amen please be seated don't hear amen to that wait don't be seated yet can I hear
amen to that yeah it's great to have you here my name is Tobin Miller I'm one of
the pastors here at Watermark Community Church as we started this church two
years ago we dreamed about people going on a journey together to be sharing
each other's stories and part of sharing each other's stories is knowing each
other and what God has done in our stories and so before you're seated we
would like for you to turn around and greet somebody you have not met this
morning at least two people and welcome them here to this day
come let us worship the king
Jesus the savior is born
for the Lord will reign
over all the earth
come let us worship the king
let us worship the king
Jesus the savior is born
for the Lord is great
and pray thee to be praised
through all the earth
and worship the king
sing let us come let all nations sing
the mountains bring up with an energetic grace
the heavens rejoice
for the earth receives our king
come let us worship the king
Jesus the savior is born
for the Lord will reign
over all the earth
come let us worship the king
Jesus the savior is born
for the Lord is great
and pray thee to be praised
through all the earth
come let us worship the king
Jesus the savior is born
for the Lord will reign
over all the earth
come let us worship the king
worship the king
come let us worship the king
Jesus the savior is born
come let us worship the king
ware is born
Worship the King!
Hi, my name is Edmund and this morning I would like you to meet a few of the kids
that we work with at ICM in the Nepalese community in Hong Kong.
So...
My name is Silas.
My name is Kelly.
My name is Anisha.
My name is Rosanne.
My name is Brasinta.
My name is Sushmita.
And today they will be leading you in the Advent Sharing today.
This is the third Sunday of Advent.
Each week of Advent, we prepare to celebrate Jesus' birth by lighting a candle
and focusing on different themes of Christ's coming.
So far, we have lit the candles of hope and peace.
This week we light the candle of joy.
In the time of Jesus, shepherds were looked down upon by society at large.
They couldn't worship at the temple, give testimony in court, and were typically stereotyped as thieves by the general population.
By many standards, their lives were lacking in joy.
And one day at night, in the fields surrounding Bethlehem, an angel appeared to a group of shepherds announcing good news of great joy.
Not just for the shepherds, but for the entire world.
In our day, joy can be incredibly fleeting.
Demands of jobs, school, and family can seem overwhelming.
The culture of change in Hong Kong can leave us so disoriented and confused that it is hard to fix our eyes on Christ and find our joy in Him.
Yet, Christ comes to us today to announce the same joy that was announced to the shepherds so long ago.
This joy is not something based on our circumstances, but rather something that is rooted outside our circumstances.
In the very person of Christ, God Himself in the flesh.
Please join us reading the scripture passage found in Luke 2, verse 8-12.
The words are on the screen.
And in the same regions there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And angels of the Lord appeared to them, and the grolly of the Lord saw around them, and they will fill with great fear.
And the angels said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is the born this day, the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And on this way we suffer you.
You will find a baby wrapped in a swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
Let's pray.
Dear Father, thank you for sending Jesus, our good news and our only true joy, as a baby in a manger.
Thank you that He did not remain a baby in a manger, but that as He grew, He served you perfectly,
ultimately giving His life in exchange for our sins.
Thank you that in Him we can have perfect joy by being restored to a proper relationship with you.
Please let us walk in this joy as we go throughout our everyday lives.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Great job.
Hey, I'm going to pray for the kids and dismiss them, but I want to pray just for all the things going on in our world today.
Just we had a lot of things happen in the States and there's things going on in the Middle East and just things that are hard to grasp, especially during this season.
So I'm going to pray for us and just pray for the people of Newtown, Connecticut and the Middle East and just wherever these craziness is going on.
Will you please join me in prayer?
Father, we come before you today in sadness and deep sorrow as we reflect on the events that happened yesterday in Newtown, Connecticut.
We know that you were there and that you're there now amongst those people.
We know that you weep as you see the fallenness of your creation.
We know that your original plan for us, your children involved none of this brokenness.
We see so easily around us in our world as we walk through our day.
We plead for your mercy, for your grace, for your forgiveness, for the selfishness, the pride, the arrogance and the brokenness that if we're honest, we see in our own hearts.
Father, we pray for your comfort to the families of those children and adults that were lost and were killed in such a tragic event.
Father, we pray for your family, the church, that we would step up to comfort, listen and help to be a friend, but more importantly, to share our friend, Jesus, to them.
We pray in the weeks to come when so many questions are asked over and over, especially why and how, that people will say clearly that the problem is ultimately sin, that the problem is ultimately our separation from you, our creator, that until we understand this and deal with our own hearts, that nothing ever will truly change.
We pray that you would use these events and others in the lives of those around us as we talk and ask questions and deal with these very difficult and hard events that we cannot truly explain.
We pray, Lord, that they would see the solution, the true solution, which is your son.
And we pray during this season as we celebrate the birth of your son, we're reminded throughout history, even in Scripture, that we're told as Herod heard that he was tricked by the Magi,
that he went out into the environments of Bethlehem and slew every child, male, two years and younger.
And historians tell us that 20 to 30 little boys were killed.
Again, the reason why you came, to enter into the darkness and to the lostness and to bring sense and hope.
So, Lord, we come before you as your people, desperate for you.
Lord, we come before you as your people, desperate for you.
We need you and we love you.
We pray even now for these children up here and the children that are about to be released to their classes and for the teachers that will oversee them.
And present your son, Jesus, to them.
Lord, we pray that they would come to know you at an early age and they would fall in love with you.
And that they would do mighty things.
Mighty things for your kingdom.
So, Lord, we come before you this morning and we plead.
And we realize just how broken and lost we are.
And how much we need your son, Jesus.
We pray all these things in his incredible, powerful, and wonderful name.
Amen.
Okay.
Watermark kids, you are dismissed.
Youth are staying in here.
And kiddos are dismissed.
Come, O come, Emmanuel.
And ransom, captains.
Israel.
And mourns in lonely exile here.
And ransom, Israel.
And ransom, captive Israel.
And mourns in lonely exile here.
Until the Son of God appear.
Cleaning, O come, O come, O come, O come, O day-spring.
Com' and cheer.
O W укrum analysts, home, O come, O day o'er.
How spirits by thine land begin.
His tears the gloomy clouds of night
And then star shadows blue to fly
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel, rejoice
Rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel, rejoice
Rejoice, rejoice
Rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel, rejoice
Rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel, rejoice
Rejoice
Rejoice, Emmanuel
Rejoice
And he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.
This is God's word.
Before we go into the message, let me pray with us.
Father, we just stand amazed in seeing you again this Christmas in just a new light and a new perspective.
And seeing how you are our peace and our love and our comfort.
That you came as a baby.
But that you are the mighty God, the wonderful counselor.
That you are the one that brings peace, the one that is our perfect Father.
And let's pray that today we would see you more clearly and we would see something new about you.
And we pray all this in Christ's name.
Good morning, Watermark.
My name is Mike.
I'm working with the university students here at the church.
And I think I forgot my red shirt this morning.
Hang on.
It's my privilege not only to share God's word with you this morning.
It's also my honor to share the last sermon ever here at Watermark.
Just in case you have missed it, it's December 16th.
And we have five more days until December 21st.
And in case you still don't know what I'm talking about,
there's some highly sophisticated research by the Mayan Native Americans.
that the world as we know it will come to an end in just a few days.
Anyways, if you were not aware of this fact when coming here this morning,
you'll be happy to hear that there will be a great lunch buffet outside the church.
So there will be some great food and fellowship before everything goes down the drain.
With that said, and all the hype about the end of the world,
the supposed end of the world,
I actually went online and I did a little bit of research on Wikipedia.
There's actually a list of predictions,
major predictions throughout the history about the end of the world.
There are more than 200 listed.
And some are actually kind of interesting or funny.
For example, did you know that Christopher Columbus predicted the end of the world for 1658?
It didn't happen.
I'm glad that he was at least right that he would go to India sailing to the West.
I also found another really interesting prediction of the Millerites.
The followers of Pastor Miller.
And he predicted the end of the world for 1843.
It obviously didn't happen either.
And when the world didn't end, it became known as the Great Disappointment.
As a disclaimer, to my knowledge,
Pastor Miller had nothing to do with any Millers you may know.
I actually felt kind of relieved.
This week I got a calendar in my mail.
And it was for my bank.
It's a calendar for 2013.
And if you know how much the banks tried to cut costs,
they would not send out a calendar for the next year
if the world would really come to an end.
So that was good to know.
So I think all this stuff about the end of the world
is kind of getting a little crazy lately,
like tsunamis and wars and the breakdown of the financial system.
We are talking about all this.
And there's even this TV show that came out,
and I don't know whether you've seen it.
It's on the National Geographic.
It's called Doomsday Preppers.
It tells the story of people that are so convinced
that some kind of global disaster will hit
that they spent all their money building bunkers
and storing food and buying weapons.
Their whole life literally starts to revolve
around being prepared for some kind of nuclear attack
or global pandemic or even the polar shift.
I don't know how you feel about all this this morning.
And it may not be the fear of the end of the world,
but what are the fears that you've been dealing with lately?
What are the worries that you carry with you
these weeks and these months and this past year?
Maybe instead of the end of the world,
it's just the end of your job or passing an exam just now
and maybe your finances or keeping your scholarship.
Maybe it's a fear of relationships breaking apart
in your family or in your marriage.
And then maybe these worries that just carry on through your life
and maybe it's your health.
Wherever you are this morning,
what is it that you wrestle with,
that you carry with you?
And how are you preparing to face?
How are you prepping for this darkness?
And when this darkness hits in your life,
who do you turn to?
What or who is your savior
when you face the darkness?
Today we're actually looking at a passage
that talks about people that are facing darkness
and they're facing despair.
And the passage also talks about
how they are dealing with that,
where they're turning to to find hope and peace
amidst all these troubles that they are facing.
The passage is from Isaiah
and you've heard it read just now.
And it's set in the southern kingdom of Judah
in the 8th century before Christ came.
It was a time of darkness and despair for the people.
And Eric shared a little bit about
the whole journey of the Israelites last week.
If you haven't been here,
let me just briefly look into that.
Isaiah experienced the northern kingdom of Israel
being attacked and conquered
and invaded by the Assyrians.
The Assyrians were the superpower of that time.
And they left devastation and destruction
wherever they went.
What do you do when you're facing destruction?
You try to save yourself.
And that's exactly what they're trying to do.
They try to respond to that.
When we are facing our worries and our fears,
we're looking for something or someone
who will come and save us.
So King Ahaz of Judah decided
not to help the Israelites
and actually sided with the Assyrians.
They're a strong force.
So we want to avoid our own destruction.
So politics became the way to get out of it.
But now in this passage, some years later,
politics weren't working anymore.
The Assyrians were again at the doorstep of Judah.
They were at the brink of destruction.
The new king, Hezekiah,
he was now wrestling with what to do
because politics had failed
and these Assyrians were right there.
So something this passage teaches us
is that we always look for a savior.
We put our hope in that savior.
That this savior will come
and help us overcome
our problems and our worries.
I think the structure is always kind of like the same.
It's kind of the story that repeats itself.
So some kind of problem occurs.
Some kind of worry arises in our lives
and then this problem grows bigger.
It builds up in anxiousness
and then we are suddenly realizing
that we are getting to the point of despair
and we rewrite the story.
We are trying to invite this savior
to come into our lives
and then we hope that the savior
will somehow help us solve the problem.
So we start to live in that illusion
that this savior will work.
We desperately want it to work.
But at one point,
our little savior will fail us.
It will fall apart.
When facing the Syrian superpower
and seeing the destruction and devastation
they would bring,
King Ahas turned to politics.
Politics worked for a while
and it gave the illusion
that they could arrange with their wisdom
and their smart ways
bring peace.
But now, after a while,
it all falls apart
and so it is with us.
So it is with us
that we come
and look at the darkness and the lies
and we look for something that can save us.
There's a story of a savior
I heard this week
that I found pretty interesting.
His name is Arrigo.
He's an Italian
and he's an Italian soccer fan.
He's a fan of the soccer club,
the Serie A,
the first league club,
Udine.
Now,
Udine
is facing some darkness.
I'm trying to ease in with an example
that is not as heavy loaded.
So,
if you like soccer,
so Udine
has been doing pretty well
the last 10 years
and after 14 games
into the season
they were pretty close to relegation.
And people got a little worried
and the fans were pretty upset.
But Arrigo is a pretty big fan.
And so he made his way
400 kilometers to the away game
against direct opponents.
It's a pretty big game
and he goes
and so there's a stadium
and they expect about 30,000 people.
And so Arrigo comes in
and so in the soccer stadium
they block off like one section
for the fans of the guests.
You know,
like all this craziness in Europe
with soccer fans.
And so they block off
this whole section
that only the guest fans
will be there.
So for several thousand people
they block off this section
for the Udine fans
and Arrigo shows up.
It's 10 minutes before the game
and then he walks in
and then he sees
like 30,000 people
and he walks into the guest block
and he notices
it's only him.
And it's the real story.
So he goes there
and he goes down
and it's just until 10 minutes
until the game starts.
There will be some people show up.
So he goes down to the fence
and puts his Udine flag up there
and waits
and the teams come out
and the ref comes out
and the game starts.
And he is still
utterly alone
in this whole section
for thousands of people.
It's the first time
in history
of any of the major leagues
in the whole of Europe
that only one fan
showed up
of the whole team.
Now Arrigo
wasn't intimidated.
Even the 30,000
were cheering against him
and he would just
cheer back by himself
at one point
people started bringing him coffee
because they had pity with him.
But the amazing thing was
his team won the game
2-0.
And he was
in all the newspapers
with a big picture
with his one flag
in this huge stand
and it says
the savior of Udine.
Now
he worked for a while.
I'm not sure
whether he will work
for a long time.
We have this saying
in Europe
that the spectators
are the 12th men.
So for the Americans
we have 11 people
playing soccer
but when the spectators
cheering their team on
they are like the 12th men.
Arrigo is now celebrated
as the 12th man
of his team
bringing them to success.
Now in two weeks
they would probably
play another game.
I don't know
whether it's a winter break
at that point
but the next time
they play away
I wonder
whether he will
be a savior
that will again
bring them to victory
or whether he will
fail them.
But the newspapers
were all about him
and being the savior
of the club.
And in Hong Kong
we have our own
saviors
that we rely on.
When we face
the darkness
of losing jobs
or when we worry
about providing
for our needs
maybe it's the savior
of good grades.
The good grades
there are so many students
right now
in the midst of exams
maybe when I get
my GPA up
then that will give me
a good job
and that will be
my savior
because it will give me
the money that I need
to secure my life.
But again
what happens
when that savior fails
when that good job
that you have
suddenly leads you
into depression?
or when the long
work hours
destroy your family?
What if the stress
of life
just makes you sick
and the saviors
of Hong Kong
suddenly stop working?
In my life
my family lived
a story with
a lot of saviors
as well
a lot of false saviors.
So my parents
grew up in Germany
after the Second World War
and when the war
came to an end
they had to both
flee from where
they lived.
My mom lived
in a small
German settlement
close to the Black Sea
and they had to
pack everything up
and leave.
And my dad
actually lived in
what nowadays
is western Poland
and when the Russian
occupying forces came
they packed their
stuff and
they made their way
west.
but under the
occupying forces
his dad
actually got shot
when he was 14.
So they had seen
enough pain
in their lives
and they hoped
that they could
just give us
a different
a happier world
a different story.
They wanted for us
to kind of live
in a world
of peace
and the saviors
they turned to
is their own hard work
that they could
provide a better future
and that they could
keep that story together
and just avoid
the pain for us
that they had experienced.
And there's one story
that lately
came up to me
and I was 15 years
I played in a
handball club actually
that's my sport.
So we had this
tournament
so being 15
we played this game
and afterwards
I started talking
with a caretaker
and the caretaker
had known my family
for a while
and as I'm talking
with him
he says
how is your mom's
sister doing?
And I said
oh you mean
her brother?
No her sister.
I said no
my mom only
has a brother.
No I mean
Erica
her sister.
And we kind of
ended the conversation
I went home
and I told my mom
I had this strange
conversation
with this caretaker
today
who talked about
you having
the sister Erica
and my mom
got quiet
and she said
I actually do
have a sister
and her name
is Erica.
But when she
was six years old
she had a brain
bleeding
and it left her
disabled
and she cannot
talk
and she can
barely move
so we put her
in a home
but we didn't
want you guys
to worry about it.
And I was very
upset
that all this
was kept from me
but it was their
way of dealing
with pain
and writing
this different
story that
the savior
had become
to hide things
and to just
write this
different story
that is happy
and last
week I got
a phone call
from my mom
and she
said oh
Erica
just died
age 68
so for 60
years her
savior of
hiding away
to keep
the happy
family
was kind
of working
but deep
down
it was all
fake
and that
savior just
wasn't true.
Now
this is
my story
of
what I've
seen
what fake
saviors do
and I could
probably go on
with countless
examples
and you probably
as you look
at your lives
you have
countless
ways of
how you
could see
these fake
saviors
being alive
in your
lives
it may be
that you
feel
worthless
and your
savior
has become
your hard
work
if I just
work hard
and I can
build up
respect
and I can
achieve
something
and I can
build up
my own
worth
but at
one point
you'll realize
that that
that savior
won't work
and it still
leaves you
empty
maybe
the darkness
you are
facing
is loneliness
and the
savior
becomes
people
maybe
you're
putting
that hope
in that
one person
that one
day will
come to
fulfill you
and make
you complete
or
if I'm
just
surrounding
myself
with
enough
people
then
the
loneliness
will
disappear
but if we
put our
hope
in people
as our
savior
we will
at one
point
be left
disappointed
so what
will you say
is your
darkness
today
and this
year
what are
the saviors
that you
have put
your trust
in
the
people
of
Judah
had
put
their
hopes
in
false
saviors
now here
it was
politics
and the
savior
wasn't
working
anymore
and now
in the
midst
of their
shattered
hopes
Isaiah
is speaking
about a
different
savior
a different
kind
of hope
in verse
2
it says
the people
walking
in darkness
have seen
a great
light
on those
living in
the land
of deep
darkness
a light
has dawned
so in
the midst
of their
despair
Isaiah
is pointing
the people
to a bright
future
to the
hope
of a
new
savior
one that
can truly
save them
from their
darkness
that can
truly bring
light
into their
darkness
and then
he continues
with the
prophecy
and if you
have been
there for
Michael
Ramson's
talk
yesterday
he talked
about
a prophet
being like
a reverse
historian
not someone
that
looks ahead
in history
but
looks back
at history
to write
but he
actually looks
ahead
and gives
a prophecy
a promise
about what's
still to
come
and this
is what
we're seeing
here about
Isaiah
for us
for to us
a child is
born
to us
a son
is given
and the
government
will be
on his
shoulders
and he
will be
called
wonderful
counselor
mighty
God
everlasting
father
prince
of peace
of the
greatness
of his
government
and peace
there
will be
no end
what Isaiah
is pointing
the people
to and what
he's pointing
us to is
is that
great story
about that
true savior
that real
savior
he's pointing
us to
Jesus
and he's
telling his
people
that one
day a
child will
be born
and that
child will
bring salvation
if you have
been around
churches before
it's over
Christmas time
then you probably
have heard this
passage before
it's read a lot
through Christmas
when we anticipate
the celebration
of Christ's birth
and you may
have heard
messages about
the savior
being full
of wisdom
and mighty
and that
he is the
perfect father
and that
he brings
true peace
but today
I want to
focus on
what follows
in that
passage
it actually
says in
verse 7
and of the
greatness of
his government
and peace
there will
be no
end
the savior
that is
coming
as a
child
that Jesus
whose birth
we are about
to celebrate
of his
greatness
of his
government
and peace
there will
be no
end
it's not
a temporary
savior
like so many
saviors we
turn to
that work
for a while
but there
will be
no end
the hope
and peace
we find
him
is eternal
I think
this is
this amazing
story
this is what
Isaiah is
inviting us
into
and it's
that story
of that
eternal
kingdom
that is still
to come
that eternal
hope
that he
gives us
that glimpse
of that
future
that this
creator
of everything
who has
always been
and who
always will
be
is the
savior
to put
our trust
in
now this
child
being born
will also
one day
die on
the cross
but to
show the
world
that he
is eternal
and that
there is
no end
to his
power
he conquers
death
and he
rises from
the dead
to show
us that
in his
power
we can
put our
hope
and find
peace
that is
not
limited
even in
this
life
he is
the one
that speaks
into our
worries
and our
fears
into our
sickness
and he
even speaks
into our
fear of
even our
own death
and gives
us a
perspective
on life
that is
bigger than
anything
that we
could think
of in
this
world
now this
is the
part where
we could
stop and
just look
at this
future
promise
that story
that culminates
in that
kingdom
that is
still to
come
but then
I'm
realizing
that when
I first
explored
Christianity
I sometimes
viewed that
as kind of
like a little
fluffy religious
concept
it's like
there's this
future hope
like I know
that you are
suffering right
now and there
are pains
right now in
this world
but if you
just have
hope that
one day it
will all be
better
then that's
all you
need
and what is
amazing I think
about this
passage is
that it's
not just
a future
hope that
is being
offered here
but there
is a
present reality
to the
Savior that
is presented
here
for Isaiah
and his
people
there is a
prophecy about
this child
that will
one day in
several hundred
years come
and they don't
even know
about it
but what
happens when
you read
the accounts
of Kings
and the
Chronicles
you'll see
that actually
God shows
up to
them
when the
temporary
Savior of
politics
failed
and the
people
turned to
the true
Savior
God shows
up and
he defeats
the Assyrians
the superpower
of the time
180,000
strong army
is defeated
Assyria is
scrambled
it will never
rise to be
a world power
again
and this is
the way that
God shows
up to the
Assyrians
at that time
now when
Christ is born
when this
little baby
comes
and we
see God
in flesh
coming
we also
don't see
him only
talk about
this future
kingdom
but he
says
there is
a kingdom
that is
to come
but it's
also here
that as
he comes
the kingdom
comes and
he begins
to heal
and restore
lives as
he walks
around
Galilee
and Israel
and so we
see that
hope for the
future but
we see him
acting and
intervening in
the lives
right where
he is
and when
this Jesus
rises from
the dead
and is
about to
ascend to
heaven
he says
I will
always be
with my
people
he will
always be
with us
so this
hope is
not just
about one
that is
about that
kingdom
that is to
come but
it is a
hope that
the Savior
is here
speaking into
our lives
and I
want to
close with
one of
the passages
in the
book of
Acts
so
when I
see Christ
speaking to
the people
at his
time and
they have
seen the
miracles and
they have
seen the
Savior not
just talking
about this
kingdom but
as he
begins to
shape lives
and show
them that he
wants to
restore lives
right there
they begin to
form communities
and so in
Acts 2
44 we have a
picture of a
community that
understood what
he was talking
about let me
read that to
you in the
bulletin as
well in
Acts 2
44 it
actually says
all the
believers now
don't just
read over that
all the
believers every
single one of
the believers
who had put
their hope in
Jesus as the
one true
Savior all the
believers were
together and
they had
everything in
common they
sold their
property possessions
they gave to
anyone who
had need and
every day they
continued to meet
together in the
temple courts they
broke bread in
their homes and
they ate
together with
glad and
sincere hearts
praising God
and enjoying the
favor of all the
people and the
Lord added to
their number daily
those who are
being saved I
don't know about
you but I look at
this passage and
I'm incredibly
challenged but I'm
incredibly encouraged
that this community
that saw Christ
actively intervening
in their lives
what I see them do
is that they begin
to bury all their
little saviors
now when we
think about what
that would mean
for us
they are
burying their
savior of
personal space
they actually
invite everybody
into their lives
they're burying
their savior of
material possession
they say everything
I have I give it
to the I share it
with the community
I invite the
community to
participate in that
they bury their
savior of putting
their work and
their lives and
their interests and
their goals first
but instead they
center everything
around coming
together daily and
worshiping the one
savior
now I look at this
picture and I
wonder what does it
mean for us
what does it take
for us to be a
community that lives
in a way that
people see at the
Christian community
and knowing that we
are worshiping one
savior that people
would be daily
added and attracted
to that way of
life that there's
this hope in the
savior that is
bigger than all the
other saviors and
as I look at my
life I see I have
so many little
saviors in my life
that keep me from
living this so I
think this Christmas
the challenge that I
want to take on
myself and that I
want to put out
there for us as a
community is what
does it take for us
what are the steps
that we want to take
in living with
Christ as the only
savior what does
it mean for your
life personally
whether it's your
studies your work
your family where
have you built up
savior that stop you
from lifting up the
one true savior the
savior is the one
who is a wonderful
counselor he's the
one that all our
wisdom comes from
he's the mighty
God he has the
power to change
our life's
serving service
he is the
everlasting father
the perfect father
and he is the one
that brings true
peace and his
kingdom will have
no end so I
want to pray with
us and just as we
go into this
Christmas season to
reflect on on this
savior and looking
at examining our
own hearts and
where we are
wrestling with
allowing him to be
the one true savior
in our lives let me
pray with us
father I just want
to confess first
that I have a lot
of small saviors in
my life that I put
my hope in and
in an increasing
rental market and
there are the
worries that come up
and we are clinging
to our own security
and we want to be in
control of our own
lives and I see that
in my life all over
again and everywhere
so father as we just
go into this Christmas
season may you be the
prince of peace the
one that isn't just a
small little savior but
that we would turn to
the one true king who
brings peace who
points us to this
eternal kingdom that
is still to come in
which everything will
be restored but may we
also see that that you
are the one who longs
to be our savior now
that you would reach
into the worries and
despair and the
darkness of every
single person here you
know where we all are
father so I just pray
that that you would
touch people just where
they are and soften
hearts to invite you
into being the one
true savior and I
know that so many
times even when we
have walked with you
for years and years
we begin to rely on
ourselves again so
much and so I just
pray that this Christmas
time we would again
see the miracle of you
stepping into history
to be our savior I
pray this in Christ's
name amen
happy birthday to you
happy birthday dear Jesus
happy birthday to you
happy birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
happy birthdaying
happy birthday dear teachers
happy birthday Jesus
happy birthday euro
happy birthday Jesus
happy birthdayertos
All the carols and bells
In the hall that they swell
And all above you
Happy birthday, Jesus
Jesus, I love you
Happy birthday, Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the tinsel and lights
And the presents are nice
But the real gift is you
Happy birthday, Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the carols and bells
In the hall that they swell
And it's all about you
Happy birthday, Jesus
Jesus, I love you
Happy birthday, Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the tinsel and lights
And the presents are nice
But the real gift is you
Happy birthday, Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
Happy birthday, Jesus
All the carols and bells
In the hall that they swell
And it's all about you
Happy birthday, Jesus
Jesus, I love you
Happy birthday, Jesus
I love you
Happy birthday, Jesus
I love you
Happy birthday, Jesus
Great, that was great
Can I hear, that's amazing
I mean, I shouldn't even come up
You can't follow kids, right?
You guys, amazing
Very good
What a blessing
Hey, I'm going to keep this
After that
I just need to keep it short
And sweet
Remember, you can't go out
That door where you locked
We electrified that door
So don't go out that door
We want everybody to exit
This way
There's food
We'd love for you to stay
With us and hang out
We do meals as families
And so that's what we do
In community
So please head out
That way afterwards
I want to just
One thing I want us
To pray for as a community
We believe that God
Has put us here
As a church
To reach out to people
Who aren't in church today
Right?
And so we sent out
20,007 of these flyers
To the households
In this area
It talks about the outreach
In December 21st
At Cyberport
We're going to be doing it
For a week as a church
Over here
All the community groups
Are involved
And then we talk about
December 25th
The Christmas outreach service
Here
So we want you guys
As a church
To pray about this
To take some of these
And invite your friends
Personally to come join us
And be a part of this
And that people
Would be able to sing
Happy birthday Jesus
Again for the first time
As a family
Okay?
So will you commit
To do that?
Also one of the sad things
About
I just don't know
If I can trust you guys
Behind me, huh?
One of the sad things
About our
Fun
But sad things
About being in this community
Is that people come and go
And so we are saying goodbye
To two people
Who have been amazing
Servants in the church
And you're going to see
How amazing they have been
When they stand up
And so the first one
Is Jeremiah
So Jeremiah is leaving
You want to stand up?
So Jeremiah is kind of like
From my hometown
In Austin, Texas
I knew his pastor there
He came
He raised his support
To be here
To serve the church
We had no idea
What we were doing
We were still trying
To work out this idea
Of interns
Church planners
And staff
And so he was
One of our guinea pigs
And so he has been here
For six months
And so he is heading out
This week to go back
And continue his education
And studies
And so you'll see
We're missing a drummer now
So Mark
You're going to come up here
And start drumming, right?
And then Yuma
Yuma, will you stand up?
Okay
Yuma's story is amazing
Yuma is from Japan
And Yuma came to know the Lord
Two weeks before he came to Watermark
He was in Japan
And someone led him to Christ
He came to Hong Kong
He wanted to get plugged into a church
And he has been serving us
For seven months now
Just tirelessly
And just amazing
And he's been growing
In his walk with the Lord
And God has put upon his heart
A burden to go back
To Tokyo
And to be with his people
And to share the gospel with them
Osaka
That's right
Tokyo got destroyed by Godzilla
In Osaka
That's right
And so
So we are going to really miss
Both of you guys
And so I want to
I want to pray for you guys
And just
We will stay in touch
To hear how God
Uses both of you
Back in Texas
And in Osaka
And I know that he's going to do
Amazing things
And so let me pray for us
And you are dismissed
To go eat some amazing
Great Christmas food
I would have been instructed
To say Christmas food
Father we just thank you
For this day
We thank you for
How you bring our lives together
How you
We are like these threads
That you grab
And you change
And you interweave us
To make this amazing picture
Of the body of Christ
And as we think about
What you've done
With these children up here
As they sing songs
And they've been taken
Off the streets
We just
We thank you
For what you've done
Lord
We thank you for
You brought people like Melissa
And Charles to lead the choir
And have the patience
And for Edmund
And Lincoln
And Steph
And all the other volunteers
Who come and love on these kids
In their place
Where they're not loved
And for all the parts
You brought together
To make today happen
So that we would
We'd worship you
We'd sing your praises
And your glory
And we'd fall more in love with you
And so Lord
In the midst of that
As we have this
Bittersweet experience
We pray for
Jeremiah
And we pray for
Our brother Yuma
As they go back
To their hometowns
And they continue
To walk with you
Lord
We pray that you
Would go before them
We pray that
They would find
Your mercy and grace
Abundant
Every moment
We pray that you
Would open doors
Of favor
As they walk
And as they share
The most important thing
In their life
Your son
Lord
We pray that you
Would do amazing things
To them
That you would
Surround them
Immediately
Into a community
That loves you
And goes on that
Journey with them
And so we thank you
For this very short time
You've given us
To be with them
And we look forward
To getting together
In heaven
For eternity
And just talking
About your wonder
And your mercy
And how you weave
Us together
In the incredible
Things you do
In this world
So Lord
We wish you
Happy birthday
We love you
We need you
We pray for this food
And this fellowship
That we're about to partake
That it would honor you
That we would have fun
That we'd realize
That we're a family
And that we walk
Together
In this
We pray all these things
In your son
Jesus name
Amen
God bless you
We'll see you back here
Next week
But not before
We see you at the dinner table
Take care
Bye