WEBVTT 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:07.160 Howdy Man get a chance to come all the way back 00:00:07.160 --> 00:00:10.699 from from Germany after a week. It was a fascinating 00:00:10.699 --> 00:00:14.640 I think I'm back on central standard time more 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.039 or less So although I did wake up at 5 this morning. 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.589 That's not normal for me But I had a chance to 00:00:21.589 --> 00:00:24.309 be able to go step away for a bit. Very grateful 00:00:24.309 --> 00:00:26.929 to Reverend Kirk for coming to preach and to 00:00:26.929 --> 00:00:30.609 be here with you all and being able to see what 00:00:30.609 --> 00:00:34.810 it is to worship and to be in a completely different 00:00:34.810 --> 00:00:38.310 environment. Being off in Germany with my sister 00:00:38.310 --> 00:00:40.890 and her family, we went to Berlin, we went to 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:43.390 Wittenberg, we went to Erfurt, we went to Munich. 00:00:43.740 --> 00:00:47.500 so had a chance to basically eat way too much 00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:50.820 food every time every two or three hours we'd 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:52.759 be like ooh that looks like a good restaurant 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:56.219 well let's just try one more thing oh man schnitzel 00:00:56.219 --> 00:01:00.399 is great and it was huge is huge oh my goodness 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:02.960 and and it turns out that Bavarian cream is actually 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:05.799 not a donut who knew there's actually such a 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:07.840 thing it's delicious it looks like a little like 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:09.939 a little cheesecake but it's much lighter oh 00:01:09.939 --> 00:01:12.980 my goodness it's it's great and everything and 00:01:13.129 --> 00:01:16.390 and went to Hofbrauhaus, the original from the 00:01:16.390 --> 00:01:20.469 16th century. So, ugh, yeah, it was pretty epic. 00:01:20.890 --> 00:01:24.549 So, lovely place. Discovered that, you know, 00:01:24.549 --> 00:01:26.829 with the Christmas markets and all the different 00:01:26.829 --> 00:01:30.010 places, too many wonderful things to buy. You 00:01:30.010 --> 00:01:32.109 know how in like Disney movies you see all those 00:01:32.109 --> 00:01:33.909 different castles? You know, the Sleeping Beauty 00:01:33.909 --> 00:01:36.790 Castle, the Beauty and the Beast Castle, the 00:01:36.790 --> 00:01:38.209 one at the very beginning, blah, blah, blah. 00:01:38.349 --> 00:01:41.069 No, there actually was a German church, a German 00:01:41.069 --> 00:01:43.750 castle that it was... designed off of so yeah 00:01:43.750 --> 00:01:46.670 got to go there in Neuschwanstein so it was it 00:01:46.670 --> 00:01:49.010 was pretty amazing and I practiced saying Neuschwanstein 00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:52.609 so there you go it was great turns out my sister 00:01:52.609 --> 00:01:56.370 brought a Jenga board game that we could play 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.629 and I needed to be reminded not to play competitive 00:01:59.629 --> 00:02:03.010 games against my brother -in -law that is that 00:02:03.010 --> 00:02:07.829 is a recipe for disaster so but yes it was it 00:02:07.829 --> 00:02:10.870 was a wonderful time ringing the new year and 00:02:10.870 --> 00:02:14.199 and Yeah, it was just amazing and getting a chance 00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:16.960 to discover more about it. But you know, one 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.939 of the most important parts I felt of it was 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:22.860 getting to go on some of the tours that were 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:26.360 there. There were a couple that we went on. And 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:28.780 one of them was in Berlin. And we were checking 00:02:28.780 --> 00:02:31.900 out all the different sites in regard to the 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:35.259 Berlin Wall and what it was to divide East and 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:39.080 West Berlin and seeing how the old communist 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:42.259 buildings were being re -seen from a democratic 00:02:42.259 --> 00:02:44.919 standpoint, all those different things. And then 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:48.319 later on, how to... to tour and see the castle 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:51.939 church where Luther had nailed the 95 theses. 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:55.120 Got to see where that was at. Even the monastery 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:59.919 where he was trained in Erfurt. And then when 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:03.199 we were in Munich and we went up and saw Dachau 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:06.599 and saw what had happened to the people that 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:10.439 were imprisoned there and treated so poorly and 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:13.900 killed. You know, there were so many things that 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.039 we learned and discovered there. It wasn't just 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:19.259 about architecture and food. It was about history. 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:23.300 It was about seeing what had gone wrong in the 00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:28.180 world. About what Germany had to face, confess, 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:32.180 and learn from in order to move forward. And 00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:34.879 that's when it struck me about how fitting this 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:39.620 is for Epiphany. Because epiphany it's not about 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:42.520 the light emerging from the darkness. It's not 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.659 as if the darkness somehow produces light by 00:03:45.659 --> 00:03:50.460 itself Epiphany is about light shining into darkness 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:56.060 Light comes from outside that distinction matters 00:03:56.060 --> 00:04:01.340 more than we often realize Because that's the 00:04:01.340 --> 00:04:04.319 distinction that Isaiah is talking about today. 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:07.599 We're looking at Isaiah 60. When you look at 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.840 59 and 60, those chapters, they come at a time 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.300 that's after the exile. The people had been taken 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:18.040 out of Judah. They were taken to Babylon. And 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.579 then after 70 years, they finally came back. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:25.019 They had been humbled. They had lost their land, 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:28.639 their city, their temple. Repentance? definitely 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:32.019 was happening. They were very sorry for what 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:35.139 it was that they had done. The confession for 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:37.600 knowing that they were sinful and idolatrous. 00:04:38.339 --> 00:04:42.120 The old illusion of the people of Judah, we are 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:44.779 the people of God, so nothing bad can happen 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:48.759 to us. Oh, that is gone. That is very gone. They 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.759 have clearly gotten past that idea. But a new 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:56.480 illusion was starting to sneak in. You know how 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:59.199 that is, right? Whenever you feel like you've 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:01.519 grown and matured through something you've really 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:05.319 pushed through and you're like man I Got that 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:07.819 conquered. I've taken care of that addiction. 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:10.180 I've taken care of that emotion. I've taken care 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:13.199 of that obsession I've taken care of this thing 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:16.980 that's been plaguing me for so long and only 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:20.680 to realize that you are succumbing to something 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:25.720 new and That's the belief at that point the belief 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:28.899 that Judah had that if they just try hard enough, 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:32.920 if they rebuild the temple and the city faithfully 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:36.000 enough, if they repent, if they change thoroughly 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.000 enough, then they themselves can fix what was 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:46.079 broken. Isaiah acknowledges it. He sees it. He 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:49.480 doesn't dismiss their repentance. They want to 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:53.860 change. They want to be different. But it becomes 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:59.019 painfully clear that human effort, even as sincere 00:05:59.019 --> 00:06:02.579 as somebody may be, that they want things to 00:06:02.579 --> 00:06:08.540 be different. It's not enough. Justice is still 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:13.720 absent. Truth still stumbles moving along. And 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:17.379 the people, the people are trying, but something 00:06:17.379 --> 00:06:24.269 deeper is still wrong. Isaiah names it Redemption 00:06:24.269 --> 00:06:29.449 cannot be generated from ourselves. Redemption, 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:33.689 it cannot come from us. It never can be. And 00:06:33.689 --> 00:06:35.790 that was the thing looking at everything happening 00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:38.829 in Germany is that even when Germany tried to 00:06:38.829 --> 00:06:42.529 redeem their own story by themselves after World 00:06:42.529 --> 00:06:48.370 War I, look what happened. World War II. The 00:06:48.370 --> 00:06:52.680 war to end all wars gave way to the next war 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:56.399 to end all wars. They tried to redeem themselves 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.439 in their own way and they fell deeper into their 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:03.759 own self -centeredness. And that's not just coming 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:07.459 from me. That was what every person touring us 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:12.180 there was reminding us of. But at the end of 00:07:12.180 --> 00:07:18.240 Isaiah 59, something decisive happens. God looks 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:23.310 and sees that there is no one who can truly set 00:07:23.310 --> 00:07:25.889 things right on his behalf. He's looking out 00:07:25.889 --> 00:07:29.889 there. There is no reformer among Judah. There 00:07:29.889 --> 00:07:33.269 is no perfect leader. There is no one that is 00:07:33.269 --> 00:07:36.410 a mere human solution that can stand as the perfect 00:07:36.410 --> 00:07:40.970 beacon for righteousness. Moses, Joshua, the 00:07:40.970 --> 00:07:44.480 judges, the kings. all of those to come, the 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:48.139 prophets, none of them were able to do this on 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:54.939 their own, to set everything right. So God acts. 00:07:56.480 --> 00:07:59.180 God puts on righteousness Himself. God becomes 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:02.660 the Redeemer. There are a lot of discussions 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:07.240 about whether this last section of Isaiah was 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:11.540 written by Isaiah before the exile. or by one 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:15.360 of his students later on after the exile. You 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:17.980 know, often times, you're trying to figure out 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:21.720 how far you can see what is to come. Can you 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.740 predict the weather? Can you predict the economy? 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:27.699 Can you predict whether or not that text mix 00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:30.500 is going to agree with your stomach? Whatever 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:34.320 it is you think you can figure out, whether it 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.179 was written before or afterward, the message 00:08:37.179 --> 00:08:42.750 from God was obvious. Even after you repent, 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:49.169 Israel will still stumble. Even after returning 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:53.649 home, they are still going to need saving. They 00:08:53.649 --> 00:08:58.950 are not good on their own. Repentance matters. 00:09:00.970 --> 00:09:04.659 Wanting to change. It matters. Wanting to go 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:07.480 a different direction. It matters. It does. Wanting 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.059 to be different. Wanting to shift. All of these 00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:13.360 are good. We need to be willing to admit we've 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:15.740 stumbled. We've pursued our own selfishness. 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:18.460 Instead of always just trying to justify our 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:21.159 actions and trying to say there is some reason 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:23.759 we did what we did. We need to be willing to 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:27.299 change. But repentance does not replace God's 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:33.940 action and how much we need Him. Because ultimately 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:39.960 it is God's Son for us and God's Spirit in us 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:43.600 who must do what human beings cannot do on our 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:47.080 own. See, salvation is not something that we 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.480 finish. It is something God accomplishes within 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:57.539 us. That is the only reason hope is real. Because 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:04.519 after Isaiah 59, comes Isaiah 60. Arise, shine, 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:07.879 for your light has come. Notice what it does 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:13.000 not say. It does not say, arise and look inside 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:15.399 of yourself and see the light that is inside. 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:21.399 No. It does not say, close your eyes, just really, 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:24.419 really tight, and you can create the light inside 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:28.100 of you. It does not say, prove yourselves worthy. 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:33.830 It says the light has come. arise shine is a 00:10:33.830 --> 00:10:38.509 response to the light arising arriving into our 00:10:38.509 --> 00:10:43.950 lines because let's be honest darkness it keeps 00:10:43.950 --> 00:10:47.970 existing how many times that we've said things 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:50.029 are getting better things are moving forward 00:10:50.029 --> 00:10:52.970 and yet the darkness still somehow creeps in 00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:56.399 We've done something to work on our health. We've 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:58.940 done something to work on our mind We've done 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:01.899 something to work on our relationships and still 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:05.299 something keeps creeping in and we have to face 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:09.360 that reality That the darkness it doesn't just 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:14.000 come from out there We have to be honest the 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:18.200 darkness comes from in here the darkness comes 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:24.899 from us not just them, whoever them might be. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:30.419 God's presence, it's unmistakable. But that's 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:34.299 what the nations must see. The nations, they 00:11:34.299 --> 00:11:37.519 don't come because Israel is perfect themselves. 00:11:37.580 --> 00:11:42.340 They don't come to see Israel. They come to see 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:47.480 God. Because the witness that we have, it flows 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:51.919 from God's action, not from human self -improvement. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.259 It is not just trying to be the best version 00:11:55.259 --> 00:11:57.840 of yourself that is going to somehow save the 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:03.340 world. The more our actions are based on what 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:08.440 seems to make the most sense to us, like Germany 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:13.259 invading Belgium just to get to France, in World 00:12:13.259 --> 00:12:15.840 War I, even when Belgium wasn't even involved 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:20.220 in the first place. The less our actions are 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:25.340 based on God's timing, God's mercy, God's righteousness, 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:29.759 the more we base it on our sense of how to improve 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:33.299 things, the less it is about doing things that 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:35.700 are right in God's eyes and according to His 00:12:35.700 --> 00:12:41.100 plans. See, people do not become a beacon by 00:12:41.289 --> 00:12:44.470 polishing themselves. It doesn't matter how well 00:12:44.470 --> 00:12:46.870 you polish yourself. It doesn't matter how much 00:12:46.870 --> 00:12:50.970 you try to make yourself shiny. The only light 00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:54.389 is by being illuminated by God. If a lighthouse 00:12:54.389 --> 00:12:58.649 is just mirrors reflecting itself without a light 00:12:58.649 --> 00:13:04.690 inside, it's useless. But you see, there I was 00:13:04.690 --> 00:13:08.970 in Germany at this historic place that is so 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:12.519 important. to our church, to our history, to 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:16.019 what we've learned and grown from. Germany, it's 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:21.539 this little parable in many ways. Germany was 00:13:21.539 --> 00:13:23.980 what you would call a Christian nation in the 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:28.279 20th century. Germany was the birthplace of Lutheranism, 00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:31.240 one of the main birthplaces of Protestantism. 00:13:32.059 --> 00:13:34.580 Martin Luther fought to save German Christians 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:39.779 from the abuses of the Catholic Church. But those 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:42.919 a century later who followed more after Luther 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:48.019 the person and the Pope as their figurehead rather 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:52.980 than Christ the Messiah Began a war that killed 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:57.039 a third of central Germany Because of their power 00:13:57.039 --> 00:13:59.519 their economics their personal rage after the 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.799 80 years war the good Christians and Catholics 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:08.039 Destroyed each other in the 30 years war for 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:13.960 Jesus. And Germany today, they're honest about 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:17.179 the brokenness. After World War II, after the 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:19.879 Cold War, Germany could not redeem itself by 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.879 simply deciding to be better or justifying its 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:27.259 past actions. You can't justify the things that 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:30.539 they did. There was outside intervention. There 00:14:30.539 --> 00:14:32.659 was accountability. There was confession. There 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:37.340 was rebuilding. There was repentance. But as 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:40.379 beautiful as Germany may be looking at those 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:43.779 castles on the mountains Seeing the snow falling 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:48.480 and enjoying so much of what there is No Christian 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:51.279 will ever be a beacon on a hill if it's more 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:54.460 about being Christian Than it is about being 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:59.860 like Christ Redemption does not erase history. 00:14:59.860 --> 00:15:04.080 It's the only time to transform it into a new 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:10.419 beginning And that's how God works. Redemption 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:13.279 does not pretend that the past didn't happen 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:16.019 or try to rewrite it into something better than 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:19.860 it was. It creates a future that learns from 00:15:19.860 --> 00:15:23.179 it. A future that does better, not based on its 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:25.980 own understanding or efforts, but based on trusting 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:30.080 Christ for each and every action that we take. 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:33.059 each and every emotion, each and every motivation 00:15:33.059 --> 00:15:36.120 we should be honest about. Every time we are 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:39.120 making a decision that we say is a godly decision, 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:43.419 can we stop and say, not is this what a good 00:15:43.419 --> 00:15:46.320 Christian would do, but instead, is this genuinely 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:51.740 what Christ would do? And that brings us to the 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:56.779 Magi. The wise men. See, the Magi, let's be honest, 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.700 they could have just stayed home. It was a long 00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:03.860 way away. I mean, did you really want to have 00:16:03.860 --> 00:16:07.100 to go all that distance, okay? They could have 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:11.200 just said, hey, we believe in the idea of a Messiah. 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.139 Okay, we like the idea. We believe in that. That's 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:19.620 wonderful. We trust God from a distance. They 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:23.220 had the knowledge. They had the star. They could 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:25.799 have said, hey, look. Hey, that must be the king 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:28.259 of the Jews over there. Let's just sit here in 00:16:28.259 --> 00:16:31.559 our living room and watch it. That'll be awesome. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:35.120 Really great. Can you replay that? No, that's 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.240 awesome. That was really well done. Skip the 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:42.059 commercials. That would be good. But that's the 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:45.340 thing is that Epiphany is not a distant admiration. 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:49.919 They traveled. They risked. They sought. They 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.950 pursued. Messiah that they desired. They did 00:16:52.950 --> 00:16:55.929 not come for an idea within themselves. They 00:16:55.929 --> 00:16:59.509 came for a person. They wanted the true God. 00:17:00.590 --> 00:17:04.869 You see, an epiphany is a revelation of an idea. 00:17:05.809 --> 00:17:09.829 A theophany is a revelation of God. The Magi 00:17:09.829 --> 00:17:13.710 wanted God Himself. In a sense, it's more than 00:17:13.710 --> 00:17:16.849 celebrating an epiphany. It's a celebration of 00:17:16.849 --> 00:17:20.440 the theophany, the light of the world. And light, 00:17:20.619 --> 00:17:26.039 real light, it demands that we move. See, that's 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:29.220 where this meets us. We cannot fix ourselves 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:33.480 by deciding harder. We don't just need a new 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:36.900 idea or a better plan or a stronger resolution. 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:41.799 We need God. We need God Himself. Not just our 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.390 idea of what we wish God would want. We are called 00:17:45.390 --> 00:17:48.309 to pursue new life, but not to pretend like we're 00:17:48.309 --> 00:17:51.789 the ones creating it. Redemption always comes 00:17:51.789 --> 00:17:55.869 from outside of us. Yet it meets us personally. 00:17:56.109 --> 00:17:59.369 It changes us. It restores us. It sends us forward. 00:17:59.670 --> 00:18:05.349 And that is what the nations will see. That is 00:18:05.349 --> 00:18:07.930 what the nations will pursue and that is what 00:18:07.930 --> 00:18:10.890 changes the camels of warfare to the camels of 00:18:10.890 --> 00:18:13.329 righteousness and discipleship. That is what 00:18:13.329 --> 00:18:16.009 the world needs more than our strength or our 00:18:16.009 --> 00:18:22.369 great ideas. But are you ready to spend the time 00:18:22.369 --> 00:18:26.160 pursuing that? Are you ready to pursue reading 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:28.519 God's Word? Are you ready to worship together? 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:31.039 Are you ready to grow together? Are you ready 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:33.319 to serve this community together? Are you ready 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:36.220 to give what God has called you to give together? 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:38.819 We've been talking about this for a year now. 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:41.680 All the things that we want to see with all of 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:45.880 you, are you ready for it? Are you ready for 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:47.839 Christ and His church to be more than just a 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:50.259 great idea that you made sure your kids learned 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:52.799 about and that your glad exists on the corner? 00:18:53.710 --> 00:18:56.630 Are you ready to go beyond just trying to figure 00:18:56.630 --> 00:18:58.990 things out in your own head and solve your own 00:18:58.990 --> 00:19:02.690 problems? To move beyond looking for epiphanies 00:19:02.690 --> 00:19:07.869 and instead pursue THE epiphany? Because the 00:19:07.869 --> 00:19:11.569 invitation of epiphany is not be better. The 00:19:11.569 --> 00:19:16.049 invitation is come to Christ. So as this new 00:19:16.049 --> 00:19:19.710 beer begins, my question to you is straightforward. 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:23.170 Are you ready for this year to be about pursuing 00:19:23.170 --> 00:19:26.849 Christ rather than trying to remake yourselves 00:19:26.849 --> 00:19:30.930 by yourself? Your New Year's resolutions will 00:19:30.930 --> 00:19:34.069 mean nothing without Him. And more than that, 00:19:34.170 --> 00:19:36.450 your actions and your reactions will reflect 00:19:36.450 --> 00:19:39.589 more what is in this world than what is in God's 00:19:39.589 --> 00:19:46.329 Kingdom if you do not. So please, the light is 00:19:46.329 --> 00:19:50.980 already shining. The question is, Are we ready 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:56.440 to get up and to pursue Him? Thanks be to God.