WEBVTT 00:00:20.479 --> 00:00:27.640 Hey. Sometimes, if you're in the right place 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:32.039 at the right time, with the right meaning, you 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.600 might just happen to hear something from God. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.859 That was what was on my mind as I was coming 00:00:39.859 --> 00:00:44.299 over to speak to Jeremiah some months ago. Sorry, 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:47.439 I'm being rude. My name's Gabriel. It's nice 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:52.460 to meet you. Now I was coming up to see Zechariah 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:56.079 and I was so excited because I knew that I was 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:58.100 coming to him with the message He definitely 00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:01.700 wanted to hear see Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:04.700 They had never been able to have a child before 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:07.340 and finally I was going to get to bring them 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:11.000 that news and see Zechariah Hope the timing was 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:15.500 amazing He's a priest, but this particular time 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:19.500 He had then been chosen to light the incense 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:22.900 that brings the prayers up to God from the people. 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:27.780 Totally not a coincidence. That's me. But you 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:31.299 know, as we're there, and I come over, and I'm 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:34.359 so excited to let him know, you and your wife 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:37.840 Elizabeth, I have good news. You are going to 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.700 have a son, and he is going to prepare the way 00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:45.090 of the Lord. And you know those moments? When 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:47.650 things don't go quite the way you were hoping 00:01:47.650 --> 00:01:50.170 and all of a sudden he just looks at me and says 00:01:50.170 --> 00:01:55.250 What are you talking about? I've been waiting 00:01:55.250 --> 00:01:59.930 so long for this moment and To be let down so 00:01:59.930 --> 00:02:02.870 much and I'm looking at him and I'm trying to 00:02:02.870 --> 00:02:05.209 tell him the very thing that you've been waiting 00:02:05.209 --> 00:02:10.590 for is yours and He just looks at me like I'm 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:13.800 crazy I'm an angel! I have a halo in everything! 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:20.639 Come on !" I muted him for now. He'll keep. But 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:24.000 you know, it was so different when I spoke to 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:28.120 the next person. There I was going up to this 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.800 young girl some months later, and everything 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:35.159 was so different. Right place, but terrible timing. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.319 This young girl, she'd been betrothed. She was 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:42.759 getting ready to be married to this man and everything 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:45.199 was going well. The future was in front, the 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:49.199 marriage, the family, all of it. And then here 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:54.599 I come in the most inconvenient way. But you 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:57.060 know, you go to someone and you're telling them 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.860 something that's amazing. And that this is the 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:02.620 woman who's going to bring the coming Son of 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:04.939 God, the one who's going to bring salvation to 00:03:04.939 --> 00:03:10.180 the world. And that would be so amazing. But 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:14.479 to come at a time like this, where now her whole 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:19.240 life is going to be upside down because of what 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:22.939 I have come to bring. But even though that old 00:03:22.939 --> 00:03:25.259 guy had no idea how to handle what I was having 00:03:25.259 --> 00:03:30.520 to say, here's this young girl. I am the servant 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:35.000 of the Lord, do as you have proclaimed according 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:40.539 to your word." So much maturity there. But when 00:03:40.539 --> 00:03:43.680 somebody's faith is so strong that they know 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:46.000 in their mind whatever it is that God wants in 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:49.960 their life, that is exactly what they want to 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:55.300 see happen. But I got to get myself prepared, 00:03:56.300 --> 00:03:59.439 because the other person involved in that, Gotta 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:04.539 go talk to him now Joseph's a good guy. All right, 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:08.580 I Nobody really faults him. Okay But when you 00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:11.780 see that the person you're gonna marry Has a 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:16.879 child and you know that he's not yours But I've 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:21.139 got to go talk to him because she needs him she 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:25.560 cannot do this alone But I'm going to ask him 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:30.100 to now raise a son that he knows is not his own. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.180 But knowing what God has in mind, that is the 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:38.800 only way that any of this will move forward. 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:57.360 Fear not! presumptuous. Peace. Maybe tone it 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:00.660 down a little bit. Fear not. What are you doing, 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:03.600 Gabriel? You're not a Marvel character. Okay, 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:08.800 let's see. Let me just say it normally. Fear 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:12.480 not. For behold, I bring you good news of great 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:16.279 joy that will be for all people. Yeah, that sounds 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:18.860 a little bit better. I know it's been a little 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:22.240 while since I've seen you guys, but... We've 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:25.420 been preparing, okay? We've got a choir, okay? 00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:28.339 There's this whole choir ready to go. I'm a second 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:31.439 tenor. It's pretty, well, they keep trying to 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:33.540 make me a first tenor. That does not sound good 00:05:33.540 --> 00:05:37.379 at all. But, you know, we've been preparing all 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:39.439 of these different characters for the roles they 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.420 have to play, but now it is time. And tonight, 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:45.959 we get a chance to announce this to people who 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:48.819 are going to go out and share the news. And we 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:53.540 get to do this with Shepherds. I'm so glad that 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:57.939 it is shepherds. If I had to go and deal with 00:05:57.939 --> 00:06:01.639 kings, and if I had to be in a palace, oh man. 00:06:01.779 --> 00:06:05.300 Do you have any idea how egotistical royalty 00:06:05.300 --> 00:06:07.339 can be? I'm over there trying to give them a 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:09.959 message, and they're just acting like, oh, we're 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:13.360 just so cool and everything. I'm an angel! What 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:16.759 do you think? Come on. A little bit of awe would 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:21.720 be nice. But shepherds. Down to earth people. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:25.519 You know, salt of the earth. And I can go and 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:27.480 I can get a message to them and they're actually 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:31.019 going to realize how important it is. But you 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:34.800 know, getting this message out there, it's wonderful 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:37.879 that we get a chance to do it here. But there 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:39.540 are so many other places that we need to get 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:44.980 it to. Oh wait. Did anybody talk to Simeon? Ah 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:47.259 Let me go. I'm gonna have to go check. I think 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:50.139 it might be the archangel Brandon I don't know. 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:51.920 Let me go figure that one out. Oh, you don't 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:54.879 know him. He's a you know terrible at cards, 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:58.920 but okay, the thing is Okay, we've been talking 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:02.160 this guy for a long time now. All right letting 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:05.639 him know he's gonna get to see the Messiah and 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:11.240 then he has to wait and wait and wait And now 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:14.199 the time has come and this is going to be amazing. 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:17.860 And just watch that somebody somehow forgot to 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:21.079 let them know that the child is coming. Okay, 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:24.079 we spend all these years and miss it at the last 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:29.980 minute. No, not on my watch. But did you happen 00:07:29.980 --> 00:07:34.399 to notice? Weird star that's above in the sky. 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.870 It's not exactly a star star. All right, I mean, 00:07:38.009 --> 00:07:40.629 a lot of stuff has been going on. Could you imagine 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:43.410 that before everything gets spinning and all 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:46.310 over the place, that all of this was geared up 00:07:46.310 --> 00:07:49.930 for a specific time to align just perfectly? 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:54.189 I know the people at this time, they don't get 00:07:54.189 --> 00:07:58.170 the whole spinning earth round thing and how 00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:00.569 all the orbits happen and everything else. They've 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:04.459 got a few centuries before that. But the idea 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:07.439 that you've got this planet and this star and 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:09.839 they're aligning and it's so bright and amazing 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:14.759 But it's not just gonna happen for a moment Everything 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:19.100 has been happening for so long that at this one 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:23.740 point for two years They're somehow going to 00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:28.459 be traveling to point to this one place Isn't 00:08:28.459 --> 00:08:32.850 it amazing? It is just so outstanding but to 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:35.450 be able to realize that all these things had 00:08:35.450 --> 00:08:41.149 to point to this one place, this one spot. These 00:08:41.149 --> 00:08:43.389 shepherds are going to be coming over here and 00:08:43.389 --> 00:08:45.669 they're going to be here in this humble place, 00:08:47.169 --> 00:08:49.590 this cave, this area where all these animals 00:08:49.590 --> 00:08:52.570 are going to be. And they're not going to be 00:08:52.570 --> 00:08:56.230 seeing this king that has come into some palace, 00:08:56.809 --> 00:08:59.169 but is instead going to be seeing him in this 00:08:59.169 --> 00:09:02.080 eating trough. You know, I mean, if you're trying 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:04.840 to put some animal off to the side, but this 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:09.700 is not just some animal. This is the Messiah. 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:15.820 How humble, how hopeful. I don't know, this looks 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:19.200 a little bit nicer than we're probably going 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:21.100 to end up laying. This looks like something that 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:24.159 your pastor might have broken last year. But 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:28.480 as we realize, there are so many opportunities 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:32.070 that there are. Because we often think of the 00:09:32.070 --> 00:09:35.350 right time, the right place, and the right way. 00:09:36.149 --> 00:09:39.009 But how often is it that people are doing the 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:42.830 wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time? 00:09:43.649 --> 00:09:46.690 And that's the thing about this Messiah. That's 00:09:46.690 --> 00:09:49.509 the thing about the Son of God. Is that all the 00:09:49.509 --> 00:09:52.970 people are going to be gathering around and to 00:09:52.970 --> 00:09:55.490 end up punishing Him for things that had nothing 00:09:55.490 --> 00:09:59.519 to do with who He is and what He's doing. but 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:02.860 just revealed how insecure they were. But then 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:06.379 He's going to willingly let them kill Him. The 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:12.980 wrong thing. The wrong time. But God is going 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:16.299 to raise up His Son on that third day. See, that's 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:18.480 the thing that we discover is that we spend so 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:20.860 much time worrying. Did we do things the right 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:24.720 way, the right time? And then God takes the things 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.419 that are the worst and uses them to His glory. 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:31.980 And that's the thing that's so amazing here. 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:35.559 There may be things that are going on that God 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.279 is trying to get our attention, and how often 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:43.720 is it that we ignore it? That we miss out? That 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:47.740 we are so tired and so frustrated, and we don't 00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:51.639 see what is right in front of us? That He sends 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:56.799 His Son to be our Messiah. I cannot promise you 00:10:56.970 --> 00:10:59.490 that you're going to get some angelic presence 00:10:59.490 --> 00:11:01.730 that's going to come in front of you and light 00:11:01.730 --> 00:11:06.149 up the sky and sing in some bold way to make 00:11:06.149 --> 00:11:10.049 sure to get your attention. But what I can promise 00:11:10.049 --> 00:11:16.070 you is that each and every week, the Gospel is 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:21.250 yours. The right place, the right time. Because 00:11:21.250 --> 00:11:24.570 every moment of your life is the right place 00:11:24.570 --> 00:11:27.580 and the right time. for the gospel of the Lord. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:32.960 So may we be ready to hear his word and to trust 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.399 in his salvation now and always.