Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:02]:
Hey, good evening, everybody. Thanks for joining us at our Christmas weekend services. And we hope that you've been having a great season so far. You know, we all know Christmas, right? Maybe at different seasons of our lives, that meant different things. I know there's a bunch of teachers and students out here sometimes at that kind of a place. What does Christmas mean? Means rest, right? Means some time to play. And maybe when you're kids, you guys remember the wonder of Christmas, how amazing it was. The singing, the food gathering with your family, as well as the gifts.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:38]:
When you get older, a little bit older, maybe you get a little bit more mature. You see that as a great time to connect with your family and see the wonder in your kids eyes. And maybe later you start saying, hey, when the grandkids come and people come together. But the reason why we celebrate any Christmas because one day that was the first Christmas, one day there was a before Christmas, right? What would happen before Christmas was it was a time of darkness. It was a time of darkness in the nation of Israel. It was a time of darkness in many people's lives. But we celebrate Christmas because Christ came and brought light into the world. The scripture says this about Jesus coming from heaven.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:27]:
He says this in Luke 1:30,32. It says the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God and you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name, Jesus, and he will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And so tonight we're celebrating the fact that the Most High God would not leave us to our own devices, would not leave us in darkness, but would come for us, would come to us, and frankly, would become one of us. We celebrate because Christmas, though it might be familiar with nativity scenes and decorations and music, it's not so much about our traditions, it's about life. It's about hope. It's about the God who comes in the midst of everyday life. You know, this weekend we're concluding a series that we started three weeks ago and we just talked about the hope that changes the world. How many of us that hope is an important factor in this season of your life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:33]:
Can you raise a hand? Right? Yeah. It's important to have hope, right? Sometimes there's things that's going on in your workplace. I know so many people that during this last few months that whether it's been a strike at work or affected by the shutdown and different things that are happening, we need hope in the midst of that Sometimes there's personal things that are going on in your life. Sometimes it's relational things that's going on. And we need hope. But the hope that changes the world is rooted in the God who is near to us in every season of life as long as we turn to Him. And so we see this. We started by saying that God always starts someplace.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:13]:
Aren't you glad that God can start someplace in your life? Even if you've never experienced Him? You can always start somewhere. And he does that. And sometimes it starts so slow until we talk about how it picks up the pace and it goes incredibly fast. And last week we talked about how hope was a hope for all people. Whether you find yourself to be one of the most faithful and. And spiritual people in life, or maybe you're the least likely guy, right? And I know many of us that we started out as the least likely people, right? The people who said what You. You're following God, right? Until all of a sudden, over time, you became a faithful person. But it doesn't matter whether you're at the top of your game spiritually or you have no idea about it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:01]:
God says this. It's for everyone. Do me a favor before we go any further, just turn to your neighbor, say, aren't you glad? Christmas is for everybody? Christmas is for everybody, right? And I just want to talk about three things this evening about what that means that Christ came, that Christmas is about the Christ who was brought into the world. And there's three things that it really talks about. And the first thing is this. That God came close and became one of us, Right? That God came close and became one of us. This aspect of a woman who hasn't ever had physical relations with anyone. How does it work that all of a sudden, without intervention, without medical technology, without physical.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:54]:
Physical contact with a man, that this happens? Well, if you believe the first few words of the Bible, you understand when it says if God in the beginning can create the heavens and the earth, how easy is it for him to bring life into a place that already is ready for that? Right? Instead, what it says in the scriptures, it doesn't give us all the details exactly how it happens, but it says this. It says in Matthew 1:23, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. You know, I've had friends who come from a medical background, and when we talk in terms of miracles at times and what God can do, even now that God is not limited now, he's still active and Moving in the midst of us, right? And I've had some really good friends, and. And it's like, I just. It doesn't work like that, right? My friend said this, right? It's like he went to medical school, right? He did all these things. And so obviously you want your doctor to just preach the Bible to you or you want him to tell you the medical news when you go to the doctor, right? You want him to tell the medical news, right? So I'm glad that he does that. But, you know, the thing is, we ought to say as well that, hey, you know, that there are. There are things that God can do that sometimes you don't have an answer for.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:20]:
Right? Right. And I introduced him to. At first, I told him about a person that had stage four esophageal cancer, and the doctors gave up. And how I just happened to be there when the doctor said, you know, hey, there's nothing. I'm sorry, go ahead, go home. Get your affairs in order. And because there's nothing I can do. And how broken my friend was at that season.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:47]:
And we just prayed. And something in the midst of that time, we could tell something happened in the midst of that time. And although this is at this point maybe a dozen years ago, he's still alive today, right? He's still walking around today. He's still making trouble. I mean, sorry, he's still following Jesus today. But, you know, the thing is that it was hard for him to believe until he met him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:16]:
Until he met him and he heard the story and heard about what the whole process was. But, you know, when Jesus came and he became one of us, what does that even mean? It's the eternal God took on human flesh. Not as a disguise, right? Not as a costume. It's. He became a human with the same body, emotions, mind. The same subject to the same things that we are. The thing for hunger and the thing for thirst, and we the same person. The scripture talks about it this way.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:57]:
It says in John 1:1, it says, in the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. And it goes on in the next few verses after that, it says this. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we've seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. Sometimes there's a glory that the world can bring. To be honest, this evening, people, some friends brought leis for me and thank you for coming to my graduation party.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:37]:
That's the kind of. I feel like, you know, right now, like I. The last time I had stuff like this, right? So, you know, that's a human glory, but there's a glory that comes when God is revealed, when we. We see a little bit more about the nature of who he is and what he's done. And Jesus coming to Earth, becoming a human being, changed things. Why? Because he made the invisible visible. He made the untouchable God touchable, right? He made the God that at times, what seemed so abstract to people made it concrete. And we see that God revealed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:16]:
If you want to know what God is like, and with some. Some of us, that maybe you're in a season of exploration, maybe you're a season of questioning, maybe you're in a season of wondering. There was a season I was like that. It's like. And you know what I really thought, there's so many religions out there, right? So many religions out there. And if. If there was one, right? One, how in the world would I know? How in the world could I figure it out? Till God revealed himself, till God showed himself, till I experienced it as I heard the truth, as I heard maybe the same similar message to what we're talking about this evening. The good news is it's not so much that Jesus became a man, but what does it mean for our lives is that God became human.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:10]:
You know what it actually means? It means that God's not distant from you. It means that God doesn't see you and say, you're too much of a mess for me to work with. What it means is that doesn't matter where you've been or what you've done, that God cares about you and that he knows you. That's what it means, right? And I don't know if you've ever been in this place that you wonder, how does God see me, right? And how does he know? Is he. Does he look at me like. You ever watch ants crawl on this pavement, right? And you just kind of watch them, you know, maybe you see the trail. You guys ever just kind of put your finger there and then you kind of rub it and you erase that scent trail. And then all of a sudden the ants go crazy, right? And you just watch them and every once in a while you just kind of kill one of them, like for no reason, right? Come on, let's just be honest with the magnifying glass.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:06]:
You ever burn them and just kind of watch them curl up, Right? Does God do that with us? No, absolutely not. It's Absolutely the opposite. He looks from heaven, but he came to earth. He didn't send a memo. He didn't send some person in his place. He came personally. And when he watches us, he doesn't watch us dispassionately. He understands us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:34]:
Jesus himself went through pain and suffering. Hunger, exhaustion, grief, betrayal. Right? Loneliness. Why is that? So that. Have you ever prayed? Anybody ever prayed? And then you didn't get what you prayed for? Wondered. Anybody listening? Right? And if you're ever in that place, God. Do you see what I'm going through right now? You know what? The fact that God became a man tells us that what Jesus says is. I know, I know, I lived it too.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:10]:
He understands. He understands how difficult it is for us because God came down to earth and didn't just watch us. He became one of us. He paid the price for us. And then he ascended to heaven. Yes, it did. It does say that. And his spirit is still here just as much and in ways much more powerful because he's not restricted to one place, but now he works in all places at all times.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:41]:
But I love what it says. And can we just read this together? It's in your notes and maybe be on the screen as well. It says this about how Jesus sees us because he became one of us. It says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. Let's say empathize. What does empathize mean? Does it mean that you just dispassionately look? No, it means that there's a sense that you feel this. You feel what that person's feeling with our weaknesses because we have won.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:18]:
Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. You guys ever get tempted, right? Is that it says Jesus was tempted, but what he just didn't sin. We don't have that capacity. I don't know about you, right? But I know I've never batted a thousand, not even close. And so this is what he says, that he knows the struggles we go through. He knows the difficulties that you face. You know, the second thing I do want to say is that God really does know you. God really does know you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:51]:
Turn your neighbor say, God really doesn't know you, right? There's a benefit when you know somebody, right? It's. Especially when it comes to gifts, right? And to be honest, what we're talking about is the greatest gift that has ever been given. And that's really the gift of a son, Jesus. But would you guys ever get a bad gift? Okay? Some of us, we don't want to say, we just laugh, right? So we can tell, like, yeah, right. Some of us sound like we got a bad gift recently, right? But you know, the thing is that like, if you came to my house when we were growing up, you would see stacks of fruitcake out there in tins, beautifully packed. And then my uncle would say, it's like, it's a special fruitcake that I order specially from Maine. And he ships it here. And then one day he came over, he says to my mom, he says, hey, Charlotte, did you get the fruitcake I sent? And she goes, yeah, he did.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:54]:
And just before that, just before he came, I was looking at how many fruitcakes were in the closet and we hate fruitcake, right? I said, do you like that? Nobody in my house like fruit. Sorry. We have some fruitcake outside in the hospitality, but not everybody hates fruitcake. You won't see me eating it. But, but you guys knock yourself out. But, but you know, he came in and he said, did you get it? And he goes like, yeah. And then he goes, how was it? And my mom goes, oh, we love it. Let's be honest, right? And, and when we did, we told him, you know, the thing he said was, you know what, we don't, I don't need to send you fruitcake if you don't like it, right? And so the thing is, you know, that even her, my mom's own brother didn't know for years since, what do you call fruitcakes? And we just use them as doorstops really.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:48]:
But you know, in that kind of a light, you can be in the same family, right? You can be married to the same person, you can have kids. And how many of us, when you, you ever been in that place, you go, I didn't know you liked that, right? I didn't know you were into that. Because we get taken by surprise. God's never taken by surprise by you, right? Because good gifts come because you know somebody, right? You know what they like, you know what they don't like, right? You know at times what season of life it is for them. You know what frustrates them, you know what, what makes their eyes see, know, light up. What a good gift does is it says this, I'm paying attention. Any good gift givers out there? You guys shame to raise your hand because the other person might be saying, I don't know if it's that good right Now I have a friend, he's a great gift giver because he's always watching Always studying. As soon as his wife mentions something, he's just looking at the bag like he literally writes it down.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:50]:
And so he has a list of all those things. And every time he gives a gift is right on the money. But as good as a gift giver as he is, he's not as good as God. This is what it says, that God says this. I knew you before you were born. And in fact he says this. He decided where you will be born and when you would be born. In Acts 17:26, it says, for one man, he created all the nations throughout the whole earth.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:18]:
And he decided beforehand, let's say beforehand. God's not last minute. He knows what he's doing. He knows what he's doing. He planned you, you know, you're here by design in this season of your life. I have no idea what the season is like, but your life has meaning and your life has purpose. For some of us, what we have to do is discover what that purpose. But your life has meaning and purpose because you are here by design.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:50]:
And the world might say something, and your doubts might say something, and your troubles might say something. Your weaknesses might say something to you. But this is what God says. You're here by design. I have a purpose. I have a plan for you. He knows everything about you. He knows what you hope.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:10]:
He knows what you dream about. He knows what makes you fearful, right? He knows what you dread. He knows what you're looking forward to. He knows you and he still loves you. That's the good news. He knows you and he's still good and good to you. Some of us, we're nervous for people to let people in every once in a while because we think, hey, if. If somebody knew this about me, they wouldn't really like me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:38]:
God's the opposite, you know, sometimes it's in our greatest. In our greatest weakness. That's when God draws near, because he knows we need it. Psalm 139 says, oh, Lord, you've examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up, you know my thoughts, even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I'm at home, you know everything I do. You know what I'm going to say even before I say it. You know, I love what Jesus says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:11]:
He says that I even know all the hairs on your head, right? He counted all the hairs on our head. And for some of us, unfortunately, like myself, we're just getting a little easier to count, you know. But you know what they say, all good men come out on top, right? But, you know, the thing is that God knows exactly where you're at, and he knows more than that. He knows what you need. But if you've ever received that gift that says, do they really know me? Right? Because if you'd want to give a puzzle to me. Because you guys remember in the pandemic when puzzles were a big deal, right? My. My wife, my daughter, even one of my sons, they. They can do puzzles for, like, hours just sitting and doing all that stuff.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:05]:
And. And they're happy, and they feel accomplishment. But if nobody in my family will ever give me a puzzle, because I'll just throw that thing away, right? Because it creates stress for me, right? It's like. It makes me feel like it's undone. It's like the last thing I want to do, right? Feels like work, right? And sometimes that's a gift that you don't know. But the other thing is, sometimes it's the season, right? Something that one season would have been wonderful, but if you're not aware, right? Then it doesn't fit, right? You wouldn't give a teenager the thing that you would give to a toddler. It's a different thing thing, you know, the other. In Halloween, we do an outreach.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:53]:
We just call it lighthouses, where, you know, we want to be a blessing to our community. So we create these areas where people come and their kids can play games. We have other things that they can do. At times, we give a little bit information. You know, we just want to embrace that time. And people come and there's like, literally, like hundreds at times. They'll just come to different places and give them these things. But it's funny that you see some guys, they come in and they like to dress up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:23]:
And I remember when my kids used to like to dress up. And then you hit that point where you guys remember when some of us are kids, you're like, I don't need a costume this year. Isn't that kind of a bummer? You know, when you have kids, I don't need a costume, right? It's like, I'm good. And then there's some guys that come to those lighthouses. Things like men in their 40s, and it's kind of like the same size as their waist, and they're dressed like, in a diaper. And then you go, like, maybe that played itself out. Maybe this is not the right season, but we see that. But God knows, the season that you're in, God knows that when you're out of age, out.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:05]:
God knows when you're in this place, but he knows us better. Better at times than we know ourselves. Sometimes there's been seasons. I thought, what I really need is answers. Sometimes there's been things that I really need. I really need stuff. There's been seasons where I've thought maybe my best days are behind me. But God knows.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:29]:
God really knows. Because the best days are not behind. They're still lying ahead. Because God's greatest gift is Jesus. It's really the gift of his presence. You guys remember when the war was happening and the Iraq war and Afghanistan and all that, and you would see these videos that would happen where often kids are at school or children and they're classroom. And you know, all of a sudden, you know, there's this video and you see a man in his fatigues, in his uniform, kind of come behind the door and maybe to the back of their children, and it's like on their birthday. And all of a sudden they just kind of walk up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:23]:
You guys remember those kind of videos? And they throw. Just taps them on the shoulder, and then it's daddy, right? And you know, the thing is, it doesn't matter what the gift that was in the box or on the table when their dad showed up. You could see the light in their face. The greatest gift is presence, right? Its presence. And we see this in the scriptures. After Jesus was born and the night the angels came and the angels displayed that, and the shepherds went and saw. And it says after that time that there came a time when they took Jesus, when he was still a very young baby and before eight days old, and he would be presented in the temple. And it says in this passage, it's a few verses right after the angels and the shepherds, and they see Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:33]:
A few verses later, just a few verses later, it says there was a man that would go to the temple daily. His name was Simeon. And it describes him like this. It says he was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. And the impression we get is that Simeon is at the end of his life. Simeon is, you know, he's in the fourth quarter. My friend said, right? He's in the fourth quarter of his life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:16]:
And sometimes he's wondering, am I really gonna see it? Am I really gonna. Is it done? Is my life done? But what happens is when he sees Jesus Something snaps. The spirit of God tells him, speaks to him. A man who sought him and says this. When he saw Jesus, he said, sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation which you have prepared. For who? All people. For all people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:53]:
Simeon saw it. Simeon was waiting. But he understood. It wasn't just for him. It was for everybody. Right? It wasn't for one race, it wasn't for one kind of a geographic location, wasn't for one gender. It was for all people. And it says this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:09]:
He, you've prepared for all people because he is the light to reveal God to the nations. And he is the glory of your people, Israel. Because the most meaningful gifts don't just touch needs, they touch dreams. Sometimes it's the longing to make a difference. Sometimes it's the longing to be known. Sometimes it's the hope for peace. Sometimes it's the desire for a fresh start. Forgiveness.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:38]:
The ache. Wanting to make a difference in the world with your life, right? Jesus didn't just come to fix problems. He came to fulfill promises. The prophet Isaiah said 600 years before Jesus was born. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Because every human heart, every human heart longs for a more just and peaceful world, Right? Everybody is looking for a peace that lasts in their life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:24]:
A love that doesn't fail, a hope that doesn't disappoint. Jesus is a gift from God, what we've been hoping for all our lives. You're not alone. There is someone who knows you. There is someone who watches you. He's called the Wonderful Counselor, which means this. An astonishing and an amazing advisor or someone to give you and speak into the situation. He's a shepherd and a guide.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:03]:
It's a strong and mighty God. Maybe. When you lack strength, where do you go? Well, God says this. Let me be your strength to go beyond what you can do. He's a healer. He's a provider. He's a sustainer. I know so many, myself included.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:25]:
When times we didn't know how we were going to make it, but somehow, somehow we did. And even when those times when it didn't pencil out, it's like we shouldn't be making it. We shouldn't. I don't know what's going to happen. But God, all I know is you gave us your promise. But you know what the best thing is? Not just that. He gives us a promise that you. He fulfills his promise because he's the everlasting Father.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:56]:
He's always enduring. He won't leave you. He won't forsake you. He won't quit on you. He won't abandon or desert you. He's the prince of peace, the completion. For sometimes we're looking for peace. Sometimes we're looking for strength.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:19]:
Sometimes we're looking for wisdom. Sometimes we're looking for answers. God says this. He didn't just give us an answer. He didn't just give us a provision. He didn't just give us a glimpse into something. He says this. I'm here.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:40]:
I'm close. He gave us himself. If it's true, if it's true that the greatest gifts come for a person, the person who knows you, God's saying this to you. I know you. I know what you need. I know what you long for. And he doesn't give us a philosophy or a principle or a program. He gives us himself.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:12]:
And the question isn't whether the gift is good. It's good. The question is, have you received it? Simeon's prayer was, lord, don't let me die till I see the hope of all hope for all people. Because I know that although it doesn't look like it in the world, I know. I know you. And I know that you are good. You've been good to me. But there's a world out there that needs you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:50]:
So when he saw him, he held him and he said this. I know him and I see him. And his name is Jesus. I don't know what your prayer is, but God knows it. I don't know what your hopes are, but God knows it. I don't know what your situation is, but God knows it. And he has the same answer. The answer is Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:45]:
Wasn't that wonderful? I taught them everything they know, except they can stay in key, but that's the only difference. But. You know. This evening I want to close with this simple story I heard about a man who Inherited an old mansion with many, many rooms. And it had a large, you know, magnificent entryway, a great entertaining room, a dining room, a library, an office, and tons of bedrooms. There's a huge storage in the attic and a fantastic entertainment room in the bottom in the cellar. But the unfortunate thing was that they had every door a different key to open the door. And many of us, that we're kind of like that mansion, and maybe we're like that man, that sometimes we're.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:50]:
We're looking for keys. We're looking something to open the door for finances, or maybe we're. We're looking for direction, or we're. We're looking for peace. And you got this key, but you just got so many different ones. And you got a little guru that you follow here. You got a little guy that you listen to here. One's for family and relationships, and one is for school or work or whatever it is.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:10]:
And we finding one where. What's the key? And I feel like there's one missing key, and you're kind of juggling the keys. The reality is he's complaining to his friend about this. The friend comes and he says, you know, you have so many keys, but what really makes all the difference is when you have the master key. Because when you have the master key, it doesn't matter if it's the bedroom or the office. It doesn't matter if it's the storage room or it's the front door. When you have the master key, it unlocks every door. Because Jesus didn't come to give us the religion key.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:03]:
He came to give us new life. And you don't have to come to Jesus because you got to figure out this religion thing or spirituality. You come to Jesus because he'll give you life. Because we all know you can have success and still be empty. You can have money and still be anxious. You can have relationships and still be lonely. You can be religious and still be lost. But this Christmas, the greatest gift is not the gifts under the tree.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:45]:
It's the one who hung on the tree. He's already paid. And he looks at your life, and he looks at your needs, and he looks at what you hope for and your wounds and all the things that in all the seasons that you're in. And he doesn't just have a key for this and a key for that. He just says this, wherever I'm invited, I'm the master, and I can open that door, and I can lead you through it, and I can shepherd and I can provide and I can do whatever it is that you need. Because I am the way. I'm the truth and I'm to life. He's not a way.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:27]:
He says he's the way for forgiveness for our sins, for peace with God, for a sense of direction in life, a power to change. Sometimes the problem isn't that we don't know what to do. Sometimes it feels like we just don't have the power to do it. And he is the hope. Beyond this life, beyond this grave, there's a hope that's everlasting. And so this evening we hope that you find the greatest gift this Christmas. Or maybe you're strengthened by the greatest gift of all Christmases. We're going to pray this evening together.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:15]:
Would you be kind enough to bow your heads? We might pray together. Father, we're. I'm thankful for the time for us to be together, Lord, that yout would know us completely. That yout know our joys and you'd know our griefs. Lord, you know our challenges. And Lord, you know our greatest hope. And Lord, we're thankful we don't have to hide anything from you. But Lord, it's because you love us that you want us to bring everything before you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:55]:
Father, I know there's some of us in a season of joy. Father, would you multiply them? Father, there's some who are tired and weary. And Father, would you give them rest? And some, Lord, carrying regret. But Father, would you give them hope and renewal? And for the ones who are longing for peace or forgiveness, would you help them to hope again? Thank you. That you didn't give us what was convenient. She gave us what was necessary. We needed the Master, and He is the key. To be honest, I think there's some of us that you still have all these keys, but you don't have the master key.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:56]:
And Jesus is just saying to you, maybe tonight, if you're ready, if you're willing, he says, I want to be that key for you. And this is not about joining a church or trying harder. This is about receiving the gift that God wants to give to every person. And he doesn't just make your life better, although he does. He can make your life new. All you have to do is receive it. Don't let the greatest gift stay unopened. All you have to do tonight, if that's you, you're saying, God, I.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:49]:
I want to receive the gift of Jesus. All he says is, come, come as you are. Just put your faith in me with our heads bowed, eyes closed. If that's you, this evening, maybe. And you're saying, God, if you really see me, God, if you really know me, God, if you really made me. I know something. There's something that's missing and something more. And God, I.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:24]:
I'm wondering if it's you and I want you today. If that's you today. Would you just. If. If you're calling out to God, if you're saying, God, I want to receive that gift, would you just raise your hand to God? Say, God, that's me. God, that's what I need. That's what I want. That's what I've been missing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:44]:
Thank you, Father. I'm thankful. There's not a test, there's not a mountain to climb. There's a promise to receive. And thank you that just as you knew our hearts before, you know our hearts, now, we're going to pray a very simple prayer, and I'm going to invite you all to join me as we pray. It's just a prayer that says, God, we want to receive Jesus. If you're. You're the one who came.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:16]:
You're the one who's God who came to be a man that you might pay the price for men. Lord, I want to be that kind of a person, that kind of man, that kind of woman, that kind of boy, that kind of girl. We're going to pray. Would you repeat after me? Jesus, thank you for coming. I receive you today. I receive your forgiveness. I receive your grace. I want to turn from what I know is wrong and follow you Pour the light of the world.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:59]:
World, would you shine your light in my darkness. I receive the life you gave to me. I place my trust in you. Thank you for knowing. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being the greatest gift. I trust you and receive you today in Jesus mighty name. God's people say amen.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:31]:
Hey, if you prayed that prayer, can we just say congratulations? You know, the greatest gift is always relational. It's always. Because you know why? Relationships don't just come and go, not the ones that really matter. It's enduring. And if you said yes to Jesus again, you began this relationship with God, it doesn't end, it gets stronger. Hey, but if you did say yes to Jesus, sometimes we need a little help. How do we start that? You know, there's some folks at the connect table, at the information table that we have a free gift we'd love to be able to give you. It's just a little packet.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:15]:
We call it a yes packet because I said yes to God and there's a Bible in there. There's some helpful information how to grow. But there's also some folks that if you're here tonight and, you know, maybe it's not been the easiest season for you and some things that you're going through and you need prayer, we'd love to be able to pray with you. There's always some of those folks as well. You can see them. They'll be out maybe toward that table as well. But God bless you guys. Thanks for coming.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:40]:
Thanks for celebrating on this weekend with us. And we're so grateful that you came. God bless you guys. See you guys after.