1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,840
Welcome to Trinity Sermons.

2
00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,620
Here at Trinity Church, Streetsville, we want to share our sermons with you as we journey

3
00:00:10,620 --> 00:00:15,780
together to love Jesus, live like Jesus, and lead others to Jesus.

4
00:00:15,780 --> 00:00:20,280
And this is our final episode of our Advent Conspiracy Sermon Series.

5
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,900
And today Rob talks to us about how, through the example of the shepherds, we can learn

6
00:00:25,900 --> 00:00:28,820
to love all this Christmas.

7
00:00:28,820 --> 00:00:32,760
And before we begin, we would like to invite you to follow our podcast.

8
00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:38,480
Please check us out on social media and visit our website at trinitystreetsville.org.

9
00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:41,000
Thanks so much for listening and we hope you enjoy.

10
00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,240
God bless.

11
00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,600
Reading from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 8 to 20.

12
00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:55,080
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks

13
00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:56,080
at night.

14
00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:01,840
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and

15
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:03,800
they were terrified.

16
00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:09,520
But the angel said to them, do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great

17
00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,940
joy for all the people.

18
00:01:11,940 --> 00:01:15,760
Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you.

19
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,560
He is the Messiah, the Lord.

20
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,520
This will be a sign to you.

21
00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,360
You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.

22
00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:30,600
Suddenly, a great company of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel, praising God and

23
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:38,000
saying, glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace to those on whom his favour

24
00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:39,580
rests.

25
00:01:39,580 --> 00:01:44,840
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

26
00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:50,920
let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

27
00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:56,620
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger.

28
00:01:56,620 --> 00:02:02,040
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what they had been told to them

29
00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:03,860
about this child.

30
00:02:03,860 --> 00:02:11,840
And all who heard were amazed at the shepherds, what the shepherd said to them.

31
00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:16,920
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

32
00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:21,960
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and

33
00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,680
seen, which were just as they had been told.

34
00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,160
The word of the Lord.

35
00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:32,480
Well, once again, hello and welcome to everybody who is here this morning.

36
00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:38,320
You know, I want to start by saying, you know, I am just so proud of you guys.

37
00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:39,520
I'm just so proud.

38
00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:44,320
It almost brings a little bit of a tear to my eye as I think about how we've journeyed

39
00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,280
through these last four weeks.

40
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,840
Because over these last three or four weeks, you have been learning the practices.

41
00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:56,320
You've been learning the disciplines of our Advent conspiracy movement.

42
00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,680
You've even learned the secret handshake of that movement.

43
00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:01,160
I'm just so proud.

44
00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,360
Your training is nearly complete.

45
00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,280
My little Padawans, it is nearly complete.

46
00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,980
If you're if you're new here today, you're like, what is this guy talking about?

47
00:03:10,980 --> 00:03:13,400
And I'm going to explain to you, I'll explain to what what's going on.

48
00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:19,560
You see, a few weeks ago, we decided that we were going to make sure that we put the

49
00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:24,120
meaning and the truth of Jesus back into Christmas.

50
00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:28,580
So just as Christmas was crashing down on us and just as things were really starting

51
00:03:28,580 --> 00:03:30,840
to get crazy, we said, you know what?

52
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:37,280
We're instead going to form a little conspiracy group and we are going to live by four principles,

53
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,040
four principles that are going to take us through this season.

54
00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:41,120
So let me explain.

55
00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:46,400
So about three weeks ago, we started off by saying the first principle of the Advent conspiracy

56
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:52,560
is that we are going to worship fully, which means just when the world is speeding up and

57
00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:57,000
racing up and get ready for Christmas, we're going to find a way to slow down, to calm

58
00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:03,160
down and create spaces in our lives where we can let Jesus be the center of our lives

59
00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,200
and the center of our celebration.

60
00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,700
We're going to worship fully, we said.

61
00:04:07,700 --> 00:04:12,600
And then the week after that, we said there's a second principle of our movement.

62
00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,040
And that second principle is we are going to spend less.

63
00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,840
You know, Christmas, when it hits, it's always a time of overconsumption and overspending.

64
00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:24,080
And we said, you know what we're going to do?

65
00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:25,960
We're just going to spend a little less.

66
00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:27,080
We're not going to spend nothing.

67
00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:28,080
We're going to spend less.

68
00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:29,920
We're going to set some limits.

69
00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,760
We're going to set a budget and spend less.

70
00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:35,100
And so we talked about that.

71
00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:40,280
And then last week, we talked about how we are going to give more.

72
00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:42,200
That's a third principle of our movement.

73
00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,880
Now you might say, how on earth do you spend less while you're giving more?

74
00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:47,720
That's a good question.

75
00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,820
The way you do it is you give more relationally.

76
00:04:50,820 --> 00:04:54,520
You give gifts that are personal, gifts that are meaningful, gifts that come from your

77
00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:55,520
heart.

78
00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,380
They might not be gifts that come from the mall, but they're very special and important

79
00:04:59,380 --> 00:05:01,400
gifts that people will treasure.

80
00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,560
So we worship fully.

81
00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:08,160
And then we spend less and then we give more.

82
00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:17,240
Guys, we're almost there as a, as a very famous Jedi master once said, though, done.

83
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,480
Your training is not more to learn.

84
00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,240
Have you still?

85
00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:30,360
And that brings us to the last principle, the last thing, the thing that actually separates

86
00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:34,240
our conspiracy movement from every other conspiracy movements.

87
00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:39,560
You see, you see a lot of conspiracy groups are very exclusive and a lot of those secret

88
00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,840
societies, they have a very, very select group of people that they will let in.

89
00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:48,080
They want people who look like them and who talk like them, who act like them and dress

90
00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,080
like them.

91
00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,020
And especially they want people to join who think like them.

92
00:05:52,020 --> 00:05:54,520
And if you, if you hit all the criteria, then guess what?

93
00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,320
You're in, you're one of us.

94
00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:03,160
But if you don't, then get out, stay out, you're not allowed and you're not welcome.

95
00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:09,080
That is what separates the advent conspiracy from every other movement.

96
00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:14,920
The advent conspiracy is about loving all people.

97
00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:20,720
Now that means we're not just loving our favorite people or we're not just loving some people.

98
00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,000
You know, Christmas, we say things like Christmas is for family.

99
00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:25,080
Christmas is for friends.

100
00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:26,080
Christmas is for children.

101
00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,600
We want to love those groups of people, especially.

102
00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:29,880
And that's okay.

103
00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,840
But actually Christmas is about way more than that.

104
00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:36,200
Christmas is about loving all people.

105
00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:37,200
Right?

106
00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,480
Christmas is about loving all.

107
00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:43,480
Now that's our fourth and final commitment of the advent conspiracy.

108
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,120
And you might say, well, Rob, that's kind of a, you know, the word love is a little

109
00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,040
overused these days.

110
00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:55,160
You've probably heard that the Inuit people have like 30 words that describe snow, but

111
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,760
we've got this one word for love.

112
00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:03,720
We'll say in the same breath that I love my wife or I love Taylor Swift or, you know,

113
00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,240
I love tacos.

114
00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:06,820
I love Jesus.

115
00:07:06,820 --> 00:07:09,280
What does this word love mean?

116
00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:15,400
Well, this morning I want to show you two things, two ways that we can understand how

117
00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,680
we are supposed to love all this Christmas.

118
00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:20,680
Basically it's this.

119
00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:28,920
We'll see how Jesus came on Christmas day, Jesus came even as an infant to love all.

120
00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:33,960
And then secondly, we'll understand how we are sent to love all people.

121
00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:34,960
So let's begin.

122
00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:35,960
Let's begin.

123
00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:41,400
How do we know that Jesus came to love all people, even as a child, even as an infant,

124
00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:48,560
he hadn't even uttered his first word and yet somehow he has come to love all people.

125
00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,480
The answer is yes, we actually do know that.

126
00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:56,400
And we know that because of the strange and unique way that his birth was announced.

127
00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:01,160
You see, you would have thought that an announcement like this would have gone to a very selective

128
00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:07,560
group, a very elite group of the brightest and the best and the most accomplished people

129
00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:08,960
in the world, right?

130
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,520
The cream of the crop, they'd be the ones who'd be on the receiving end of such an announcement

131
00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,260
like the announcement of Jesus.

132
00:08:15,260 --> 00:08:17,200
But no, no.

133
00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:23,880
Instead, what God does is he takes this message to one of the most reviled and hated and forgotten

134
00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,280
bunch of people that you would ever have heard of.

135
00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,320
And of course you're saying, well, who are you talking about?

136
00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,660
I'm talking about the shepherds.

137
00:08:31,660 --> 00:08:36,520
One of the early biographers of Jesus was a guy named Luke, and he was a historian.

138
00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,280
He wrote about the early Jesus movement.

139
00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:43,200
And he writes this, that on the night that Jesus was born, there were shepherds living

140
00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:48,760
out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

141
00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:54,400
Now when we think of shepherds, we probably think of someone like this cute little Linus

142
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:55,400
there he is.

143
00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:59,200
Do you on a little side note, do you know that I wanted to watch this movie with my

144
00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:05,440
family this Christmas and it has been purchased by Apple TV.

145
00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:10,240
And so you cannot watch this, the Charlie Brown Christmas special, unless you have an

146
00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,040
Apple TV subscription.

147
00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:16,000
Is there nothing sacred in this world?

148
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,320
Oh goodness.

149
00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:21,960
But when we think of shepherds, we often think of cute little adorable Linus with his blankie

150
00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,440
wrapped around his head like a headdress.

151
00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,960
We're going to have a children's Christmas pageant today here at four o'clock and there'll

152
00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,840
be children with towels around their heads and they'll be wearing bath robes and they'll

153
00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:35,120
be cute as a button.

154
00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:40,280
But I have to tell you, when we think of shepherds in Jesus day, the word cute does not come

155
00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:41,280
to mind.

156
00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,240
A modern day shepherd, this is a modern day shepherd.

157
00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:45,240
This fellow is from Afghanistan.

158
00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:46,640
Now you might think he's cute.

159
00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:52,040
I'm not saying he's not cute, but there is, but even modern day shepherds, there is a

160
00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:59,880
very big difference between a shepherd today and a shepherd that existed in Jesus's time.

161
00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:04,060
In Jesus time, the shepherds were just despised.

162
00:10:04,060 --> 00:10:05,060
Why were they despised?

163
00:10:05,060 --> 00:10:06,060
Let's talk about it.

164
00:10:06,060 --> 00:10:09,040
One of the first reasons they were despised is they were considered unclean.

165
00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,600
They spent almost all their time around animals, dirty animals.

166
00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:18,280
They were sweaty, they were filthy, and they were unable to perform all of the ritual washings

167
00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:23,460
and ceremonial cleaning stuff that the Jewish religious authorities demanded.

168
00:10:23,460 --> 00:10:26,000
So they weren't even allowed to go into synagogues.

169
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:30,080
They were considered ceremonially unclean.

170
00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,760
Secondly, they were also considered very unstable.

171
00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:35,180
They were transient.

172
00:10:35,180 --> 00:10:36,420
They were nomads.

173
00:10:36,420 --> 00:10:39,240
They walked around from place to place.

174
00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:45,000
Unlike farmers, farmers had like a certain place, like this is my land, this is my farm,

175
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:46,000
these are my animals.

176
00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:47,680
It didn't work like that for shepherds.

177
00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:49,360
They were always all over the place.

178
00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:53,080
And because of that, they never really got connected with someone like the social circles

179
00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:54,840
in various towns and stuff like that.

180
00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,520
And they were always therefore marginalized.

181
00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,160
They never got included in that way.

182
00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,760
They were also considered unsavory.

183
00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:05,600
They were grizzled.

184
00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,180
They were tough characters.

185
00:11:07,180 --> 00:11:10,800
They had a reputation of being shifty and shady.

186
00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,840
In fact, one commentator said that they were known for being manipulative con men who got

187
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,480
into a lot of fights.

188
00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:21,220
Fourthly, they were untrustworthy.

189
00:11:21,220 --> 00:11:25,120
They were just assumed to be liars and cheats and swindlers.

190
00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:30,800
In fact, their testimony in Jesus' day was not accepted in court of law.

191
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,080
They couldn't testify in court because they were just considered way too untrustworthy.

192
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,360
They were also underprivileged.

193
00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:39,320
You did not make a lot of money being a shepherd.

194
00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:43,280
You would never be able to save up for a house or a homestead or something like that.

195
00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:47,280
They were the lowest social status that was out there.

196
00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,560
And finally, all of this meant that they were unwanted.

197
00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:53,240
One of the books I read said that one of the biggest problems with these shepherds is they

198
00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:54,240
were such a nuisance.

199
00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,760
They'd be grazing their sheep on your land.

200
00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,680
They'd be trespassing on your property.

201
00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:02,760
And that created all sorts of animosity toward them.

202
00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:04,720
They'd be like, get out of here.

203
00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:06,640
And people didn't want them around.

204
00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:07,720
They wanted to avoid them.

205
00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,080
They pretended that they weren't there.

206
00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:11,920
So let's just review this, right?

207
00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:18,920
Unclean, unstable, unsavory, untrustworthy, underprivileged, unwanted.

208
00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:25,480
This meant the shepherds lived on what you might call the forgotten fringe of the world.

209
00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:31,680
This place, the forgotten fringe, is the periphery of society where nobody cares about you and

210
00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,180
nobody notices you at all.

211
00:12:34,180 --> 00:12:36,560
You're like the wallpaper.

212
00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,160
You just blend into the background.

213
00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,120
No one actually pays attention to you.

214
00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:46,140
I just want to stop for a second before we go any further and just ask this question.

215
00:12:46,140 --> 00:12:50,000
Who is on the forgotten fringe of your life?

216
00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:54,040
Who are those people that are there but you just don't see?

217
00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:56,320
That just blend into the background.

218
00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:57,320
You've forgotten them.

219
00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,040
You've overlooked them.

220
00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,620
They're invisible to you.

221
00:13:02,620 --> 00:13:08,320
You know, the other day I was in Tim Hortons, as is often the case, and I was early in the

222
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,840
morning and I wandered in and I went up to the counter to the lady there and I was about

223
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:17,280
to place my order and she said to me, she said, oh, a dark roast, black, right?

224
00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:19,280
And I was shocked.

225
00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,360
I was like, oh my gosh, she knows me.

226
00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:23,600
She notices me.

227
00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,400
She remembered my order.

228
00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,880
Whereas I didn't notice her.

229
00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,080
I didn't know who she, I couldn't remember her.

230
00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:33,200
I didn't know her name.

231
00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:39,480
Even though she had a name tag on, I didn't recognize her and I felt really bad.

232
00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:40,480
She was someone.

233
00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,040
She is someone on my forgotten fringe, right?

234
00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,800
She just blends into the background of my life and I paid no attention to her there.

235
00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:51,480
Have you had like some kind of experience like that?

236
00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:55,320
Maybe you got a neighbor and you've been living by this neighbor for like 10 years.

237
00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:59,480
Yeah, you wave from time to time, but you've never actually talked with them.

238
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,880
You've never actually developed a relationship, you know who they are, but you don't know

239
00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:04,880
who they are.

240
00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:05,880
They're invisible.

241
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,120
They're in the background of your life.

242
00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:09,240
They're forgotten.

243
00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:14,240
Or how about this time of year, I'm thinking about all those people who work at Amazon,

244
00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,520
all those people who are taking your orders, all those people who are rushing around the

245
00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:21,440
warehouse, getting those boxes and packaging them up and then putting them in the delivery

246
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,560
cart or, or, and those, how about those delivery people?

247
00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:26,900
They come around, they do us a great service.

248
00:14:26,900 --> 00:14:31,040
They drop off these gifts on our front porch and we don't often even see them.

249
00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:32,040
We never get to say hi.

250
00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:34,080
They just show up and they're gone.

251
00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:38,780
I mean, these people are on the forgotten fringe and yet we depend on them, right?

252
00:14:38,780 --> 00:14:41,680
They're important, but we don't see them.

253
00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,220
We don't see them.

254
00:14:43,220 --> 00:14:45,440
Of course, what about the homeless?

255
00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,540
What about the poor?

256
00:14:47,540 --> 00:14:51,880
What about the countless, you know, refugees that are right now in Mississauga and Toronto

257
00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:53,460
living in hotels?

258
00:14:53,460 --> 00:14:55,320
You drive by them, you walk by them.

259
00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:57,240
We don't see them.

260
00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,120
They're part of that forgotten fringe.

261
00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:01,120
And lastly, let me say this.

262
00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:07,060
There could be some of you here, even this Christmas, and you feel like you're on the

263
00:15:07,060 --> 00:15:09,520
forgotten fringe.

264
00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:18,920
Could be your first Christmas since you lost a loved one, or it could be the first Christmas

265
00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:25,240
since you're single again, or your first Christmas without a job, or maybe this Christmas you

266
00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:29,040
just you couldn't be with your family and everyone else is carrying on.

267
00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:30,160
Everyone else is going about their business.

268
00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:35,840
They seem all holly and jolly, but you feel lost and forgotten like the world just moved

269
00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,160
on without you.

270
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:49,000
Here's how we know that Jesus came to love all is that he came first to the forgotten

271
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,000
fringe of the world.

272
00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,600
Shepherds, they probably thought, what on earth?

273
00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:54,600
Why is he coming to me?

274
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,240
Why are we being entrusted with this great news and this great announcement?

275
00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,000
We're just shepherds.

276
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:02,520
But see, that's what Jesus does.

277
00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:06,280
He flips the script and the forgotten ones become the first.

278
00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,280
In fact, this happens so often throughout the Bible.

279
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:10,280
God does this.

280
00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,140
The theologians have given the whole thing a term.

281
00:16:12,140 --> 00:16:16,520
They call it God's preferential option for the poor.

282
00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,840
It's like God just has this soft spot for those who feel like they're on the outside

283
00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,160
looking in.

284
00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,120
The shepherds were first in two ways.

285
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:32,600
Number one, they were the first ones to hear the long awaited Messiah is coming into the

286
00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:35,040
world and who does that message go to?

287
00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:36,360
Does it go to the kings and queens?

288
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:37,360
No.

289
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:38,360
Does it go to the philosophers?

290
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:39,360
No.

291
00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:40,360
Does it go to the politicians?

292
00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,360
Does it go to the university professors?

293
00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:43,360
Does it go to the judges?

294
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,560
And no, no, it went to the poor.

295
00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:46,840
It went to the rejected.

296
00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:48,440
It went to the forgotten.

297
00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,040
It went to these shepherds.

298
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:53,660
So strange.

299
00:16:53,660 --> 00:16:57,080
I was thinking of Megan and Harry as we all do all the time.

300
00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:59,080
We're always thinking of Megan and Harry.

301
00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,160
Just look at them, don't they?

302
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,560
But when little Archie was born, you know, of course there was going to be an announcement

303
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,160
about his birth and what an announcement it was.

304
00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:13,200
First they put this plaque outside of Buckingham Palace and it said, you know, congratulations,

305
00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:14,200
here you hear you.

306
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:15,200
Baby Archie is born.

307
00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,740
It was probably gilded and gold and guarded by those guys with the big fuzzy hats.

308
00:17:19,740 --> 00:17:24,600
And then and then they on the BT Tower in downtown London, there was a big sign.

309
00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,440
It's a baby boy announcing to the whole world.

310
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,240
Everybody was kind of celebrating and seeing this happen.

311
00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:34,360
And then even here in Toronto, do you know that the CN Tower was illuminated in kind

312
00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:40,560
of a purpley blue to celebrate and to get in on the act of baby Archie's birth?

313
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:42,800
That's not what God did.

314
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:48,040
God did not go to the, you know, the palaces or the billboards or the skyscrapers.

315
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:51,680
God didn't go to the Instagram influencers out there and get the word out.

316
00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,560
No, he went to the outcasts.

317
00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:55,160
He went to the castaways.

318
00:17:55,160 --> 00:18:00,480
He went to the forgotten because God wants to make his intentions so crystal clear to

319
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:02,240
you and me this Christmas.

320
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:06,560
Jesus came to love all.

321
00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:08,160
Jesus came to love all.

322
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:13,660
They were the first ones to hear the news, but they were also the first ones to see.

323
00:18:13,660 --> 00:18:19,920
It's hard to imagine, but do you realize that that outside of Mary and Joseph, who were

324
00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,640
the first group of people to see the face of God?

325
00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,720
It was the forgotten ones.

326
00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:28,960
It was the rejected ones.

327
00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:29,960
Why?

328
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:30,960
Why?

329
00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,120
This is remembered again.

330
00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:35,360
Jesus came to love all.

331
00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:40,720
In fact, why don't you say with me, say Jesus came to love all.

332
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:44,400
You see, we may be part of a conspiracy.

333
00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:45,800
We've been playing around with that.

334
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,960
This conspiracy group, but don't get the wrong idea.

335
00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,760
It is not an exclusive group.

336
00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:57,560
Jesus came to love all, not just the powerful, but the poor, not just the faithful, but the

337
00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:02,440
forgotten, not just the strong, but the suffering as well.

338
00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:08,280
And if you're here today and Christmas is difficult for you and you feel overlooked

339
00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:16,640
and left out and you are hurting, just know this, you are not forgotten.

340
00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:18,080
God loves you.

341
00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:22,080
And if I were you, I would do exactly what the shepherds did.

342
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:30,080
I would get up and I would go to Jesus because he is inviting you.

343
00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,400
Jesus came to love all, but there's more.

344
00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:39,600
You see, Jesus came to love all, but he also sends us to love all.

345
00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,040
See when the shepherds heard about Jesus, what did they do?

346
00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:48,480
Of course they got up and they went and they saw Jesus and they could not, they could not

347
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:50,280
keep that love for themselves.

348
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:51,780
They could not keep that news to themselves.

349
00:19:51,780 --> 00:19:56,520
So they ran out into the street and they started to spread the word concerning what had been

350
00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,080
told them about this child and everyone who heard it.

351
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,280
This is amazing.

352
00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,640
Everyone who heard it was amazed.

353
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:08,280
God used a group of no names to get the word out about the name.

354
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:10,040
They took those words they had heard.

355
00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:14,240
They took what they had saw and they went viral with it.

356
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:20,600
So actually what it turns out is that this isn't a secret society at all, right?

357
00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:25,120
Because Jesus came to love all, not just some, and then we are sent to love all, not just

358
00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:26,160
our favorite people.

359
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:27,760
This is not a secret.

360
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:33,320
Do you know someone this morning who needs to be blown away, who needs to be amazed by

361
00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:34,320
the love of God?

362
00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:39,840
I am telling you, I am telling you there are people in your life who are waiting for you

363
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:47,240
to share God's love with them this Christmas and it will amaze them too.

364
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:51,700
I'm going to end this morning just by talking about a few very, very, very practical ways

365
00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:56,320
that you might take the love of God to other people this Christmas.

366
00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:57,320
Right?

367
00:20:57,320 --> 00:20:58,360
Here's the first one.

368
00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:04,400
One way we can do this is just through simple little actions.

369
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,480
How can we care for those on the forgotten fringe of our life?

370
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:13,760
Well, listen, what if you hand delivered some cookies to that neighbor that you never talked

371
00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:14,760
to?

372
00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:18,080
What if you gave a Christmas card to your My Way bus driver?

373
00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:20,540
They're in the background, the forgotten fringe.

374
00:21:20,540 --> 00:21:21,680
Let them know you see them.

375
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:26,160
What if you gave a gift to that cashier or to your barista or whatever?

376
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:27,160
What if I?

377
00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:31,240
I thanked my Tim Horton server by name.

378
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:35,160
What if I gave her a point set and said, thank you.

379
00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:36,680
I appreciate you.

380
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,080
God loves you.

381
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,320
You're not forgotten by me.

382
00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,440
You're not forgotten by God.

383
00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:43,840
Or check out this little video.

384
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:49,520
This is how one family tried to show love to those forgotten delivery guys that I was

385
00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:50,520
talking about.

386
00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:54,680
You guys are the best.

387
00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:59,420
Every year, Toni Hilleson Barnett from Kentucky and her family ensure delivery drivers are

388
00:21:59,420 --> 00:22:00,420
taken care of.

389
00:22:00,420 --> 00:22:01,420
Oh my God.

390
00:22:01,420 --> 00:22:04,000
You guys are the best.

391
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,120
Which got this UPS driver named D very excited.

392
00:22:07,120 --> 00:22:10,240
Oh, Capri Suns are my favorite.

393
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:11,240
Yes.

394
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:12,240
Along with the snacks was a note.

395
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:13,240
Thank you for the delivery.

396
00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:14,240
You make our holiday shopping so you can please take snacks to the red.

397
00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:15,240
This one and sprinkles.

398
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,240
Oh my.

399
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:17,240
Thank you.

400
00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:18,240
D came back a few days later and said, I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

401
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:19,240
I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

402
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:20,240
I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

403
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:21,240
I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

404
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:22,240
I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

405
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:23,240
I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

406
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:24,240
I'm going to make you a Christmas card.

407
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,240
A few days later and that response was just as sweet.

408
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:28,240
Oh, no way.

409
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:29,240
Yeah.

410
00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:30,240
Oh, dude, we're back again with Capri Suns.

411
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:31,240
This is where I went viral, isn't it?

412
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:32,240
Yeah.

413
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:33,240
You guys are awesome.

414
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:34,240
A FedEx driver also got in on the goodies.

415
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:35,240
I got the best snacks.

416
00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:36,240
Thank you, guys.

417
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:37,240
My favorite.

418
00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:41,240
Toni says this is her way of saying thanks.

419
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:44,240
She believes the world needs more of D's energy and attitude.

420
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:55,240
And we agree.

421
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:56,240
Thank you.

422
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:57,240
Have a great day.

423
00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:59,240
Thanks for making me go viral.

424
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,240
For Inside Edition Digital, I'm Andrea Swindle.

425
00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,240
You guys are the best.

426
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:12,240
Little, little acts of kindness like that let other people know that they are not forgotten.

427
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,240
And more than that, that God loves them.

428
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:21,240
The second way that we can show others that God loves them is through our purchases.

429
00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:29,240
Now, we got to say this, but where did that t-shirt come from that you bought at the garage?

430
00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:34,240
And where did those shoes come from that you bought at the Gap?

431
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:44,240
The truth is, most of this stuff probably came from places like Bangladesh and sweatshops where people were working for pennies a day.

432
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:48,240
Places like Bangladesh where they still, you know, they have child labor.

433
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,240
There's children making that stuff for us.

434
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,240
These are forgotten people.

435
00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,240
We do not see them.

436
00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:55,240
They are on the fringe.

437
00:23:55,240 --> 00:24:00,240
And I know no one wants to talk about that, especially on Christmas Eve.

438
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,240
But let's ask the question, how do we fix that?

439
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,240
Is there a way that we can fix that?

440
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:06,240
We can't fix it today.

441
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:07,240
We can't fix it tonight.

442
00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:08,240
It's a big problem.

443
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:19,240
But maybe, maybe we start to think about how our purchases either care for or don't care for the people that are behind those purchases.

444
00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:24,240
On our website, in fact, Elizabeth has set up a little section that says purchase with a purpose.

445
00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:31,240
And she's put a bunch of resources there about, you know, fair trade companies and ethical employers and stuff like that,

446
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:41,240
that we can maybe in the future make some of our buying decisions in such a way that we love the people behind the purchases as well.

447
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:46,240
A third way we can show our love this Christmas is through our generosity.

448
00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:51,240
You know, we've been saying this all along, that if we worship fully, if we spend less, if we give more and love all,

449
00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:58,240
then we are going to be able to give away some of that extra money that we didn't spend on stuff that nobody needs anyway.

450
00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,240
Here, take a look at this.

451
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:12,240
With some of the money that we save from not buying, you know, Uncle Bill, that sweater he was never going to wear anyway.

452
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:20,240
Why don't we together as a family and what we do as a church is to say, why don't we pool some of that money?

453
00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:21,240
Not all of it.

454
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:26,240
Why don't we take some of that money and pool it together and give it to the least of these?

455
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:32,240
Why don't we find something in our community, in our world that we say, hey, together we're spending less,

456
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:41,240
but some of that money that we now have, we want to give that away to those in Matthew 25 that Jesus says are the least of these.

457
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:44,240
That's exactly what we've been doing over this Advent season.

458
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:50,240
You'll remember that for the last three weeks, I have been pointing you to these offering envelopes in your pews.

459
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:51,240
You won't find them there anymore.

460
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:59,240
They're not there because the last day to make this Christmas gift to the Trinity Care Fund, to the open door,

461
00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:09,240
our partners here in Mississauga who care for those who are in crisis and our New Wave of Frontera project here in our partnership with Honduras.

462
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,240
I just want to let you guys know that we've kind of tallied it all up and we've done the math.

463
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,240
And I want to let you know how generous you've been this December.

464
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:21,240
Here's what we know that you gave sixteen thousand dollars to the Trinity Care Fund.

465
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,240
You gave six thousand four hundred dollars to the open door.

466
00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:29,240
Five thousand nine hundred and fifty dollars to the New Wave of Frontera project.

467
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:34,240
And also some people have given to our outreach fund earlier in the year.

468
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:38,240
And so we took ten thousand dollars out of the Trinity Outreach Fund and put it together.

469
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:51,240
And that means that we have already are in the process now of dispersing nearly forty thousand dollars to our partners at the open door in World Vision Honduras and the Trinity Care Fund.

470
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:53,240
So why don't we just take a moment and.

471
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:58,240
Yeah.

472
00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,240
That is how we can love all this Christmas.

473
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:02,240
Indeed, you guys have done that.

474
00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:08,240
Lastly, of course, one of the best ways we can love all is doing exactly what the shepherds themselves did.

475
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:12,240
They took the message to those who needed to hear it.

476
00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:19,240
You know, here in Mississauga, people come from all over the world and they've never heard about Christmas, that they may never heard the name of Jesus.

477
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,240
Four weeks ago, I met someone at coffee hour after church.

478
00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,240
It was her very first time she had ever been in a church.

479
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:30,240
It was the very first time she had ever heard about Jesus.

480
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,240
We have a message we can give to these people.

481
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:35,240
And the same is true online.

482
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,240
I was noticing there was a comment in our online YouTube channel.

483
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:43,240
And of course, some of the comments people make there are mean and nasty and others are like really encouraging.

484
00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,240
But occasionally you come across one like this.

485
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,240
Who is Jesus?

486
00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:48,240
Who is Jesus?

487
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:59,240
I'm telling you, there are people out there who would be absolutely amazed just to hear the good news that we have heard this morning and be invited to church like you were invited this morning.

488
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:06,240
So all these things, our actions, our purchases, our generosity and our message, there's just so many ways that we can love all this Christmas.

489
00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,240
But you're saying, Rob, it's Christmas Eve, tomorrow's Christmas.

490
00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:09,240
What the heck?

491
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,240
How are we supposed to implement any of this stuff?

492
00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:16,240
Well, as we said last week and the week before that and the week before that, don't worry.

493
00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,240
Just think about doing it for one person, one person.

494
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:33,240
Who is one person this Christmas that you could love more through your actions, through your generosity, through your purchasing power or through the message?

495
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,240
Who's that one person on the forgotten fringe of your life?

496
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:39,240
And then, heck, you know what?

497
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,240
When Christmas is over, why not just keep it going?

498
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:46,240
Well, what if we actually extended the Advent conspiracy to the whole year?

499
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:49,240
What if actually worshipping fully and spending less and giving more and loving all?

500
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,240
It wasn't a Christmas thing, but it was an everyday thing.

501
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:57,240
What if it became a way of life?

502
00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,240
That, my friends, would be a movement indeed.

503
00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:05,240
That would change the world.

504
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:11,240
Imagine what it would be like if every day was like Christmas Day.

505
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,240
Well, may it be so.

506
00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:16,240
Amen.

507
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:24,240
Thank you so much for joining us today and we hope that you found the sermon one that you will carry with you this week and throughout the Christmas season.

508
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:32,240
And if you enjoyed the show today, please take a minute to rate and review our podcast so that we can continue to spread the good news with others.

509
00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:36,240
Come back again next week and thanks again for listening.

510
00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:46,240
Today's sermon was taken from the December 24, 2023 service at Trinity Church, Sweetsville in Mississauga, Ontario.