this way far too often. I feel fine. I'm good. I'm good. Most of the time I feel truly 480 00:19:00,100 --> 00:19:11,300 content, but I hold joy at bay. And when I think of it, the truth is that I do not 481 00:19:11,300 --> 00:19:16,740 want to feel it for very long 482 00:19:22,740 --> 00:19:26,100 because it's like I don't believe that it will last 483 00:19:29,140 --> 00:19:31,780 because it feels like it's something that always goes away. 484 00:19:34,980 --> 00:19:36,420 Like something always goes wrong. 485 00:19:36,420 --> 00:19:43,780 It reminds me of something that Brene Brown wrote. She asks, why do we insist on dress rehearsing 486 00:19:43,780 --> 00:19:53,140 tragedy in moments of deep joy? And she answers, she says, it's because joy is the most vulnerable 487 00:19:53,140 --> 00:20:00,500 emotion we feel. When we feel joy, it is a place of incredible vulnerability. It is beauty and 488 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:10,580 fragility and deep gratitude and impermanence all wrapped up in one. Beauty, fragility, gratitude, 489 00:20:10,580 --> 00:20:16,980 impermanence. Joy is difficult to fully embrace because our bodies remember the years of waiting. 490 00:20:18,420 --> 00:20:22,980 And we remember the moments that we felt joy leave. 491 00:20:22,980 --> 00:20:29,140 We remember the moments of exile. We remember the years of pain that we felt, and we tell ourselves 492 00:20:29,140 --> 00:20:33,540 that we don't want to feel joy because we don't want to feel it leave again. 493 00:20:35,860 --> 00:20:44,740 We would rather be just okay to just remember joy for a moment than to actually feel it. 494 00:20:44,740 --> 00:20:52,020 There's moments where I come home and my wife is delighted to see me. It's true. 495 00:20:53,460 --> 00:20:59,220 Every once in a while. And she'll just be in a great mood. 496 00:21:01,060 --> 00:21:04,260 And the truth is that sometimes my body does not know what to do with it. 497 00:21:05,140 --> 00:21:12,260 My brain says rejoice with her. I'm not going to be able to do that. I'm not going to be able to 498 00:21:12,260 --> 00:21:20,660 do that. My brain says rejoice with her. Be happy with her. Delight with her and in her. Brace this 499 00:21:20,660 --> 00:21:33,860 moment. Live in it. But the memories that my body has tells me to resist. Give her a hug. Be good. 500 00:21:33,860 --> 00:21:46,100 Be good. Be even. But I think that Jesus, maybe this is Captain Obvious moment, but I think that 501 00:21:46,100 --> 00:22:04,740 Jesus wants us to feel joy. He wants me to feel joy. And I know this because he told me in a dream. 502 00:22:04,740 --> 00:22:11,380 And I want to tell you about that dream. But if you will, if you're willing to, what I want you to 503 00:22:11,380 --> 00:22:17,780 do is I want you to close your eyes and imagine it with me. Put yourself in it. 504 00:22:22,260 --> 00:22:26,580 And you have permission to let God shape it in the way that your imagination needs to. 505 00:22:29,700 --> 00:22:33,140 This was literally a few nights ago. 506 00:22:35,940 --> 00:22:37,940 In my dream I was in a restaurant. 507 00:22:37,940 --> 00:22:45,220 And I intuitively just felt like I knew the owner. I also felt like I knew of the chef. 508 00:22:48,020 --> 00:22:52,660 But when I sat down at the table I knew that the server didn't know me. 509 00:22:54,260 --> 00:23:00,980 I felt like that was because it was a fancy restaurant. Kind of place that cost a lot. Five 510 00:23:00,980 --> 00:23:12,340 stars. The truth is that I was not dressed for the restaurant. So it felt as though the server 511 00:23:12,340 --> 00:23:19,620 assumed that I would want something simple because I was dressed simply. So they suggested 512 00:23:19,620 --> 00:23:31,940 something like a chicken dish. But I knew that this restaurant had my favorite dish on the menu. 513 00:23:33,860 --> 00:23:41,380 Now I'd never had it there before, but that particular dish was the best thing that I had ever 514 00:23:41,380 --> 00:23:49,780 tasted. But that had been at a different restaurant. It felt like it had been years ago. 515 00:23:50,820 --> 00:23:53,700 And it felt as though nothing had ever lived up to it. 516 00:23:58,100 --> 00:24:01,380 Moments later the chef comes to the table herself. 517 00:24:01,380 --> 00:24:11,540 And she puts in front of me a plate that had what now I think was one fried ravioli. 518 00:24:16,580 --> 00:24:23,380 It was maybe the size of a Post-it note. It was brown. It felt crispy in my hand. Like if I 519 00:24:23,380 --> 00:24:31,060 snapped it, it would break, but it was full of something soft and savory. She stood there watching 520 00:24:31,060 --> 00:24:40,900 me as I could see myself holding it in front of me. And I put it to my mouth and I took one bite 521 00:24:41,700 --> 00:24:47,780 from the corner and I ate it. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to die. 522 00:24:47,780 --> 00:24:56,900 I took one bite from the corner. As I chewed and as it dissolved in my mouth, I began to weep. 523 00:25:06,180 --> 00:25:14,820 It lit up all of my emotions. While I was still in my mouth with tears coming down my face, 524 00:25:14,820 --> 00:25:26,180 I knew that I was crying because it was better. It was the best thing that I ever tasted. And I 525 00:25:26,180 --> 00:25:32,900 wasn't just crying because it was good. I was crying because I had stopped believing that I 526 00:25:32,900 --> 00:25:42,900 would ever taste something this good again. They were tears of relief. They were tears of comfort. 527 00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:48,660 They were tears of delight. And I woke up feeling like they were tears of joy. 528 00:25:50,980 --> 00:25:55,700 And like God was telling me that there is still better. 529 00:26:01,460 --> 00:26:03,140 And even now with your eyes closed, 530 00:26:03,140 --> 00:26:12,980 I want to tell you about a word called anamnesis. 531 00:26:17,620 --> 00:26:22,980 On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he said, when you do this, do this in anamnesis of me. 532 00:26:22,980 --> 00:26:30,900 Do this in remembrance of me. But this word remember does not mean to think of something 533 00:26:30,900 --> 00:26:36,900 that happened one time anamnesis means to remember as though happening again. 534 00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:51,780 Means to remember as though happening again. Remember as though present here. 535 00:26:56,340 --> 00:27:02,980 So here in this moment, before we begin the table, before we move to the Eucharist, 536 00:27:02,980 --> 00:27:08,740 if you would just let the Holy Spirit serve you. 537 00:27:11,540 --> 00:27:13,780 To give you the dish you've been waiting for. 538 00:27:13,780 --> 00:27:22,740 To give you the dish you've been waiting for. 539 00:27:26,180 --> 00:27:34,500 To let the joy that you experienced one time somewhere else sometime before 540 00:27:34,500 --> 00:27:41,460 be literally handed to you on a platter. 541 00:27:41,460 --> 00:28:04,420 And then accept the reality that we are the ones that have to decide whether we will take it. 542 00:28:11,860 --> 00:28:16,420 God in this moment, I pray that you would convince our hearts to reach out and take, 543 00:28:16,980 --> 00:28:24,980 to take and to eat. I'm reminded of the prophet that was told to eat of the scroll, 544 00:28:25,940 --> 00:28:31,780 the scrolls that were covered in words of sorrow, but when he ate it, it tasted sweet like honey. 545 00:28:31,780 --> 00:28:39,380 I pray that today that we would reach out, that we would receive, that we would take, that you would 546 00:28:39,380 --> 00:28:46,580 convince even in our bodies though we have memories of the sorrows and memories of the feeling of joy 547 00:28:46,580 --> 00:28:53,220 leaving, that by your stripes we would be healed. 548 00:28:53,220 --> 00:29:03,140 That our knee-jerk reactions and rejections of your joy would be overcome by your work, 549 00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:09,140 by your beauty, that we would take and eat. 550 00:29:09,140 --> 00:29:21,060 That we would never hunger again. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.