Christmas…A Second Chance for Israel and for Us…Zeros to Heroes!

God, oh come Lord, come and how only you can come. Oh God, would you surprise us this morning? Would you awaken us this morning to how near you are, how ready you are to break through the darkness? To break through the fears, the disappointments. To break through the ordinary with your extraordinary God, would you help us to believe the message?

Even as we look at the story of people like us in your word, some struggle to believe. Even when the angel told them, but others were willing and they got to experience the miracle of a man who out, they got to be part of you coming. And we’re praying this morning that we would not miss what you have for us, what you want with us. And we just pray you do whatever you know needs to have in this morning as a step towards that. We offer this time to you.

In your name we pray, Jesus. Amen. Amen. Well, thank you guys for being here this morning. You knew I was coming, a lot of you, and you still came.

That’s just great. I’m really glad that my wife’s here, my kids. This is Jen, and next to her are three of my daughters and Marla, she’s our good buddy as well. So, so glad I have a little gift I’d like to give to some ladies that have really been champions not only for our ministry to stay connected with you guys, but really champions in this transition time. Thank you so much for just holding things together, right?

Yes, really appreciate you guys. Get those updates. You know, even though I don’t come here every Sunday, I still get all the updates and the church activities and I get to be the silent prayer warrior behind things with you guys. Amen. Once apart, always apart, we’re a family and really appreciate all of you guys.

Thank you, Pastor Steve here. So, my goodness. I want to just give a brief update. Oops. Okay.

And, you know, this is Advent season. Obviously, Advent meaning the arrival, right? The arrival. And right now in different parts of the world, our brothers and sisters are announcing the arrival of Jesus. His presence, they’re bringing it with them in word indeed, and they were doing something we call harvest week.

So, we’re part of a network of different ministries that are focused on finishing the task of bringing the gospel to the last people and places where they haven’t heard. Next, we’re all part of that. And our role is maybe more on the field, more in the trenches with it. But we’re all part of that. And the cool, exciting thing is, our goal was to have 1,000 workers going out into the harvest this month.

And I think we’re maybe got pretty close to it. I don’t even know. That’s the problem, right? It’s like, I’m getting all these lists from these guys. Like, oh, we’re taking this, maybe we’re trained.

We trained 400 and like one guy in Uganda, we just started training in January. And he’s taking 487 people they’ve trained this year. Okay. And I think they’ve done like maybe 70 trainings and they are just going bonkers. And they’ve baptized so many people.

God is moving. He’s just going above and beyond what Eve is expected. It’s like, wow, Alan and Moses, you guys are nuts. You know, it’s like, God is just moving. This is exciting.

And they’re targeting Muslim areas. They’re targeting different difficult places. Alan said, you know, with this kind of new vision, he was one of my Multnomah students. Some of you guys know I got my doctorate at Multnomah and Global Evangelism. And then they asked me to be one of the adjunct professors to teach in the program.

And so I’ve done that a number of years. And Alan was one of our students. And so Alan just, you know, we’ve been now friends for about five years. And what’s cool is that he was telling me about the timing of God is so clear to me. Because the Muslims, you know, we love them, right?

They need Jesus, just like everyone else. Many wonderful people in that community. But he said, unfortunately, the nature of that religion is, you know, they just kind of take over and they can be very oppressive to the people there. And they are using tactics that Christians have been using now to retake Africa. Because if you guys know Africa has been the focus of nations for a long time and there’s lots of Christians there, especially in some of these places.

And he said, they’re building schools, resource centers, medical centers. And they’re just going evangelizing, trying to get everybody to become Muslim in these regions. And so Alan’s like, man, brother, we got to be continuing for the faith of these people. Because once an area gets dominated, they kind of like government-wise, otherwise, and just take over the whole region and make it really hard for anyone that’s not Muslim to be there, right? So we can pray.

God is working. He’s raising these people up who have that insight who are like, yes, let’s get the gospel there. Let’s start simple churches because we can do it quicker and easier and less money. And I think that group, they started about 27 disciple-making communities. And those 27 have now started 34.

And it’s spreading. Amen? The group in India, one group, we have about 100 pastors I train every week. And out of that group, they have shared the gospel with more than 34,000 people this year. And we’re not talking big gatherings.

They’re just going door to door, village to village. And they have seen 127 simple churches starting. Amen? And they are sending out hundreds of workers. One location, 157 workers going out this month.

Isn’t that awesome? Now, God is doing this. I’m just like amazed. I’m like you. I’m kind of watching from a distance.

Of course, I’m training, praying, trying to support them financially. And some of you guys will get our newsletter. We’re trying to raise up 25 more supported workers because it’s such a great return on investment. They’re just doing so much. And if we support them 80, $200 a month, they can go out every week.

And they can be making disciples starting churches in places that are desperately in need. So keep praying, keep encouraging, and at lunch, we’ll tell you more about how you can be a part of it. So today, I want to focus on this Advent season. And I want to draw our attention to connections. There’s a story, a passage that we read this morning in Ezekiel.

6th chapter, the setting of this chapter is Israel is basically exiled. They have totally abandoned God and he has kept his word, which he always does, and judged them, right? And said, “Man, you guys keep rebelling and worshiping idols and ditching me because I chose you to be my children, to be my family, to be my precious possession, to be under my love and care and leadership, to live out your purpose.” Israel had a purpose that wasn’t meant to be spoiled brats, who just want more and more and more and never happy. Can you guys see that in the Old Testament?

But was to have the gift of God himself in their lives, to know the Lord. Emmanuel is the vision that God would be with us and in us. And Israel missed it. They were just looking at God as Santa Claus. I don’t know the guy, St.

Nicholas. I kind of look like him today, but I don’t know the guy, but I sure hope that I get some stuff from him and try to do something nice so I can get it. It’s this transactionary relationship that Israel had with God. They didn’t realize that God was giving himself to them. He set up his presence right in their camp, right?

He’s like, “I just want you guys to know I’m with you, day and night.” When they were in the wilderness, did they have to make clothes and grow crops and harvest and do all that? No, it’s amazing. 40 years that clothes didn’t wear out, it says. I mean, that would be kind of cool.

We’d save a lot of money. But there was a point to it. Hey, instead of having to do all that stuff, you can just have me. You can get to know me. You can develop something with me.

I’m going to take away the distractions. I’m going to take away all the demands. This is going to be easy. You’re going to realize my worth. How awesome I am.

And they didn’t get it. They didn’t get it. They were like, “No, no, no. We want more stuff. We want what the other nations have.

We want what they have. We want what they.” And they missed it, didn’t they? And that’s what led to dad worship. They just wanted whatever they wanted instead of God.

And they needed to get other idols to get it to him because God wasn’t given it to him the way they wanted. And sometimes, if we’re honest, we can fall into the same pattern. And there’s an opportunity for a second chance. There’s an opportunity to once again come back to God. And that’s what we see in Ezekiel.

I mean, look at this. Beautiful passage. “Visegal 36, 24 through 28. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations. What do you have profaned among them?

The nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God. “When through you, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.” God is wanting the nations to see his great name and how awesome he is and what his treasury is. He says, “I will take you from those nations where they have been scattered because of their idolatry and their wickedness and gather you from those countries and bring you into your own land. I love this.

I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean from all your uncleanliness and from all your idols. I will cleanse you.” Wow. Even as I read this, I have to take that gift of the Word of God that is a mirror to me and just focus it right back on me. You know what I’m talking about?

Say, Lord, is this what I need? Do I need some cleansing? Do I need some idols removed? Because I’m living with substitutes for you. You want to be more to me, but I’m just resisting.

Think of that. We’re going to have a chance to respond today just to see what God is doing for them. He would do for us. Because that’s the Word of God. It’s not just for them.

The Word of God is timeless and it’s meant for us too in the same ways. We are just as human. We are just as prone to idols. God is giving us something. I will sprinkle you, clean to you from my eyes.

I’ll give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you and I will remove the heart of the stone of your flesh and I will give a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I have given your fathers and you shall be my people. I will be your God. Now this did not happen in a day. It didn’t happen.

In fact, in some ways it hasn’t happened yet for this nation of Israel. The second coming to Christ brings this day. The cool thing that we’re going to see in the story of Mary today in her prayer song that she sings is that everything that God has spoken in the Old Testament is fulfilled in you. Jesus, between His first and second coming is all going to be fulfilled. Sometimes dividing between the two.

When is this getting done? When is that getting done? The question of Israel fell the test of that one. They wanted it all the first time he came. That wasn’t the plan and for good reason.

Because a lot of that is the culmination of the king coming back. What has to happen before the king comes back that we’re ready. That new heart and that new spirit. We’ve got to be born again. We’ve got to be ready to worship and receive him and be in his kingdom and be cleansed.

Because if God sets up a new kingdom and we still have the same old heart and idolatry in us and rebellion and the curse, is it going to be indifferent than it is now? No, it’s going to be a battle. It’s not going to be King Jesus. Is reigning in peace and righteousness. It’s going to be a continual war with King Jesus and all of us rebels who are still rebels.

He has to do this heart work to take us from being rebels, to open our eyes. Yes, your ways are way better than mine. You’re awesome. I want what you want. I’m sick of me.

I’m sick of my rebellion and my stupid ideas. My self-centeredness and my idolatry. I want the real awesomeness of Jesus being King. How many of us are longing for Jesus to come back and kick out evil? Even in us?

The day when we’re perfected our bodies and our minds, everything in sync, we have the first fruits of the spirit but our flesh is still trying to pull us back away from King Jesus, isn’t it? We have to finish the job. But the beautiful thing, sometimes we say, God, why don’t you just do it and make it happen and force it? The beautiful thing is that we have this short period of time when we get to make the choice. When we get to respond to God’s love and revelation and offer ourselves.

Because that’s what love does. When there’s this great choice, it’s so much more beautiful. You guys, some of you know, I proposed to Jen in front of about 100,000 people because I knew I needed some help. She’s quite the catch and so it was like, okay, how can I get some help, right? She didn’t say yes, she’s awesome, without other persuasions needed.

But the point of her saying yes to me being me, see, I had to ask her without the lights, without the crowd shouting, yes, yes. I had to ask her in private too because I just want to make sure she’s saying yes to me, not to whatever else, right? And God sort of does that. He could reveal himself in all of his glory to us. What would it really be much of a choice?

Like, well, okay, yes, take me, right? But he comes in such a way that he maintains our pains, our choice, we need a choice. And that’s because he wants something real with us. Then when we make that choice based on that gentle persuasion that God gives us and doesn’t just overwhelm us, man, that’s grace. And then we have something deeper with God, right?

Some atheists, agnostics are like, well, just showed up to me, if God just, you know, was mountain in the flesh and do something, then, you know, I would believe, you know, until that happens, I’m not going to believe. It’s like, okay, okay, is that really what you want? Because it doesn’t seem like you’d have much of a choice if you just came in all his glory and you’re just toast and you have to. So, so there is this gentleness. Now we see this in the story today, right?

So Matthew one, we see, this month, the angel Gabriel comes and he sent from God to the city of Galilee, named Nazareth, this is verse 26, Matthew one, to the virgin betrot a man named Joseph in the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary and he came to her and said, greetings favored one. The Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled to say and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, do not be afraid. Mary, for you have found favor with God.

All right, so he comes to this girl. Now what kind of person is she? She’s someone who’s found favor with God. This is a phrase we see in Daniel. That’s the cool thing about the Bible is like, there’s like patterns you can see and follow as you get to know it.

They help you understand it better, right? Best way to interpret the Bible because it packs all the stories, the language, it all kind of like helps you to understand. And it’s really cool because then you can give someone a Bible in some village somewhere out there. They don’t need to go to seminary. They just need to read the Bible a lot and they start to make this connection.

They see how all works. They get to know God because it’s got the stories and the history as well as the theology. So it’s really awesome. Of course, you expect that from the person who is perfect and a perfect teacher and perfect in every way. He knows exactly how to give himself to us in Revelation.

So here in Daniel, it says the same thing when Gabriel, the same angel came to Daniel. Isn’t that cool? Same angel. And he says, you have found favor Daniel. Your righteous deeds, your prayer, your fasting, your devoutness, has really got the attention of heaven.

And a long time ago, I was sent to give you this message about the questions you had about when the prophecies were going to happen. Because Daniel realized it was been 70 years or was getting up to that deportation from to Babylon for the Jewish people and it was time. And he was like, God, when is this going to happen? And it’s really cool. You should read it again, right?

It’s awesome. But he’s like Daniel fasted 21 days and he’s seeking God. And then Gabriel says, man, I was sent right from the very beginning when you started really seeking God, but I was prevented from this Prince of Persian. I got in a fight and everything. So it kept me back.

But man, listen, you are highly favored. We see that God sees when we’re seeking him, when we’re earnest, when we are devoted to him. Mary seems to be one of those people, even though she might have been a young lady, she loved God. You want more proof? So he finds favor, you’re going to be conceived and give birth to his son.

He’s going to be named Jesus. And he’ll be great and called the son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. And he’ll reign the house of Jacob, how long? Forever.

Yeah, we see two comings, right? First time he came wasn’t forever yet, but it’s going to be. And his kingdom will be, we’ll have no end. And she said, how will this be? The angel will come upon the Holy Spirit will come upon you.

And you receive power from the Most High who will overshadow you. Therefore the child, to be born, we called Holy the Son of God. And behold, a relative Elizabeth in her old days is also conceived to son in the sixth month. And she was called barren. He’s going to have a son for nothing is impossible for God.

Everyone say that together. Nothing is impossible. Impossible for God. That’s, that’s really the big message today. Nothing is impossible for God.

Do you believe that? Oh man, everything in this world is trying to argue and sad, isn’t it? In our lives, in our own hearts sometimes. Nothing is impossible for God. And Mary said, behold, I am the servant of the Lord and let it be to me according to your word.

She gets the chance to offer herself. Isn’t that cool? Doesn’t look like it’s for us. She’s like, get the chance to respond. And we get her response.

She’s like, yes, I want what you want. God, I want to be part of what you’re doing. I want you. I want to be part of this story. And it says she rose in those days and went with haste to the hill country.

She has such faith that it puts an urgency in her to do, to be part of this story is God, to do whatever the next step God was showing her, which was go see Elizabeth. I think she needed encouragement. I think she needed someone else who got a message too and was also part of the story that she had been revealed to. And together they get three months together to help each other. I don’t know.

I think your family had some faith too because they let her go for three months, right? And Joseph and everyone’s like, okay, you know, you go. So there’s a whole family of faith here. And I believe that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. That is the blessing of life.

When we believe what God has spoken will be fulfilled. Is that hard? Yeah. There’s a lot of things telling you right now. God is letting you down.

God will not keep his promise. God cannot be trusted. God is not that great. God’s not listening to me. How many times are our life?

We’re waiting for an answer of prayer. For something that we know matters, even to God. Maybe we’re praying for someone to be saved, praying for someone to repent and turn around in a situation, praying for a spouse or a child to listen to wisdom, right? To change, to grow because we care, because we know God cares and we really want to see something going. And it’s like, okay, how come you’re not listening God?

And then we have this little war inside. It’s like, okay, but if I have to fast and pray and like do all this stuff to get God to do something, isn’t that work salvation? Isn’t that like not the way it should be? It shouldn’t be easy. And we have this conflict, right?

And we’re just like trying to figure it out. It seems like God is refusing to show up big. He’s left us disappointed, maybe a little guilty. Because we’re like, oh, maybe I should have prayed more. I should have done this.

And we have these things going on. So what’s the deal? And is it too late? Is it just not worth the effort to really seek God earnestly? Maybe if we’re honest.

Some of us have led up on the accelerator in our walk with God because of some of these things that doesn’t seem like God is really doing what we want. We want Him to do or we think He should do. In the time we think He should. Okay? Can we take a daring moment here as we kind of wrap this up to think about have I led off on the accelerator with seeking God because of A, B, C, D?

Anybody? Some apathy creeping in the joy, the delighting Him, the seeking Him, and getting up early to be with Him, the going to bed, thinking about His goodness, meditating, the just offering ourselves to Him because it’s like, gosh, I don’t know if it’s worth it. We lost some steam. And I’ve been there too. I can see it in my life.

I got a quote. My wife’s going to love this because I’m quoting her sister. She had a really good post the other day that I read and I just want to read this to you guys. The Bible speaks of discouragement often. It does not pretend that the problems are not there.

It simply declares that there is more to see. The Christian life is a fight. Is a fight for sight. If all we see is what is against us, the shackles of discouragement will keep us confined to a prison of despair. When we see that the one who is for us is greater than all that is against us, our chains fall off, our hearts are free.

Sorry. To hope again. Hope forfeited is despair. Seeing the bigger picture is the key to hope restored. Amen.

Sometimes we need to hear the testimonies of others. They stir us up. And I think that’s why in this Christmas story, we have Zachariah and Elizabeth. Are they your young spring chicks? They have lived a lifetime.

Says they were righteous. Right? And devout. They were like not giving up on their hope. And there’s others in this Christmas story that there was a woman in the temple, right?

She’s been waiting because God told her she would see before she passes on. She’s at least 84 years old, right? Hey, what was she doing while she was waiting? It says that she was praying and fasting and seeking God in the temple porch. I mean, she was just there.

She was like, God, I’m going all out, all in for you every day until I see your promise come. Do you think she has a lot of regrets living that way? She’s like, oh, man, I could have gone on that big tour to Lebanon. I could have gone down to the Dead Sea and floated a few more times. I could have really gotten some travel in in my retirement.

You see God, see the trick with the Christian life is to give everything. To believe God’s goodness so much that everything you want to give to him every day, every part, because you know how good he is and how faithful he is and how awesome he is and that he has made you his workmanship prepared for good works. When did he prepare those beforehand? He’s thinking ahead. He’s the father that has plans for his children.

He’s like, look, but I kind of need you to give it all because if you’re trying to divide it up with me, like this is mine and this is God’s and I want to just do this for me and then, you know, I’ll get to the God stuff. That’s why the Bible says, make no provision for your flesh. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. The mind set on the flesh is death. It’s going to just kill you.

It’s going to just, you know, we’re going to be able to satisfy your flesh. News flash for me. I remember God making really clear a little while ago, which is like, wow, yes, it just keeps wanting more and more. It’s never satisfied. I got to shut it off.

And I really believe that God has more to satisfy me. The spirit of God, the mindset on the spirit is life and peace. You know, there’s so many things we could say in this, but I want to give us a chance. To respond to what God is trying to show us here this morning. And I want to use just a couple touch points because we live in an age when there’s craftiness in the world philosophies.

They’re always trying to get us away from looking to God for what we need. And then we just get busy with coping with life with all the things that the world’s saying, I’m going to help you. This is going to make you happy. I mean, we can go endlessly searching for feeling better, looking better. You know, we get up in the morning.

We don’t feel good. My gosh, you know, I’m 50. I know it’s not very old for some of you, but I just noticed like, man, I got to take PT. I got to do PT. I got to do all kinds of things just to survive right now.

You know, it’s like so many things seem to be falling apart. You know, I got to, I got a fake tooth here that, you know, it’s like, okay, this is weird. But in all my falling apart, God has been reminding me of different scriptures that I can hold on to that point me back to finding everything in him. Proverbs three is just been coming to mind. Trust in the Lord with how much of it?

All of it? Really? Do you not lean on your? Wait, really? In the world, tell me, I just need to get more knowledge information and stuff.

I just need to like search and search endlessly online and just find all the things that are going to solve everything. I mean, you know, that’s what happens, right? If you’re trusting your own or sitting, you’re always trying to figure things out. And it’s stressful. And it’s like that.

But what if God in his word? Was more was the go to place was not old hat was not empty, but full of life. Psalm 19. What does it say? His word gives insight for living makes wise the simple brings joy to the heart by it.

Your servant is led in word. And you know, we keep reading in Proverbs three, not trust your understanding, but in all your ways, we say acknowledge him or know him or seek to know his will. And what will he do? Wow. Do we need a straight path today?

I mean, I had a lot of turns and like, oh, wow, I’m just deterring all over the place. Like, it just seems like so many times are alive, we’re just lost. But we don’t have to be. It’s time for a straight path. It’s time to refocus.

It goes on and say, do not be wise in your own eyes. But fear the Lord and turn away from evil. And what’s going to happen? Healing to your bones, refreshment. Sorry, healing to your body, refreshment to your bones.

What’s in your bones? It’s your bone marrow. What does that give you? It gives you the immunity, right? Your immune system.

Wow, even healing to our bodies. God is saying, hey, I’m part of that. That’s spiritual. That’s not just physical. I want to give you something here.

So I want us to close with a time of prayer and reflection. It’s on your handout. This is going deeper. We’re going to have a prayer. And this is a prayer.

Let go of some things and to grab ahold of God more. Because I believe he has a mission that we all have a part in. Maybe on a greater level, but it’s going to take some time and focus to be praying for people to be learning to have spiritual conversations. We have some training. We’d love to give you guys.

We invite you to be part of that. But there’s things that we can do to be part of God. That’s what I see this shift from focusing on and the different things the world might be trying to tell us is how we’re going to do this life and reinvigorating our passion for God and our pursuit of him and being a part of his mission and the people around us. Not giving up on our family and friends. Not giving up on our neighbors.

Not giving up on being a part of minishing to the world and praying for it. And believing that God will actually 100% keep his promise and do the miracles. So right here, the first part is cleansing by repentance, receiving by asking. So let’s just take a moment right now and let’s ask God. God, would you cleanse me?

Let’s just take a moment. You know, just say, God, cleanse me. What am I holding on to? What am I seeking more than you? Let’s just give a moment to pray for this with God.

God, give me a new heart, a new spirit. Give me faith, God. God. James says, confess your sins to one another, pray for one another. She might be healed for the prayer of a righteous person.

The fervent prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. Whatever God put on your heart that you can see, you’ve given way too much time and heart to, aside from him. Maybe confess it to someone, ask them to pray for you, for a breakthrough. We should do that. Because there’s healing.

You need healing. You need deliverance. And now let’s pray, God, fill me with your spirit for faith and obedience. Oh God, yes, fill me, God. Help me seek the spirit through worshipful meditation on your word, thinking of you seeking you, Lord of my time.

Maybe God’s just reminding you that you used to spend more time with him. Used to be more harmful. Used to have some habits. Maybe today you’re saying, God, I want to get back to that. I’ve given up on you too much, God.

I want to be more connected so you can show me your glory. So I can be part of your story, God. As you said, I was chosen to be part of it. You didn’t just save me for heaven. You saved me to be a part of your redeeming work in my lifetime.

And you appointed me to bear for you, God. And I want more with you. Help me seek you more. So I’m more in tune with you and filled with you. Just give it to him.

And then it says, often reuniting as a holy family with God, his owner and father, to spray each other on towards love and mission. So God, I recommit myself. I admit, sometimes church is a burden. Sometimes getting other Christians is just a duty. God, help me seek different.

Help me see. I need to be part of it. Family like relations. I need others. They need me.

I want to be part of that together, God. And then finally, a family that multiplies for his glory. Oh, God. That’s the end of this is equal passage. Then I will open my ears and I will let Israel ask that they would multiply like a flock.

Oh, God, we long to see multiplication of disciples right here in Tigard, right here in Portland area, right here in our families, right here in our area, God. We want to see salvation. We want to see the kingdom expand, Lord. And we are saying to you, God, we believe that is your plan by your power. We would see ourselves being your witnesses and making disciples who can make disciples.

Oh, God. Not based on our ability, just like Israel couldn’t do it. We can’t do it. So we’re just praying right now, God, would you give us new faith in this new year? And we’re praying right now, God, would you do something new that we would see multiplication in our harvest in this coming year?

And we would have an active part in it, Lord. You know what each of us can do, God. Can be available to do it and power to do it. Oh, God, give us that faith, Lord. Don’t let us give up on you, Lord.

God, don’t let us give up on you, Lord. Revive our faith. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. On this, there’s a little homework to do.

And I would just ask you to consider it. It’s a called Discovery Bible study. It’s reading a passage two or three times, trying to put it inside of us. So it can keep working on us and then some process questions that we can do. It’s best to do it in a little bit of a community.

It’s a tool we use where all these disciples are multiplying. They’re using the same tools. And so I encourage you, grab a few people, get together. This is an amazing passage in Luke 5 about how God showed himself through some fishermen. That in such a way that they were able to take that next step.

And I think it’ll be helpful to you to think about how God wants to do that and what He wants to do with that. And so I just leave you with that task and hopefully I’ll see you at lunch. Thank you. In the darkness we were waiting without hope and without light. Till from heaven you came running.

There was mercy in your eyes to fulfill the law and prophets to a virgin came the word. From a throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dirt. To reveal the kingdom come and to reconcile the lost to redeem the whole creation. You did not despise the cross. You saw to the other side.

Knowing this was our salvation. Jesus for us. And the church of Christ was born and the spirit lit the flame. Jesus gospel truth of old shall not heal shall not faint by His blood and His name in His freedom. I am free for the love of Jesus Christ who has resurrected me.

The spirit. Saint Gloria. The. The. So much for being here this morning.

Thank you Brad for sharing the word with us. And we look forward to seeing you next door for lunch and hearing all about all the other details that we haven’t heard yet.

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