WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360
 Well, again, I say to all of you who are here, Merry Christmas.

00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:07.500
 Happy New Year.

00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:14.780
 This is the last day that we can officially say Merry Christmas, the 12th day of Christmas.

00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:18.580
 It's the eve of the epiphany, which technically happens tomorrow.

00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:27.519
 And I don't know about you, but this time of year is always hard for me, emotionally speaking.

00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:36.119
 There's a sense of letdown, a sense of a kind of mild to moderate depression that always sets in.

00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:43.259
 Even if you have a great Christmas, I mean, even if the celebration is wonderful and you see lots of friends and family,

00:00:43.760 --> 00:00:51.420
 even if it is ideal in many ways, there's always afterwards a kind of feeling of emptiness, at least in my experience.

00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:57.859
 A sense of something lacking, an incompleteness.

00:00:59.179 --> 00:01:04.340
 And as with anything in the spiritual life, that kind of thing is worth paying attention to.

00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:12.840
 And so what I want to do this morning is to pay attention to that feeling, to inquire where it may be coming from.

00:01:13.100 --> 00:01:21.439
 Because as we look at Luke chapter 2, we're going to realize that that sense of longing can actually lead us somewhere.

00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:24.620
 That there's tremendous value if we follow it.

00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:31.219
 And so we're going to look at Luke chapter 2, the part of the Christmas story that sometimes gets overlooked.

00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.840
 And we're going to see a few things about this longing.

00:01:35.020 --> 00:01:38.760
 We're going to see three sort of questions answered.

00:01:39.240 --> 00:01:41.920
 Number one, what are we longing for really?

00:01:42.340 --> 00:01:44.100
 Where's the emptiness coming from?

00:01:44.460 --> 00:01:46.180
 Number two, why can't we get it?

00:01:46.820 --> 00:01:48.820
 Why can't we get that thing that we're longing for?

00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:52.819
 And then number three, how does Christmas make it possible?

00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:55.019
 So what are we longing for?

00:01:55.179 --> 00:01:56.119
 Why can't we get it?

00:01:56.179 --> 00:01:58.559
 And how does Christmas make it possible?

00:01:58.839 --> 00:01:59.299
 Let's pray.

00:02:01.039 --> 00:02:03.239
 Lord, we thank you for your word.

00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:05.000
 And we thank you for the Christmas season.

00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.620
 And we thank you for all of the hope and the joy.

00:02:09.139 --> 00:02:13.180
 But we also thank you for the sadness and the loneliness and the longing.

00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:16.299
 Because these are things that motivate us.

00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:19.640
 They drive us to look beyond what's right in front of us.

00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:21.840
 They call us out of ourselves.

00:02:22.219 --> 00:02:24.520
 They turn our faces to the stars.

00:02:25.480 --> 00:02:30.840
 They make us wonder if there's more out there than what we can see or touch or taste.

00:02:31.480 --> 00:02:37.439
 We pray that you would call us out of ourselves and into yourself as we open your word, Lord.

00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:40.380
 That you came to dwell in our midst.

00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:44.120
 That we might live for eternity in your midst.

00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:46.700
 And so we pray this in your son's holy name.

00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:47.480
 Amen.

00:02:48.860 --> 00:02:51.939
 So this first question, what are we longing for?

00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:55.439
 Luke chapter 2, verse 22 to verse 40.

00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:58.960
 This is a passage that's all about longing.

00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:04.819
 We meet two very important people in the Christmas story, Simeon and Anna.

00:03:05.420 --> 00:03:08.439
 And they're both advanced in years.

00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:09.780
 They're both fairly old.

00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:17.139
 Which is important because we realize right away that they've both spent their entire lives waiting.

00:03:17.379 --> 00:03:19.460
 They've spent decades waiting.

00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:26.419
 Simeon, at some point in his life, we don't know when, but God came to Simeon in the Holy Spirit.

00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:32.300
 And told Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen God's Savior with his own eyes.

00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:39.560
 So he's been made this promise, but we get the sense from the way he talks about it that it's been a trial for him in some ways.

00:03:39.760 --> 00:03:42.620
 It's been a long season of endurance.

00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:46.740
 He's been told, you're not going to see death until you see the Messiah.

00:03:47.100 --> 00:03:49.000
 And so he rarely leaves the temple.

00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:54.740
 He's there every day waiting, hoping today might be the day that he sees the Savior.

00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:57.020
 And then we have Anna.

00:03:57.220 --> 00:04:02.160
 And Anna is given the very distinguished title of prophetess.

00:04:03.100 --> 00:04:11.580
 And she's 84 years old, which is older by today's standards, certainly old by the standards of the first century.

00:04:12.040 --> 00:04:19.740
 And Luke tells us that Anna was only married for seven years before her husband died, from the time that she was a virgin.

00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:26.180
 So assuming that she perhaps got married around age 13, which wouldn't have been uncommon,

00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:30.160
 she was married up until age 20, and then she lost her husband.

00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:36.380
 And since age 20, or thereabouts, she's been single.

00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:37.480
 She didn't remarry.

00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:44.080
 She would have probably been encouraged to remarry, but she remained single for decades, for the next 64 years.

00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:53.339
 And she has devoted herself to what we might consider to be an intercessory prayer ministry.

00:04:54.039 --> 00:04:55.699
 It says she never leaves the temple.

00:04:55.819 --> 00:04:59.979
 It's possible that she had even been given an apartment there, which sometimes happens.

00:05:00.099 --> 00:05:06.000
 So she was living there, and she fasted and prayed every day and every night.

00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:13.720
 So both Simeon and Anna have lived lives that are filled with spiritual longing.

00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:16.579
 They say they're waiting for the consolation of Israel.

00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.139
 They're waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:25.300
 And God had actually told Simeon, you will not have peace until you see my salvation.

00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:27.920
 So it's not been a peaceful time.

00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:34.840
 It's been full of unrest, full of unanswered prayer, full of questions, full of longing.

00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:43.300
 And in a way, this is a story about Simeon and Anna, but in a way, it's a picture of the human condition as a whole.

00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:48.100
 It's a picture of something that I think on some level we all experience.

00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:53.560
 We all have a kind of spiritual longing that can't ever fully be satisfied.

00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:58.780
 This is what C.S. Lewis famously described as that inconsolable longing.

00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:03.480
 He describes it as a longing for the scent of a flower we have not found,

00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:06.420
 or the echo of a tune that we have not heard,

00:06:06.780 --> 00:06:09.920
 or news from a country that we've never yet visited.

00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:12.980
 Inconsolable longing.

00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:15.600
 And yet, I think if you were to go out and you were to ask people,

00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.040
 or maybe some of you here are thinking,

00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:19.699
 you know, I'm not really aware of that in me.

00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:24.039
 I've never really felt that longing that sometimes I hear Christians talking about.

00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:27.319
 And there's a number of reasons why you can live much of your life

00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:29.479
 and never really tune into that longing,

00:06:29.620 --> 00:06:33.980
 never really be aware that there's something like that inside you.

00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:37.899
 You know, I think some people tend to bury that longing,

00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:41.599
 along with many other parts of themselves,

00:06:42.159 --> 00:06:44.699
 under a kind of avalanche of distractions.

00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:46.079
 Right?

00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.399
 I mean, you can work enough or look at your phone enough

00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.959
 or eat enough or drink enough or shop enough

00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.319
 that you're continually distracted,

00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:59.000
 and you never have to pay attention to anything that's going on in here.

00:07:00.039 --> 00:07:03.799
 Least of all, some kind of deep spiritual longing.

00:07:04.039 --> 00:07:05.240
 So some people bury it.

00:07:05.659 --> 00:07:10.500
 I think some people channel that spiritual longing in other directions.

00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:13.199
 They channel the longing into good things

00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:18.639
 that they allow to become ultimate things or God things.

00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:21.279
 So just to take one example,

00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:22.920
 centuries ago,

00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:24.959
 centuries ago,

00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:28.360
 people cared about things like social justice

00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:31.379
 because they cared about and loved God.

00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:34.379
 The idea is I love God.

00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:36.480
 God cares about justice.

00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.300
 Therefore, I care about justice.

00:07:39.300 --> 00:07:41.780
 But what's happened over the last few centuries

00:07:41.780 --> 00:07:43.500
 is that more and more people

00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:46.379
 have desired a vision of life

00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:50.220
 that excludes God or anything transcendent,

00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:52.480
 a purely materialistic worldview.

00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:55.080
 And so philosophers like Charles Taylor

00:07:55.080 --> 00:07:58.519
 say that we take that spiritual longing

00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:00.680
 that used to be channeled toward God

00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:03.420
 and we redirect it.

00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:05.939
 In a materialist worldview,

00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:08.139
 where we don't allow for the transcendent,

00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:09.740
 we have to do something

00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:11.860
 with that longing for the transcendent.

00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:13.599
 And so he says we channel it

00:08:13.599 --> 00:08:14.659
 into things like

00:08:14.659 --> 00:08:16.800
 the pursuit of justice.

00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:21.039
 And so we have gone from being a society

00:08:21.039 --> 00:08:22.800
 where people pursue justice

00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:24.500
 for God's sake

00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.199
 to being a society

00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:28.539
 where justice has become God.

00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:30.579
 The pursuit of justice

00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:33.620
 has become divine itself.

00:08:33.620 --> 00:08:35.759
 And what I mean by that is

00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:37.899
 it has become the source of meaning

00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:39.399
 and the source of fulfillment

00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:40.980
 and the source of identity

00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:42.139
 for many, many people.

00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:44.460
 And so now in our society,

00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:46.360
 everybody cares about justice.

00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:48.360
 And many people pursue justice

00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.000
 with a kind of religious fanaticism

00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.759
 because it's become a source of meaning

00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:55.220
 and purpose and identity.

00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:57.139
 And yet at the same time,

00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:00.299
 there's tremendous confusion over justice

00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:03.379
 because it's no longer embedded

00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:04.919
 in a larger narrative.

00:09:05.319 --> 00:09:06.479
 It's no longer rooted

00:09:06.479 --> 00:09:08.279
 in any truth outside itself.

00:09:08.439 --> 00:09:10.319
 And so no one seems to be able to agree

00:09:10.319 --> 00:09:12.259
 on what justice even is.

00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:14.159
 But we all want it

00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:15.699
 to satisfy the longing.

00:09:16.979 --> 00:09:17.759
 And then I think

00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:18.620
 that there are some people

00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:20.319
 who don't feel

00:09:20.319 --> 00:09:21.939
 that sense of spiritual longing

00:09:21.939 --> 00:09:23.979
 because they mistake that longing

00:09:23.979 --> 00:09:26.039
 for other kinds of longing,

00:09:26.439 --> 00:09:27.479
 lesser longings.

00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:28.159
 Right?

00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:30.560
 There's a kind of nostalgia obsession

00:09:30.560 --> 00:09:31.519
 in our culture

00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:34.399
 where people love the nostalgic.

00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:36.399
 There are shows like Stranger Things

00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.120
 that are, it's a great show,

00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:39.820
 but it is custom tailored

00:09:39.820 --> 00:09:41.659
 to evoke that sense of longing

00:09:41.659 --> 00:09:43.560
 for people who grew up

00:09:43.560 --> 00:09:44.759
 in the 80s and 90s.

00:09:45.220 --> 00:09:47.879
 And it's there for a reason

00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:50.039
 because if you can evoke

00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:51.639
 that sense of nostalgic longing,

00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:53.420
 you can make money

00:09:53.420 --> 00:09:56.060
 because we love feeling that.

00:09:56.060 --> 00:09:56.340
 Right?

00:09:57.480 --> 00:09:59.180
 And there's a sense

00:09:59.180 --> 00:10:00.960
 in which we idealize the past

00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:01.300
 and we say,

00:10:01.560 --> 00:10:02.720
 if only I could just get back

00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:03.700
 to the good old days.

00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:04.740
 If only I could just sort of

00:10:04.740 --> 00:10:05.820
 relive that.

00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:06.039
 Right?

00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:07.320
 You feel that if you travel

00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:08.460
 and you go home for Christmas

00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:08.920
 and you say,

00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:11.000
 man, I hope that this Christmas

00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:12.399
 is like all those Christmases

00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:14.000
 that we used to have

00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.360
 when everything was great

00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:16.180
 and fun and peaceful.

00:10:16.379 --> 00:10:17.159
 And then you get there

00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:17.740
 and you're sort of

00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:18.980
 tragically disappointed.

00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:20.940
 It doesn't even come close.

00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:21.720
 Right?

00:10:21.920 --> 00:10:23.899
 And the kind of hard news is

00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:25.980
 if you were to get a time machine

00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:27.279
 and to go back to those

00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:29.100
 idealized earlier Christmases,

00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:30.519
 I can almost guarantee you

00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:31.840
 they would fall short also.

00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:34.980
 Because what nostalgia is,

00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:37.800
 is it's a longing for the past

00:10:37.800 --> 00:10:38.920
 that in some ways

00:10:38.920 --> 00:10:41.519
 we imbue with the inconsolable longing.

00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:43.200
 We say,

00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:45.399
 this is what I'm really longing for.

00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:47.480
 If I could just get back there

00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:49.060
 or recreate it somehow.

00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:50.639
 So some people live in the past

00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:52.379
 for that reason.

00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:53.039
 Some people say,

00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:54.179
 if only I could find

00:10:54.179 --> 00:10:56.019
 my true soulmate.

00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:56.820
 Some people say,

00:10:57.100 --> 00:10:59.000
 if only I could get to some place

00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:02.139
 of financial security and stability.

00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:02.500
 Right?

00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:05.019
 So we mistake the inconsolable longing

00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:07.019
 for other forms of longing.

00:11:07.500 --> 00:11:09.220
 And this drives many people

00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:11.480
 to just move from place to place.

00:11:12.419 --> 00:11:14.779
 Or to go from job to job.

00:11:15.299 --> 00:11:17.480
 Or to bounce from church to church.

00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:19.220
 You know, over the years

00:11:19.220 --> 00:11:20.580
 I've met so many people

00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:22.480
 who they came to our church

00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.000
 from another fantastic

00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:25.200
 gospel-centered church.

00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:26.759
 And they come to our church

00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:28.240
 and they mistake that sense

00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.320
 of novelty for spiritual growth.

00:11:31.220 --> 00:11:33.160
 And then once the novelty wears off

00:11:33.160 --> 00:11:35.360
 and once they're showing up

00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:37.600
 to volunteer for the 400th time

00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:40.660
 and they kind of, you know,

00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.779
 they've been through some drama

00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:44.340
 and some decisions have been made

00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:45.000
 they don't like,

00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:45.920
 the novelty's gone,

00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:47.540
 they kind of hit a wall.

00:11:47.539 --> 00:11:49.279
 And instead of pushing through the wall,

00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:52.199
 which is really a wonderful part

00:11:52.199 --> 00:11:53.139
 of spiritual growth,

00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:54.740
 is learning how to deal

00:11:54.740 --> 00:11:56.259
 with those walls that we encounter,

00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:58.419
 they bounce to another church.

00:11:58.639 --> 00:11:59.339
 And then again,

00:11:59.459 --> 00:12:01.259
 they seek out that sense of novelty

00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:03.480
 that they mistake for spiritual growth.

00:12:03.579 --> 00:12:03.659
 Right?

00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:05.339
 So there are all of these ways

00:12:05.339 --> 00:12:06.939
 that we try to deal with the longing.

00:12:08.319 --> 00:12:10.139
 And then we have Simeon and Anna here

00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:11.839
 who know the truth about the longing.

00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:13.919
 They know who we are all

00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:15.339
 really waiting for.

00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:17.899
 And that's the value of this passage.

00:12:19.040 --> 00:12:19.160
 Right?

00:12:19.259 --> 00:12:21.139
 So now this seems like a good time

00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:22.220
 for me to pivot

00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:23.379
 and to say,

00:12:23.540 --> 00:12:24.879
 okay, well now let me tell you

00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:26.240
 all about Jesus

00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:27.340
 and how he satisfies

00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:28.720
 all of your longings.

00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:30.100
 And that's true.

00:12:30.280 --> 00:12:32.480
 Jesus is the object of our longing.

00:12:32.660 --> 00:12:34.920
 He can satisfy all of our longings.

00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:36.500
 But there's a problem

00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:38.180
 that we have to deal with first.

00:12:39.379 --> 00:12:40.900
 Leads us to the next question.

00:12:41.040 --> 00:12:42.300
 Why can't we get

00:12:42.300 --> 00:12:45.120
 the satisfaction that we crave?

00:12:45.340 --> 00:12:46.840
 When we come to Christ.

00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:48.899
 Look what Simeon says in verse 30.

00:12:49.040 --> 00:12:49.340
 He says,

00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:51.660
 My eyes have seen your salvation

00:12:51.660 --> 00:12:53.840
 as he holds the baby.

00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:54.200
 Right?

00:12:55.160 --> 00:12:56.200
 That you have prepared

00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:57.639
 in the presence of all peoples

00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:59.759
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles

00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:01.899
 and for glory to your people Israel.

00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:03.920
 First, the good news.

00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:05.280
 By definition,

00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:07.480
 the gospel is meant

00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:08.720
 not just for Israel

00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.519
 or for Westerners

00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:12.220
 or for religious people.

00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:13.860
 The gospel is by design

00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:14.960
 meant for the world.

00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:16.300
 And this is a theme

00:13:16.300 --> 00:13:17.960
 that we hear in this service

00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:19.660
 because it's what we focus on

00:13:19.660 --> 00:13:20.700
 during Epiphany,

00:13:20.800 --> 00:13:21.600
 which is tomorrow.

00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:22.779
 We talk about the fact

00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:23.639
 that the gospel is meant

00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:24.860
 for all of the nations.

00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:26.779
 This is God's free gift of salvation

00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:28.200
 and it's meant for every single man,

00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:28.779
 woman, and child.

00:13:29.060 --> 00:13:29.160
 Right?

00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:30.460
 It's meant to go out to the world.

00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:32.440
 And yet,

00:13:33.300 --> 00:13:34.379
 Simeon goes on to say,

00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:34.980
 Behold,

00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:36.320
 this child is appointed

00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:37.160
 for the fall

00:13:37.160 --> 00:13:37.940
 and the rising

00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:38.940
 of many in Israel

00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:40.020
 and for a sign

00:13:40.020 --> 00:13:40.740
 that is opposed.

00:13:42.260 --> 00:13:43.340
 Now, here's the question.

00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.060
 If God is offering salvation

00:13:47.060 --> 00:13:48.820
 freely to the whole world,

00:13:49.780 --> 00:13:51.060
 why in the world

00:13:51.060 --> 00:13:52.240
 would anybody oppose it?

00:13:52.920 --> 00:13:54.800
 That does not sound controversial.

00:13:56.380 --> 00:13:57.660
 Well, the conflict comes

00:13:57.660 --> 00:13:58.600
 when you realize

00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:00.580
 that Jesus alone

00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:02.400
 is God's salvation

00:14:02.400 --> 00:14:04.800
 and that there is no other way.

00:14:05.900 --> 00:14:07.580
 When Simeon sees Jesus,

00:14:07.580 --> 00:14:08.480
 he doesn't say,

00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:09.160
 Finally,

00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:10.120
 here's somebody

00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:10.940
 who's going to be able

00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:11.660
 to teach us

00:14:11.660 --> 00:14:13.100
 how to get saved.

00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:14.960
 He says,

00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:16.940
 Here is salvation.

00:14:18.280 --> 00:14:18.800
 In other words,

00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:20.160
 Jesus himself

00:14:20.160 --> 00:14:21.759
 is God's salvation

00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:22.980
 for the world.

00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:26.020
 And once he gets older,

00:14:26.160 --> 00:14:27.379
 Jesus himself says,

00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:28.480
 Not,

00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:30.720
 I will teach you the way,

00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:31.600
 the truth, and the life,

00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:32.140
 but he says,

00:14:32.280 --> 00:14:33.740
 I am the way

00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:34.680
 and the truth

00:14:34.680 --> 00:14:35.560
 and the life.

00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:36.960
 And then Jesus says,

00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:38.379
 Whoever believes in me

00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:39.320
 is not condemned,

00:14:39.560 --> 00:14:41.519
 but whoever does not believe in me

00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.800
 stands condemned already.

00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:45.639
 And this reveals something

00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:46.680
 very fascinating

00:14:46.680 --> 00:14:48.280
 and very crucial

00:14:48.280 --> 00:14:49.700
 to understanding the gospel.

00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:53.519
 We will rise and fall

00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.620
 depending not on who we are

00:14:56.620 --> 00:15:00.120
 or what we have done for God

00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:02.220
 or what we have not done.

00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:04.560
 We will rise and fall

00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:05.699
 depending entirely

00:15:05.699 --> 00:15:06.839
 on our relationship

00:15:06.839 --> 00:15:07.619
 with Jesus.

00:15:08.699 --> 00:15:09.739
 Those people who

00:15:09.739 --> 00:15:10.859
 give themselves

00:15:10.859 --> 00:15:11.919
 fully to Jesus

00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:13.179
 and follow him

00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:14.539
 will rise to glory.

00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:15.979
 Those people who

00:15:15.979 --> 00:15:17.279
 reject Jesus

00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:19.239
 will fall under condemnation.

00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:20.159
 Jesus himself

00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:21.319
 says this.

00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:23.939
 So, in a way,

00:15:24.119 --> 00:15:25.379
 Jesus came to unify

00:15:25.379 --> 00:15:26.239
 and bring peace,

00:15:26.359 --> 00:15:27.739
 but he's also polarizing.

00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:29.219
 And,

00:15:29.339 --> 00:15:30.399
 if you read

00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:31.239
 the Christmas story,

00:15:31.339 --> 00:15:31.959
 you realize

00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:32.560
 that Jesus

00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:34.040
 is polarizing

00:15:34.040 --> 00:15:35.560
 before he's even born.

00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:37.440
 Before he's even born,

00:15:37.560 --> 00:15:38.820
 he's polarizing people.

00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:41.060
 You look at Mary.

00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:43.639
 Mary responds

00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:44.379
 to the news

00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:45.139
 of Jesus

00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:47.060
 by completely

00:15:47.060 --> 00:15:47.860
 surrendering

00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:48.480
 herself

00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:49.780
 to the Lord.

00:15:50.540 --> 00:15:51.000
 She says,

00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:51.519
 Behold,

00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:52.540
 I am the servant

00:15:52.540 --> 00:15:53.280
 of the Lord.

00:15:53.560 --> 00:15:54.639
 Let it be to me

00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:55.960
 according to your word.

00:15:56.160 --> 00:15:56.800
 Let me tell you this.

00:15:56.800 --> 00:15:58.019
 There is no greater

00:15:58.019 --> 00:15:59.440
 example of discipleship

00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:00.400
 in all of Scripture

00:16:00.400 --> 00:16:02.600
 than Mary's response

00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.780
 to the angel

00:16:03.780 --> 00:16:05.220
 upon learning

00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:06.260
 of the birth of Jesus.

00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:07.380
 Let it be to me

00:16:07.380 --> 00:16:08.420
 according to your word.

00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:09.440
 That's discipleship.

00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:11.500
 Herod responds

00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:12.500
 in the opposite way.

00:16:12.580 --> 00:16:13.220
 When Herod hears

00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:13.960
 the news of Jesus,

00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:15.020
 he sees Jesus

00:16:15.020 --> 00:16:15.920
 as a rival,

00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:17.040
 as a threat

00:16:17.040 --> 00:16:17.920
 to his power,

00:16:18.220 --> 00:16:19.200
 as a contender

00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:20.240
 for the throne.

00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:22.760
 And the truth is,

00:16:22.920 --> 00:16:24.140
 if you look at Mary

00:16:24.140 --> 00:16:25.900
 and you look at Herod,

00:16:26.900 --> 00:16:27.940
 and then you look

00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:28.760
 at your own heart,

00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:31.540
 you realize that I think

00:16:31.540 --> 00:16:32.640
 if you're anything like me,

00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:34.220
 inside you see

00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:35.280
 parts of yourself

00:16:35.280 --> 00:16:37.360
 that look like Mary

00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:38.680
 and parts of yourself

00:16:38.680 --> 00:16:40.180
 that sound an awful lot

00:16:40.180 --> 00:16:41.400
 like Herod.

00:16:42.260 --> 00:16:43.540
 I think that we fall

00:16:43.540 --> 00:16:44.360
 somewhere between

00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:45.620
 these two extremes.

00:16:46.420 --> 00:16:46.660
 You know,

00:16:46.900 --> 00:16:48.280
 I may say

00:16:48.280 --> 00:16:49.400
 I want to follow Jesus

00:16:49.400 --> 00:16:50.840
 and I really mean it

00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:52.200
 up to a point.

00:16:53.040 --> 00:16:54.220
 I really want to

00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:54.800
 follow Jesus

00:16:54.800 --> 00:16:56.140
 because I want the peace

00:16:56.140 --> 00:16:57.260
 that Jesus offers.

00:16:57.259 --> 00:16:58.200
 I want the answer

00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:58.879
 to my longing.

00:16:59.019 --> 00:16:59.919
 I want to be whole

00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:01.240
 as a human being.

00:17:02.460 --> 00:17:02.740
 But,

00:17:03.319 --> 00:17:04.940
 if I'm really honest,

00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:06.599
 and I'll be honest

00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:07.099
 with you,

00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:09.299
 just keep it here,

00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:11.819
 there are parts

00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:12.319
 of my life

00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:13.240
 I'm willing to do that with,

00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:13.839
 but there are parts

00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:14.220
 of my life

00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:14.940
 that I hold back.

00:17:15.740 --> 00:17:16.539
 And I keep

00:17:16.539 --> 00:17:17.259
 a pretty tight grip

00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:17.559
 on them.

00:17:18.579 --> 00:17:18.879
 You know,

00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:20.000
 I want the peace

00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:20.619
 that Jesus offers,

00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:21.339
 but I'm also

00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:22.339
 kind of a control freak

00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:23.299
 when it comes

00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:23.819
 to my life.

00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:24.920
 And I love being

00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:25.920
 in control of my life.

00:17:27.259 --> 00:17:27.500
 So,

00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:28.500
 I will trust

00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:29.379
 and follow Jesus

00:17:29.379 --> 00:17:29.980
 when it comes

00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:30.619
 to liberating

00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:31.099
 the oppressed.

00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:32.140
 I love that idea,

00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:33.960
 but not when it comes

00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:34.660
 to my love life.

00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:37.240
 I will trust

00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:37.940
 and follow Jesus

00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:38.440
 when it comes

00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:39.099
 to my job.

00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:39.759
 I want to seek

00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:40.640
 his will

00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:41.579
 for my vocation,

00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:42.980
 but not when it comes

00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:43.799
 to how I spend

00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:44.779
 my money.

00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:48.220
 I want the peace,

00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:49.059
 but I want control.

00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:49.900
 I want to have my cake

00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:50.460
 and eat it too.

00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:52.240
 And I think

00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:53.039
 our experience

00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:53.940
 of the Christian life

00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:55.160
 is part surrender

00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:56.480
 and part power struggle.

00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:57.940
 And I think both

00:17:57.940 --> 00:17:58.400
 are happening

00:17:58.400 --> 00:17:59.340
 at the same time

00:17:59.340 --> 00:18:00.240
 in us.

00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:01.059
 And I think

00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:01.620
 that this is one

00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:02.500
 of the main reasons

00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:03.579
 why many of us

00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:06.100
 who seek

00:18:06.100 --> 00:18:07.039
 to follow Jesus,

00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:07.440
 who have given

00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:08.480
 our lives to Jesus,

00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:10.460
 nevertheless do not

00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:11.220
 experience the kind

00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:11.640
 of peace

00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:12.660
 that we read about.

00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:15.200
 We struggle

00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:15.700
 with that sense

00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:16.240
 of longing

00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:17.600
 and unrest.

00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:19.279
 because I think

00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:19.919
 that there are parts

00:18:19.919 --> 00:18:20.559
 of us that want

00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:21.659
 Jesus to be our salvation

00:18:21.659 --> 00:18:22.519
 and part of us

00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:23.399
 that oppose him

00:18:23.399 --> 00:18:24.519
 as a rival king.

00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:26.699
 And so if you

00:18:26.699 --> 00:18:27.639
 take a moment

00:18:27.639 --> 00:18:29.179
 to kind of look inward

00:18:29.179 --> 00:18:32.919
 and to figure out

00:18:32.919 --> 00:18:34.379
 where those places

00:18:34.379 --> 00:18:35.759
 are in your life

00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:37.559
 of fear

00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:40.319
 or anxiety,

00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:43.399
 of resentment,

00:18:44.199 --> 00:18:45.299
 of bitterness,

00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:48.159
 of unresolved anger,

00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:50.599
 if you find

00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:51.379
 those places

00:18:51.379 --> 00:18:52.899
 in your life,

00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:54.720
 I can almost

00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:55.599
 guarantee you

00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:56.480
 that those are

00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:57.799
 connected to,

00:18:57.879 --> 00:18:58.899
 that they're emanating

00:18:58.899 --> 00:19:00.700
 from something

00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:01.419
 in your life

00:19:01.419 --> 00:19:02.220
 that you are holding

00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:02.899
 on to with a

00:19:02.899 --> 00:19:03.559
 white knuckle grip.

00:19:05.639 --> 00:19:06.539
 Wherever those

00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:07.419
 feelings are,

00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:08.019
 as we said

00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:08.419
 at the beginning

00:19:08.419 --> 00:19:08.980
 of the sermon,

00:19:09.139 --> 00:19:09.859
 don't run from them,

00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:10.779
 listen to them,

00:19:10.980 --> 00:19:11.859
 follow the thread,

00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:12.779
 figure out where

00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:13.759
 they're coming from,

00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:14.799
 you're probably

00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:15.339
 going to find

00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:16.019
 a power struggle

00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.940
 in your heart.

00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:20.779
 And this is why

00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:21.599
 we need Christmas.

00:19:22.539 --> 00:19:23.079
 This is why

00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:23.500
 Christmas

00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:25.619
 is such good news.

00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:27.420
 How does Christmas

00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:28.259
 make it possible

00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:28.839
 to overcome

00:19:28.839 --> 00:19:29.640
 the power struggle?

00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:31.879
 Well, Simeon

00:19:31.879 --> 00:19:32.920
 goes on to tell Mary,

00:19:33.879 --> 00:19:34.819
 because of Christmas

00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:35.980
 and the birth of Jesus,

00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:37.140
 he says in verse 35,

00:19:37.619 --> 00:19:38.819
 a sword will pierce

00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:39.759
 through your own soul

00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.279
 so that the thoughts

00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:43.140
 of many hearts

00:19:43.140 --> 00:19:44.500
 may be revealed.

00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:46.920
 And just imagine

00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:47.519
 this scene,

00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:49.000
 Simeon holding

00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:49.920
 this baby,

00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:51.160
 looking from

00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:52.740
 the sweet child

00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:54.279
 to the faces

00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:55.680
 of Mary

00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:56.680
 and Joseph,

00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:58.539
 two new parents

00:19:58.539 --> 00:19:59.799
 who have been

00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:00.599
 through what

00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:01.539
 must have been

00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:03.220
 an enormous trial,

00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:04.039
 spiritually,

00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:04.559
 emotionally,

00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:05.099
 physically,

00:20:05.099 --> 00:20:07.059
 to get to the temple

00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:09.039
 after this

00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:10.879
 conflict-filled

00:20:10.879 --> 00:20:11.679
 birth narrative.

00:20:12.639 --> 00:20:13.459
 And their faces

00:20:13.459 --> 00:20:14.819
 are exhausted,

00:20:15.639 --> 00:20:15.799
 you know,

00:20:15.899 --> 00:20:16.819
 they've not gotten

00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:17.519
 much sleep,

00:20:18.139 --> 00:20:18.980
 they may even look

00:20:18.980 --> 00:20:19.659
 a little haggard,

00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:22.059
 and yet they're beaming,

00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:22.779
 right?

00:20:22.779 --> 00:20:23.919
 They're radiating

00:20:23.919 --> 00:20:24.980
 happiness and joy

00:20:24.980 --> 00:20:26.139
 at this new child

00:20:26.139 --> 00:20:27.179
 in their life,

00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:27.759
 right?

00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:28.659
 This is the fulfillment,

00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:29.679
 this is God's answer,

00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:30.339
 this is what they've

00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:31.119
 been waiting for.

00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:33.539
 And yet Simeon,

00:20:33.619 --> 00:20:34.179
 as he looks

00:20:34.179 --> 00:20:34.799
 from the parents

00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:35.419
 to the child,

00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:37.299
 God allows this prophet

00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:39.519
 to see the beautiful,

00:20:39.739 --> 00:20:40.479
 awful truth

00:20:40.479 --> 00:20:41.439
 of Christmas.

00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:46.099
 How does Jesus,

00:20:46.719 --> 00:20:48.579
 how does Jesus

00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:49.619
 save people

00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:51.559
 who are spiritually

00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:52.659
 longing for him

00:20:52.659 --> 00:20:55.899
 and yet perceive him

00:20:55.899 --> 00:20:56.919
 as a rival king?

00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:00.899
 Who want what he offers

00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:02.580
 and yet would

00:21:02.580 --> 00:21:03.519
 just as easily

00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:04.300
 kill him

00:21:04.300 --> 00:21:06.120
 to stay in power?

00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:07.660
 How do you save

00:21:07.660 --> 00:21:08.660
 somebody like that?

00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:10.220
 How does Jesus

00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:11.540
 overcome the power struggle

00:21:11.540 --> 00:21:12.440
 and bring peace

00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:13.320
 to people who don't

00:21:13.320 --> 00:21:14.360
 necessarily want it

00:21:14.360 --> 00:21:15.480
 on his terms?

00:21:16.580 --> 00:21:17.519
 And you can imagine

00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:18.220
 Simeon putting

00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:19.220
 the pieces together

00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:21.620
 and recognizing this,

00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:23.920
 that Mary's great burden

00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:25.740
 was not giving birth

00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:26.380
 to a baby

00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:27.340
 in a cattle stall.

00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:29.720
 Her great burden

00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:31.500
 was watching

00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:32.740
 that baby die

00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:34.640
 on a cross.

00:21:35.860 --> 00:21:36.480
 And for a mother,

00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:37.339
 I don't have to tell you,

00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:37.900
 that would be like

00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:38.779
 having your soul

00:21:38.779 --> 00:21:39.480
 run through.

00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:43.460
 But in a way,

00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:46.160
 this is something

00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:46.660
 that I think

00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:47.220
 that we're all

00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:48.600
 meant to experience.

00:21:50.600 --> 00:21:50.839
 You know,

00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:51.759
 becoming a Christian

00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:54.079
 isn't really about

00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:55.319
 taking a blind leap

00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:55.900
 of faith.

00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:55.940
 faith.

00:21:56.580 --> 00:21:57.720
 It's not really

00:21:57.720 --> 00:21:59.000
 about an intellectual

00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:00.000
 assent where you

00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:00.640
 sort of look at

00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.519
 the evidence and say,

00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:02.660
 I believe these

00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:03.440
 things happened.

00:22:03.800 --> 00:22:04.680
 A lot of people

00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:05.620
 believe these things

00:22:05.620 --> 00:22:06.340
 happened who are

00:22:06.340 --> 00:22:07.060
 not Christians.

00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:09.580
 Becoming a Christian

00:22:09.580 --> 00:22:10.440
 is about having

00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:11.780
 your soul pierced

00:22:11.780 --> 00:22:13.480
 by the cross.

00:22:14.380 --> 00:22:15.220
 It's about having

00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:16.300
 your soul pierced

00:22:16.300 --> 00:22:17.060
 by the cross.

00:22:18.320 --> 00:22:19.259
 The Bible scholar

00:22:19.259 --> 00:22:20.000
 and historian

00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:20.780
 N.T. Wright

00:22:20.780 --> 00:22:22.220
 tells the story

00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:22.980
 of a Roman

00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:24.279
 Catholic archbishop.

00:22:25.099 --> 00:22:25.519
 He says,

00:22:25.620 --> 00:22:26.240
 the archbishop

00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:26.940
 was once

00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:28.120
 preaching a sermon

00:22:28.120 --> 00:22:29.019
 and in the sermon

00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:30.480
 he tells this story

00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:31.819
 of three boys.

00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:32.940
 They were younger boys

00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:33.980
 and they were walking

00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:35.079
 along down the street

00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:35.880
 and they thought

00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:36.299
 it would be

00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:37.180
 a really funny

00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:38.140
 kind of prank

00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:38.940
 to go into

00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:39.819
 a Catholic church

00:22:39.819 --> 00:22:40.559
 that they saw

00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:42.019
 and to go one by one

00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:43.339
 into the confessional booth

00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:44.380
 and then to confess

00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:45.759
 all kinds of wild,

00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:46.400
 bizarre,

00:22:46.620 --> 00:22:47.180
 outlandish,

00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:48.039
 crazy things

00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:48.779
 just to see

00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:49.640
 what the priest would do.

00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:51.220
 And this sounds

00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:52.299
 exactly like something

00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:53.119
 boys would do.

00:22:53.419 --> 00:22:54.399
 Young boys would do,

00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:54.639
 right?

00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:55.680
 At least me

00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:56.359
 and my boys.

00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:58.200
 And so they go in

00:22:58.200 --> 00:22:59.259
 and they make

00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:00.019
 these confessions

00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:02.680
 and they think,

00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:03.319
 they imagine

00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:03.839
 that they're kind of

00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:05.139
 blowing this priest's mind,

00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:05.480
 right?

00:23:05.919 --> 00:23:06.619
 But the priest

00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:07.419
 is experienced

00:23:07.419 --> 00:23:08.299
 and he knows

00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:09.259
 exactly what's happening.

00:23:09.659 --> 00:23:10.259
 And so the first

00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:11.039
 two boys get away

00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:11.539
 but he kind of

00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:12.159
 catches hold

00:23:12.159 --> 00:23:12.680
 of the third.

00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:14.440
 And he says,

00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:14.779
 okay,

00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:16.200
 you've confessed

00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:17.139
 all of these sins,

00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:18.159
 now I'm going to

00:23:18.159 --> 00:23:19.000
 give you a penance.

00:23:20.019 --> 00:23:20.259
 He says,

00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:20.940
 I want you to go down

00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:21.720
 to the front of the church

00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:22.180
 and I want you

00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:23.440
 to look at the picture

00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:24.220
 of Jesus hanging

00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:24.860
 on the cross.

00:23:25.600 --> 00:23:26.299
 And I want you

00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:27.079
 to look at the face

00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:28.120
 of Jesus on the cross

00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:29.120
 and I want you

00:23:29.120 --> 00:23:30.120
 to say to Jesus,

00:23:31.059 --> 00:23:32.039
 you did all of this

00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:32.579
 for me

00:23:32.579 --> 00:23:34.039
 and I don't care.

00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:35.339
 And he says,

00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:35.940
 I want you to say

00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:36.740
 that three times.

00:23:37.539 --> 00:23:38.039
 So the boy

00:23:38.039 --> 00:23:39.039
 goes down to the front

00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:39.460
 of the church,

00:23:39.579 --> 00:23:40.240
 looks at the picture,

00:23:40.620 --> 00:23:40.920
 says,

00:23:41.059 --> 00:23:41.759
 you did all this

00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.160
 for me

00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:43.000
 and I don't care.

00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:44.680
 And then he says again,

00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:45.400
 you did all this

00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:45.759
 for me

00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:46.600
 and I don't care.

00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:48.619
 And he can't say

00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:49.339
 it a third time

00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:51.299
 because right about then

00:23:51.299 --> 00:23:52.019
 he breaks down

00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:52.980
 and he starts to cry.

00:23:54.219 --> 00:23:55.000
 And Wright says

00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:55.779
 that the archbishop

00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:56.459
 then says,

00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:58.519
 the reason that I know

00:23:58.519 --> 00:23:59.079
 this story

00:23:59.079 --> 00:23:59.799
 and I know those boys

00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:00.879
 is because I was that boy.

00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:03.099
 I was that boy

00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:03.939
 and that was the day

00:24:03.939 --> 00:24:04.579
 that I came to know

00:24:04.579 --> 00:24:05.000
 the Lord.

00:24:06.679 --> 00:24:07.459
 Becoming a Christian

00:24:07.459 --> 00:24:08.379
 isn't about becoming

00:24:08.379 --> 00:24:09.379
 intellectually convinced

00:24:09.379 --> 00:24:09.879
 of something.

00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:10.539
 It's about having

00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:12.099
 your heart pierced.

00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:13.539
 There's a moment

00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:14.399
 when the cross

00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:15.820
 ceases to be theoretical.

00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:17.380
 It ceases to be

00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:18.340
 a bit of doctrine

00:24:18.340 --> 00:24:19.480
 in a confession.

00:24:20.100 --> 00:24:20.820
 And there's a moment

00:24:20.820 --> 00:24:21.660
 at which the cross

00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:23.200
 leaps off the page

00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:23.759
 so to speak

00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:25.140
 and it becomes deeply

00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:27.019
 and uncomfortably personal

00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:28.000
 because the more

00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:28.900
 you look at the cross,

00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:29.460
 the more you look

00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:30.380
 at Jesus on the cross,

00:24:30.580 --> 00:24:31.440
 the more you begin

00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.519
 to become aware

00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:33.740
 that you're not

00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:35.259
 the basically good,

00:24:35.580 --> 00:24:36.259
 compassionate,

00:24:36.580 --> 00:24:37.620
 enlightened person

00:24:37.620 --> 00:24:38.259
 that you think

00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:38.800
 that you are.

00:24:40.080 --> 00:24:41.180
 You start to see

00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:42.580
 your own selfishness.

00:24:43.320 --> 00:24:44.200
 You start to see

00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:45.180
 your own pettiness.

00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:47.140
 You start to kind of

00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:48.720
 see your overblown

00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.559
 sense of self-importance.

00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:52.440
 You start to realize

00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:53.539
 that all the insecurity

00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:54.200
 you feel about

00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:54.799
 what are people

00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.500
 going to think

00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:57.180
 is immaterial

00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:58.120
 because guess what?

00:24:58.220 --> 00:24:59.039
 Nobody's thinking

00:24:59.039 --> 00:24:59.680
 about you.

00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:01.400
 They're thinking

00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:02.319
 about themselves.

00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:04.100
 Nobody really cares

00:25:04.100 --> 00:25:04.799
 about you.

00:25:05.080 --> 00:25:05.860
 Enough to notice

00:25:05.860 --> 00:25:06.660
 your shoes.

00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:07.420
 Right?

00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:08.220
 Nobody cares.

00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:09.299
 And you begin

00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:09.980
 to realize

00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:11.299
 the truth about things.

00:25:11.299 --> 00:25:13.500
 And yet this

00:25:13.500 --> 00:25:14.599
 isn't a bad thing.

00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:15.859
 This is something

00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:16.399
 that many people

00:25:16.399 --> 00:25:16.680
 would say,

00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:17.460
 oh, now you're

00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:18.039
 struggling with

00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:18.759
 low self-esteem

00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:19.159
 and we need

00:25:19.159 --> 00:25:19.779
 to fix that.

00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:20.879
 This isn't a bad thing.

00:25:20.919 --> 00:25:22.119
 This is a wonderful thing.

00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:23.299
 It's a beautiful thing

00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:24.240
 because the more

00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:24.899
 you begin to see

00:25:24.899 --> 00:25:25.879
 the truth about yourself,

00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:26.919
 the more you begin

00:25:26.919 --> 00:25:27.619
 to see the truth

00:25:27.619 --> 00:25:28.399
 about Jesus

00:25:28.399 --> 00:25:29.139
 and you begin

00:25:29.139 --> 00:25:29.759
 to see the truth

00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.700
 of the love

00:25:30.700 --> 00:25:32.379
 that Jesus has

00:25:32.379 --> 00:25:32.940
 for you.

00:25:34.099 --> 00:25:35.240
 So becoming a Christian

00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:35.779
 isn't about

00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:36.879
 the plausibility

00:25:36.879 --> 00:25:37.599
 of the cross.

00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:38.799
 it's about believing

00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:39.619
 the necessity

00:25:39.619 --> 00:25:40.339
 of the cross.

00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:41.959
 It's about looking

00:25:41.959 --> 00:25:42.480
 at the cross

00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:42.899
 and saying,

00:25:43.659 --> 00:25:45.019
 nothing less than this

00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:45.879
 was necessary

00:25:45.879 --> 00:25:46.759
 to save a person

00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:47.459
 like me.

00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:50.480
 Nothing less

00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:51.159
 than the death

00:25:51.159 --> 00:25:52.039
 of the eternal

00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:53.119
 Son of God

00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:54.399
 was necessary

00:25:54.399 --> 00:25:55.679
 to save a person

00:25:55.679 --> 00:25:56.240
 like me.

00:25:56.399 --> 00:25:56.879
 When you begin

00:25:56.879 --> 00:25:58.019
 to realize that,

00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:00.599
 it pierces your heart.

00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:03.379
 It pierces your heart.

00:26:04.059 --> 00:26:05.439
 It opens up a wound.

00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:09.119
 that is then filled

00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:10.179
 with the Spirit of God.

00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:14.199
 So just a couple

00:26:14.199 --> 00:26:14.879
 of implications

00:26:14.879 --> 00:26:15.719
 to bring all

00:26:15.719 --> 00:26:16.419
 of this together.

00:26:20.039 --> 00:26:21.240
 First, I would say

00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:21.859
 that knowing

00:26:21.859 --> 00:26:23.240
 the true object

00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.719
 of all human longing

00:26:24.719 --> 00:26:27.799
 puts all other longings

00:26:27.799 --> 00:26:28.619
 into perspective.

00:26:30.539 --> 00:26:31.699
 So think about Anna.

00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:33.619
 You know,

00:26:34.399 --> 00:26:35.679
 most likely lost

00:26:35.679 --> 00:26:36.379
 her husband

00:26:36.379 --> 00:26:37.480
 at age 20.

00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:38.980
 barely getting going

00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:39.459
 in life.

00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:40.519
 We don't know

00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:41.339
 if she had any kids.

00:26:42.899 --> 00:26:45.000
 Spends 64 years

00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:46.419
 unmarried

00:26:46.419 --> 00:26:48.659
 at the temple.

00:26:50.379 --> 00:26:50.500
 Right?

00:26:51.959 --> 00:26:52.359
 Justifiably,

00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:53.299
 she could have turned out

00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:54.379
 to be a very different person.

00:26:54.980 --> 00:26:56.199
 She very justifiably

00:26:56.199 --> 00:26:56.819
 could have become

00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:57.839
 an incredibly bitter

00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:58.759
 and angry

00:26:58.759 --> 00:26:59.719
 and resentful person.

00:27:00.399 --> 00:27:00.539
 Like,

00:27:00.699 --> 00:27:02.179
 why is this my lot

00:27:02.179 --> 00:27:02.579
 in life?

00:27:02.659 --> 00:27:03.439
 Why can't I have that?

00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:04.199
 Why can't I have that?

00:27:04.359 --> 00:27:05.459
 Why can't I be like that family?

00:27:05.719 --> 00:27:06.819
 Why is this my lot

00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:07.219
 in life?

00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:09.219
 That could have been her.

00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:10.299
 And yet,

00:27:10.419 --> 00:27:11.879
 we don't know much about her,

00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:12.659
 but the one thing

00:27:12.659 --> 00:27:13.379
 that we do know

00:27:13.379 --> 00:27:15.019
 is that she became

00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:16.719
 a person of immense joy

00:27:16.719 --> 00:27:17.879
 and gratitude

00:27:17.879 --> 00:27:19.019
 and devotion.

00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:21.879
 You know,

00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:23.720
 whatever unfulfilled longings

00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:24.559
 we're facing,

00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:27.500
 the best way

00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:28.799
 to avoid falling

00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:29.900
 into bitterness

00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:31.599
 and self-pity

00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:32.920
 and despair

00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:35.220
 is to recognize

00:27:35.220 --> 00:27:37.160
 that the one true object

00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:38.480
 of our heart's desire,

00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:40.900
 the one who can actually

00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:41.900
 make us whole,

00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:43.619
 is Jesus Christ,

00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:45.219
 and he has come

00:27:45.219 --> 00:27:46.759
 and he is available.

00:27:47.899 --> 00:27:49.139
 And if you have him,

00:27:49.199 --> 00:27:50.139
 you don't believe me now,

00:27:50.199 --> 00:27:51.119
 but one day we will

00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:51.959
 in the New Jerusalem.

00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:53.879
 You won't believe this,

00:27:54.479 --> 00:27:55.579
 but if you have him,

00:27:55.639 --> 00:27:56.439
 you have everything.

00:27:57.979 --> 00:27:58.539
 And one day,

00:27:58.599 --> 00:27:59.739
 you're going to believe it.

00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:00.079
 One day,

00:28:00.139 --> 00:28:01.000
 I'm going to believe it.

00:28:01.399 --> 00:28:02.159
 I think I'm maybe

00:28:02.159 --> 00:28:04.099
 about 30% there.

00:28:05.959 --> 00:28:06.359
 Right?

00:28:06.419 --> 00:28:06.899
 Most of the time,

00:28:06.959 --> 00:28:07.679
 I don't believe that,

00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:08.479
 but I think maybe

00:28:08.479 --> 00:28:09.079
 at my best,

00:28:09.159 --> 00:28:10.379
 30% of me believes that.

00:28:11.340 --> 00:28:12.060
 But one day,

00:28:12.120 --> 00:28:12.920
 we're all going to believe it

00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:13.420
 because we're going

00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:14.200
 to experience it.

00:28:14.660 --> 00:28:15.240
 If you have him,

00:28:15.280 --> 00:28:15.820
 you have everything.

00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:18.080
 And the other thing

00:28:18.080 --> 00:28:18.780
 I'll say is this.

00:28:18.820 --> 00:28:19.820
 If you're a Christian,

00:28:20.420 --> 00:28:21.380
 and yet there are parts

00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:21.860
 of your life

00:28:21.860 --> 00:28:22.300
 that you know

00:28:22.300 --> 00:28:23.060
 you're holding back,

00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:23.860
 white knuckle grip,

00:28:24.020 --> 00:28:24.740
 power struggle,

00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:26.240
 more like Herod than Mary,

00:28:26.540 --> 00:28:27.420
 not willing to give

00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:28.180
 them over to Jesus,

00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:30.340
 or if you're not a Christian,

00:28:32.020 --> 00:28:33.100
 and all of your life

00:28:33.100 --> 00:28:33.840
 is a power struggle

00:28:33.840 --> 00:28:34.360
 with God,

00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:36.700
 I encourage you

00:28:36.700 --> 00:28:37.820
 to simply spend some time

00:28:37.820 --> 00:28:38.640
 looking at the cross.

00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:41.240
 You don't have to say

00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:43.080
 the phrase three times.

00:28:43.120 --> 00:28:43.820
 You can if you want.

00:28:44.820 --> 00:28:46.340
 But really look at the cross.

00:28:47.060 --> 00:28:48.500
 Really think about the cross.

00:28:49.300 --> 00:28:50.080
 And it may be

00:28:50.080 --> 00:28:51.440
 that God uses the cross

00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:52.620
 to pierce your heart.

00:28:54.780 --> 00:28:56.100
 A God who is willing

00:28:56.100 --> 00:28:57.120
 to take on flesh

00:28:57.120 --> 00:28:58.880
 and give his life for you

00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:00.840
 is the kind of God

00:29:00.840 --> 00:29:01.580
 that you can give

00:29:01.580 --> 00:29:02.820
 your whole life to.

00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:05.480
 Let's pray.

00:29:06.820 --> 00:29:07.800
 Lord, we thank you

00:29:07.800 --> 00:29:10.060
 for the cross.

00:29:10.380 --> 00:29:11.800
 We thank you

00:29:11.800 --> 00:29:12.520
 for the beautiful,

00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:14.120
 ugly, horrible,

00:29:14.300 --> 00:29:15.980
 offensive, wonderful truth

00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:18.120
 of Christmas

00:29:18.120 --> 00:29:19.740
 and its connection

00:29:19.740 --> 00:29:20.420
 to the cross.

00:29:20.980 --> 00:29:22.140
 And we thank you

00:29:22.140 --> 00:29:24.240
 that our relationship

00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:24.820
 with you

00:29:24.820 --> 00:29:26.140
 doesn't hinge on us

00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:27.600
 getting it right,

00:29:28.600 --> 00:29:29.840
 having our ducks in a row,

00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:31.160
 pulling ourselves together,

00:29:31.560 --> 00:29:33.220
 proving our devotion to you.

00:29:34.520 --> 00:29:35.720
 It's not about us

00:29:35.720 --> 00:29:36.500
 making a difference

00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:37.140
 in the world

00:29:37.140 --> 00:29:38.340
 or showing you

00:29:38.340 --> 00:29:39.340
 how much we care.

00:29:39.339 --> 00:29:41.659
 it's simply about us

00:29:41.659 --> 00:29:42.959
 recognizing that we need

00:29:42.959 --> 00:29:43.439
 the cross.

00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:46.000
 That you knew

00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:46.480
 what we needed

00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:47.259
 and you gave it to us

00:29:47.259 --> 00:29:48.279
 before we even asked.

00:29:48.919 --> 00:29:49.819
 As your word says,

00:29:49.939 --> 00:29:50.639
 while we were still

00:29:50.639 --> 00:29:51.259
 sinners,

00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:52.759
 you died for us.

00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:53.439
 While we were still

00:29:53.439 --> 00:29:54.179
 in rebellion,

00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:55.939
 you gave yourself for us.

00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:57.159
 I pray that as we come

00:29:57.159 --> 00:29:57.740
 to your table

00:29:57.740 --> 00:29:58.839
 in a little while,

00:29:58.939 --> 00:29:59.799
 our hearts would be

00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:00.759
 pierced anew.

00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:04.339
 that those would become

00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:06.200
 holy wounds of glory

00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:07.759
 into which the light

00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:08.480
 of your gospel

00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:09.859
 is poured

00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:11.140
 into our hearts.

00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:12.619
 We pray this

00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:13.619
 in your son's holy name.

00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:14.039
 Amen.

00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:15.039
員

00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:24.619
 lindle

00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:26.139
 to

00:30:26.139 --> 00:30:27.039
 a