WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.700 Well, good evening. It's wonderful to be back. If you don't know me, my name's Archie. Like Graham said, I'm the pastor down at People's Evangelical Church. 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:17.100 I say it's lovely to be back because about a year ago, Katie, my wife and I left this church where I was training to be a pastor. 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:25.679 And so this really does feel a bit like coming home for us. We were actually just reflecting on that on our way up here about how this does feel a bit like coming home. 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:34.260 And I think there's something about coming home at this time of year. Maybe you've been there. Maybe you've felt that. 00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:42.759 I think that can be quite a difficult thing. And maybe that's hard for you. Maybe you'd love to go home this year and you know that you're not going to be able to. 00:00:43.939 --> 00:00:51.859 Maybe you'd love to have a home to go to and you don't have one. Or maybe you're really excited about going home this year. 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:57.640 There's something about Christmas, I think, that brings out all these feelings in us about home. 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:02.640 Certainly that's true for me. And we're really going to spend the next 20 minutes thinking about that kind of idea. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:08.739 But before we do that, let me just pray for us. And before we do that, let me pray. 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:17.280 Heavenly Father, I pray so much that as we spend a little bit more time looking at your word together this evening, 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:23.060 that you would be causing us to bow before and adore your son, Jesus. 00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:26.920 For we pray in his precious name. Amen. 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:34.579 When I was a student, it was about this time of year. I'm sure lots of you in the room are students. 00:01:34.740 --> 00:01:38.680 You can put yourself in my shoes as I describe this. But it was time to go home for Christmas. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:48.620 And I couldn't wait to get home. I was really excited to be sat by the roaring fire in a cozy armchair full of turkey and chocolate. 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:54.920 But I was a student in Glasgow. So I head to the train station and put yourself there. 00:01:54.980 --> 00:02:01.000 You're in the train station. If you've ever been to Glasgow Central, the weather outside was absolutely mental. 00:02:01.880 --> 00:02:06.740 And like I said, it was Glasgow Central, which meant that it was also cold and was windy and miserable in the station. 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:12.680 And you can kind of hardly hear the rubbish Christmas music that's coming through the speakers. 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:17.420 There are hundreds of people around you in the same boat who just cannot wait to get home for Christmas. 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:23.000 But because of the weather, trains are getting cancelled. Left, right and centre. 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:27.979 There are announcements coming over the tannoy, interrupting Mariah Carey. It's complete chaos. 00:02:28.859 --> 00:02:32.519 Picture me. I'm there. I've got my headphones in. I'm in a kind of world of my own. 00:02:32.579 --> 00:02:35.959 And I can only really just hear what's going on around me. 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:38.939 And that's when I heard it. Like I said, I only just heard it. 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:42.019 But there was an announcement and it definitely said something about Fort William. 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:45.099 That's where my parents live. That was my train. 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:49.659 So I take my headphones out. I'm scanning the departure boards. There's nothing there. 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.099 I'm waiting to see if there's going to be another announcement. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:56.620 But just the rubbish Christmas music being piped in through the speakers. 00:02:56.620 --> 00:03:00.000 And I'm beginning to panic. What if I missed the train home? 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:03.759 I wonder if you've ever had an experience like that. 00:03:04.539 --> 00:03:06.019 It might not have been a train. 00:03:06.139 --> 00:03:09.159 But have you ever heard an announcement that really mattered? 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:13.259 But in the moment you were so distracted, maybe you weren't paying attention. 00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:18.460 In the moment, you failed to realize how significant the announcement was. 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:21.199 Might have been a voicemail from the doctor. 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:23.840 Or an email from one of your lecturers. 00:03:24.079 --> 00:03:26.780 Or a warning from someone at your workplace. 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:31.379 When you kind of hear the words, but you fail to act straight away. 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:34.060 Because you didn't realize how urgent it actually was. 00:03:34.060 --> 00:03:37.979 And then it's only later you realize it wasn't really background information at all. 00:03:38.099 --> 00:03:39.759 And it required a response. 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:43.640 You know, at Christmas we hear lots of announcements. 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.099 We might not realize that. 00:03:45.159 --> 00:03:47.400 But we get all these snippets of the story. 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:48.360 That's been true tonight. 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:49.759 We've had lots of Bible readings. 00:03:49.939 --> 00:03:50.900 We've sung carols. 00:03:51.920 --> 00:03:55.300 But have you ever stopped to think about what all of those are really announcing? 00:03:57.500 --> 00:03:59.520 Like I say, we're going to spend the next few minutes 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.540 unpacking this idea of home. 00:04:02.920 --> 00:04:07.140 But we're going to do that by thinking about what I think is one of the most familiar carols. 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:08.580 We're going to sing it a little bit later. 00:04:09.140 --> 00:04:11.780 It's a carol that takes us right to the heart of the Christmas story. 00:04:12.640 --> 00:04:16.960 It's a carol that we have all heard and probably sung a hundred times. 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:20.240 But we may never really have listened to what it's announcing. 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:24.000 And the hope for me is that when we sing it later on this evening, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.379 we'll be able to do so with fresh understanding and rapt attention. 00:04:28.379 --> 00:04:30.680 So it's Hark the Herald Angels Sing. 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:34.339 You might have a printed out version of it on the pew in front of you 00:04:34.339 --> 00:04:36.879 if you want to find that and follow along as we go. 00:04:38.579 --> 00:04:42.839 And if you look at it, the carol starts with that word, hark. 00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:48.339 Hark means, listen, this carol literally starts by telling us to pay attention. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:51.899 Pay attention to what the angels are singing. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:56.300 See, here in church and at this time of year, 00:04:56.300 --> 00:04:58.980 we're not just inventing this message of Christmas. 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:00.720 It's not our message. 00:05:00.840 --> 00:05:02.000 It's not the church's message. 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:04.060 It's a message that we're overhearing. 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.000 We're being invited to listen to it. 00:05:07.020 --> 00:05:08.000 That's what Hark means. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:09.220 It doesn't mean sing louder. 00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:12.580 It doesn't mean sing, kind of feel more festive. 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:14.000 It means listen in. 00:05:14.819 --> 00:05:18.340 Stop and hear what it is that heaven is saying. 00:05:19.460 --> 00:05:21.960 Really, this carol, I think, is a kind of reflection 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:26.279 on the announcement to the shepherds that Naomi and Yoann have just read for us. 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:32.159 The angels that said that this is good news of great joy for all people 00:05:32.159 --> 00:05:34.500 because a saviour has been born. 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:38.019 It's glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth. 00:05:38.159 --> 00:05:41.060 Peace to those on whom his favour rests. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:43.159 The carol puts that in a nutshell for us. 00:05:43.219 --> 00:05:45.839 It's glory to the newborn king. 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:52.259 But actually, this carol, it's not just an invitation to hear what the angels are announcing. 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:53.239 It is that. 00:05:53.539 --> 00:05:58.339 But very quickly in verse 1, we're invited to join in the angels' song. 00:05:59.239 --> 00:06:01.679 It says, joyful, all ye nations rise. 00:06:02.359 --> 00:06:04.579 Join the triumph of the skies. 00:06:06.059 --> 00:06:09.019 And we'll come back to verse 1 and that invitation to join in. 00:06:09.099 --> 00:06:12.839 But the rest of the carol tells us what that triumph is. 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:16.639 What we're actually going to be singing about. 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:18.439 And the next kind of two verses, like I say, 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:22.219 they unpack two really fundamental truths about the Christian faith. 00:06:22.299 --> 00:06:25.779 So we're going to spend our time just camped out in verse 2 and then verse 3. 00:06:26.299 --> 00:06:27.419 The Christmas story. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:30.699 Verse 2 tells us about the mystery of the incarnation. 00:06:31.859 --> 00:06:35.939 And verse 3 tells us about a message of reconciliation. 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:40.299 The mystery of incarnation and a message of reconciliation. 00:06:40.300 --> 00:06:43.980 So look at verse 2 with me for a mystery of incarnation. 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:45.900 Read it with me. 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:46.460 Christ. 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:48.620 I guess that's a familiar word. 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:49.900 It's a title for Jesus. 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:50.860 That's not his surname. 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:52.379 It's a title. 00:06:52.780 --> 00:06:55.080 It says that he is the promised king. 00:06:55.280 --> 00:06:57.580 Christ by highest heaven adored. 00:06:58.019 --> 00:07:00.180 Christ the everlasting Lord. 00:07:01.420 --> 00:07:03.519 Do you see what that is saying about Jesus? 00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:05.819 Familiar words. 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:07.460 But it's not just random poetry. 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:10.120 It tells us that Jesus is everlasting. 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:11.579 He's eternal. 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.639 In other words, Jesus is properly God. 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:19.839 Jesus was there at the beginning when the world was created. 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:23.699 Jesus is no less God than God the Father is God. 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:30.639 He is adored and worshipped and praised in heaven as the God of the universe who he is. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:31.639 Jesus is not alone. 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:33.199 And the carol continues. 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:35.419 Late in time, behold him come. 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:38.719 And that doesn't mean that Jesus came too late. 00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:45.319 But simply that God had promised that he would come and his people had been waiting for him. 00:07:45.919 --> 00:07:49.759 They had been promised that God himself would come to them, the eternal king. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:54.219 He is the offspring of a virgin's womb. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:59.879 And so he came then not only properly God, but properly human. 00:08:00.019 --> 00:08:01.379 Born of Mary. 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:03.719 Sharing real human flesh. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:05.259 Real human experience. 00:08:05.579 --> 00:08:06.719 Conceived by the Holy Spirit. 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:07.079 Yes. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:09.439 So he had no human father. 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:11.319 He was properly God. 00:08:11.599 --> 00:08:14.579 Not just a great teacher or a prophet or a religious figure. 00:08:14.579 --> 00:08:18.060 He was God himself in the flesh. 00:08:19.459 --> 00:08:22.199 Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. 00:08:22.979 --> 00:08:24.639 Hail the incarnate deity. 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:27.620 This is God in flesh, incarnate deity. 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:28.779 That is deity. 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:34.819 That is God taking on physical, bodily, human form. 00:08:35.579 --> 00:08:39.659 And so he was pleased as man with man to dwell. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:42.360 Jesus, our Emmanuel. 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:44.960 That means God with us. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:46.639 God with us. 00:08:47.300 --> 00:08:52.860 That means that God isn't just a distant voice over a speaker making an announcement about the train home. 00:08:53.800 --> 00:08:56.320 He chose to come and stand among us. 00:08:56.980 --> 00:09:00.759 The incarnation isn't just God shouting instructions at us. 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:03.320 It's his arriving in the chaos. 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:08.720 In fact, it's his experiencing the chaos of the world that we live in with us. 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:17.399 What we're celebrating in this season, and especially when we get to Christmas Day, we're celebrating a God who didn't stay distant. 00:09:18.660 --> 00:09:20.200 A God who has come. 00:09:20.940 --> 00:09:23.080 A God who is with us. 00:09:23.680 --> 00:09:26.779 Do you know if you want to know the God who created the world that we live in? 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:29.120 If you want to know the God who created you. 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.440 Who loves you. 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:34.100 Who wants you to know him. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:38.659 If you want to know him, you only need to look to Jesus. 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:40.879 Look no further. 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:43.039 For he is God. 00:09:43.560 --> 00:09:44.860 Veiled in flesh. 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:51.480 And that actually is a wonderful picture of this really important truth, which is that we don't climb up to God. 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:53.320 We can't. 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:55.720 We aren't capable of reaching God. 00:09:55.779 --> 00:09:56.899 We don't climb up to him. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:09:59.860 He has stepped down to us. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:08.899 And that means that whoever you are, wherever you're from, whatever you've done, however you feel about yourself, 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:18.419 if you are a human being, then in his humanity, by coming as the baby Jesus, God has drawn near to you. 00:10:18.959 --> 00:10:21.360 By becoming precisely what you are. 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:24.100 It's a remarkable truth. 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:26.840 It's the mystery of the incarnation. 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:33.079 But that incarnation, Jesus is coming, it had a real purpose. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:37.279 C.S. Lewis, famous writer, C.S. Lewis put that purpose like this. 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:44.500 The son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God. 00:10:45.579 --> 00:10:52.959 The son of man became, sorry, the son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God. 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:56.339 And that takes us into verse three, which is the message of reconciliation. 00:10:56.759 --> 00:10:57.779 So look at verse three. 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.559 Hail the heaven born prince of peace. 00:11:02.579 --> 00:11:06.879 Ben and Bethany read that classic Christmas passage from Isaiah chapter nine. 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:11.159 Written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, promising that he would be born. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:20.059 That he would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:24.460 And peace here in the Bible is a really rich word. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:28.639 It means so much more than just like the absence of conflict or something like that. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:32.639 It is a wholeness, a harmony, a justice. 00:11:32.860 --> 00:11:38.879 At its heart, I think peace is the experience of a restored relationship with the God who created us. 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:41.600 In other words, it's being reconciled to him. 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:46.480 And this verse proclaims that message, the message of reconciliation. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:52.340 It's what the angels are announcing in Luke's gospel when they say to the shepherds, peace on earth. 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:54.700 That's not a random word of celebration. 00:11:55.580 --> 00:12:02.279 It's an announcement that the eternal king has come so that humanity might be reconciled to him. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:04.100 That's good news. 00:12:04.759 --> 00:12:06.519 It's cause for great joy. 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:08.539 And it's for all people. 00:12:09.699 --> 00:12:18.460 The carol continues, hail the son of righteousness, light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:23.980 That's another image from one of the prophets, the kind of lesser known, I guess, than Isaiah. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.720 That's from Malachi, also writing hundreds of years earlier where Malachi said, 00:12:28.819 --> 00:12:33.620 the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in his wings. 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:36.879 It's another title for the promised Messiah for Jesus. 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:42.240 The one who will come to bring light and life and healing. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:44.940 Again, that's Jesus's purpose in the world. 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:46.100 It's reconciliation. 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:50.320 So the carol says, mild he lays his glory by. 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:51.279 He stepped down. 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:52.500 He came to us. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:53.279 Why? 00:12:53.919 --> 00:12:57.580 Well, he was born that man no more may die. 00:12:58.539 --> 00:13:00.940 Born to raise the sons of earth. 00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:03.980 Born to give them second birth. 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:05.240 That is the heart of it all. 00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:06.520 Why was Jesus born? 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:07.720 To raise us. 00:13:07.900 --> 00:13:15.280 As C.S. Lewis put it, so that the son of God became man, so that men might become sons of God. 00:13:15.420 --> 00:13:18.780 To reconcile us to the God who created us. 00:13:19.040 --> 00:13:22.840 So that we might be properly adopted into his family. 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:25.700 A God whom we've ignored. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.920 A God that we've lived as though he doesn't exist. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:30.440 As though he doesn't matter. 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:32.700 We do that in all sorts of ways. 00:13:33.040 --> 00:13:39.700 Not just in how we think about God or don't think about God, but also in how we treat what he's created. 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:42.680 In how we treat one another. 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:44.759 I do that. 00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:45.700 You do that. 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:47.900 We all do it. 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:50.080 And the Bible is really clear about this. 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:57.060 In Romans chapter 6 verse 23, Paul says that the wages of sin is death. 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:01.420 The consequences, and we see this all around us, don't we? 00:14:02.220 --> 00:14:06.520 The consequences for all of that is ultimately separation from God. 00:14:06.680 --> 00:14:07.520 It's death. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:09.820 Something that we all face. 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:14.259 And so we really need the reconciliation that this carol announces. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:17.200 Back in verse 1 it was previewed. 00:14:17.280 --> 00:14:20.000 God and sinners reconciled. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:20.960 I need that. 00:14:21.660 --> 00:14:23.000 And you need that too. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:26.620 And it's because of what Jesus came to do. 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:30.360 Because he paid the price for that for us. 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.759 He was born to die, the carol says. 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:36.840 So that you and I, though we will still die, of course we will still die. 00:14:36.900 --> 00:14:40.660 But if we trust him, then all of our sin can be forgiven. 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:45.039 And we can be reconciled to the God who loves us and created us. 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:46.799 Paul continues in Romans chapter 6. 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:47.100 He says, 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:48.559 The wages of sin is death. 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:54.360 But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:14:55.079 --> 00:14:56.419 And that can be true today. 00:14:56.419 --> 00:15:03.799 So that one day, like him, like Jesus, our death will simply be the doorway into another life. 00:15:05.479 --> 00:15:07.839 I want to take you to another train station. 00:15:07.939 --> 00:15:09.079 This time it's Harry Potter. 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:13.259 If you know the story, this is a massive spoiler, by the way, but it came out 20 years ago. 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:15.639 So I guess it's not that big of a spoiler. 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:18.919 But in the last Harry Potter book, Harry sort of dies. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:23.080 And there's this scene which is in something like a train station. 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:25.840 Harry meets Dumbledore, who is his headmaster. 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:27.759 And Dumbledore is also dead. 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:30.080 And Dumbledore presents Harry with a choice. 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:31.240 He says, 00:15:31.299 --> 00:15:33.120 You can go back to the land of the living. 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:34.720 He's not really dead yet. 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:37.200 Let's call it a near-death experience for Harry. 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:38.159 He can go back. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:40.860 Or he can board a train. 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:42.399 And Harry asks, 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:43.600 Where's the train going? 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:45.840 And Dumbledore just says, 00:15:46.180 --> 00:15:46.480 On. 00:15:47.899 --> 00:15:49.500 See, for the Christian, 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:54.000 this life is a bit like a train station at Christmas time. 00:15:54.060 --> 00:15:54.740 It's pretty chaotic. 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:55.879 It's windy. 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:56.440 It's cold. 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:57.080 It's dark. 00:15:57.259 --> 00:15:58.360 And we're waiting. 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:04.940 Really, we're waiting to board the train that's going to take us on to our eternal home. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:09.720 In the first Harry Potter book, Dumbledore has another nugget of wisdom about death 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.040 when he says to the well-organized mind, 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.860 Death is but the next great adventure. 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:17.700 And look, Harry Potter is just a piece of fiction. 00:16:17.800 --> 00:16:20.840 That is not like an accurate picture of death and eternal life. 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:24.639 But it is absolutely true that because of what Jesus has done, 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:27.840 the Christian can sing about Jesus, 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.720 that he was born that man no more may die. 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:35.320 Not because we won't die a normal death. 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:36.060 Of course we will. 00:16:36.160 --> 00:16:37.960 But because for us, if we trust him, 00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:39.560 death is just the next great adventure. 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:43.019 Really, death is just boarding the train home. 00:16:44.300 --> 00:16:48.080 You know, when I was in Glasgow Central that cold Friday afternoon, 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:51.480 I was so sure I'd heard something about the Fort William train. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:53.040 I took my headphones out. 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:54.139 What did I miss? 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:56.160 Departure boards aren't updating. 00:16:56.680 --> 00:16:59.000 I had no idea what platform I needed to get to. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:01.340 And my train was due to leave in two minutes' time. 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:05.299 That was when I felt a hand on my shoulder. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:08.559 And it was someone that I had known from back home. 00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:11.000 I didn't actually know them that well, but they'd recognized me. 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.180 I think they must have seen me take my headphones out 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:14.000 and seen me panicking. 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:16.440 And they had heard the announcement. 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:19.240 It turned out our platform had changed. 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:20.099 It wasn't canceled. 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:23.619 I only made it to that train because someone else was listening. 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:28.099 And they pointed me in the right direction to the train home. 00:17:28.099 --> 00:17:30.099 And, you know, it sounds ridiculous, 00:17:30.219 --> 00:17:32.519 but that is exactly the same as my story of faith. 00:17:33.579 --> 00:17:36.359 It took one man taking me out for a coffee 00:17:36.359 --> 00:17:39.339 and pointing me to the Christmas story, 00:17:39.639 --> 00:17:41.699 to Jesus and what he's done, 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:43.919 showing me the way to eternal life. 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:46.199 And that changed everything for me. 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:49.000 This is just how it works. 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:50.099 If you're a Christian here today, 00:17:50.159 --> 00:17:52.619 then I guess your story is pretty similar to that too. 00:17:52.659 --> 00:17:53.500 It might have been one person. 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:55.319 It might have been a few people over many years. 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:56.859 But it was a hand on your shoulder. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:59.399 Someone to tell you, 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:01.339 Jesus is the way to eternal life. 00:18:01.419 --> 00:18:02.500 He's the train home. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:04.460 That's my story. 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:06.639 If that's not your story, 00:18:06.700 --> 00:18:07.939 it could be yours too. 00:18:08.919 --> 00:18:10.059 Even now, tonight, 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:12.419 this is the most incredible gift 00:18:12.419 --> 00:18:13.700 that is on offer here tonight, 00:18:13.779 --> 00:18:15.220 the gift of eternal life. 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:17.299 Do you know every year, 00:18:17.439 --> 00:18:20.839 there are 250 million pounds worth of gift vouchers 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:22.740 bought in the UK that go unclaimed. 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:26.639 250 million pounds not claimed, 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:29.859 gifts given and not properly received. 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:32.839 Don't miss this gift tonight. 00:18:34.199 --> 00:18:35.759 Don't miss this announcement. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:38.899 This could be your hand on the shoulder moment. 00:18:39.199 --> 00:18:40.779 All I'm really doing is standing here 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:42.319 and pointing to that train to Jesus 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:43.419 and saying, 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:44.559 are you going to get the train home? 00:18:45.159 --> 00:18:46.299 Are you coming with us? 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:48.740 Would you board that train? 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:52.220 See, that's what Hark the Herald Angels Sing does. 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:53.940 By the end of the carol, 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:55.200 the angels, they've done their job. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:56.480 Their message has been delivered. 00:18:57.859 --> 00:18:58.960 God has come near 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:00.900 in the mystery of the incarnation. 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:03.200 Peace has begun 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.000 with the message of reconciliation. 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:06.599 And you know, 00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:07.839 this carol doesn't just ask us 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:08.559 if we've understood. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.579 It's not an information download. 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:12.180 It's asking us if we'll respond. 00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:13.720 Do you see how quickly 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:15.900 the carol moves from Hark to Hale? 00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:18.480 Because hearing the announcement 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:19.579 is really only the beginning. 00:19:21.099 --> 00:19:22.640 Praise is what happens 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.660 when we realize this message is for me. 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:26.440 And it's good news 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:27.940 of great joy 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:29.500 for all people. 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:31.059 So tonight, 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:32.799 the invitation isn't just to enjoy 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:33.779 this familiar song 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:34.799 as we sing it together. 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:36.640 But would you move 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.019 from hearing about Christ 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:39.180 to welcoming him 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:41.319 to accepting this gift 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:42.400 of eternal life? 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:43.700 And that means that 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:44.420 however you feel 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:45.620 about going home this Christmas, 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:46.819 maybe you're excited for it, 00:19:46.819 --> 00:19:47.599 maybe it's a sad 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:48.980 or disappointing thing for you, 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:49.879 but the promise 00:19:49.879 --> 00:19:51.740 of an eternal home 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:53.939 will fulfill all of those longings 00:19:53.939 --> 00:19:55.099 perfectly and completely 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:55.639 and forever 00:19:55.639 --> 00:19:57.179 if you'll just get on this train home. 00:19:58.039 --> 00:19:59.740 That's what Jesus will do for you. 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:01.279 And then you can join 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:02.359 as the angels sing, 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:04.480 joyful all ye nations rise, 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:07.159 join the triumph of the skies 00:20:07.159 --> 00:20:09.200 with the angelic host proclaim, 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:12.400 Christ is born in Bethlehem. 00:20:13.120 --> 00:20:13.559 Hark, 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:15.019 the herald angels sing, 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:16.440 glory 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:17.360 to 00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:18.640 the newborn king. 00:20:19.360 --> 00:20:20.460 Let me pray for us 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:21.420 before we sing together. 00:20:27.420 --> 00:20:28.140 Heavenly Father, 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:29.220 I thank you so much 00:20:29.220 --> 00:20:30.380 for the wonderful gift 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:31.080 of your son 00:20:31.080 --> 00:20:31.920 to us. 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:34.480 Lord, 00:20:34.539 --> 00:20:35.340 I thank you that 00:20:35.340 --> 00:20:37.000 as you came to us 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:38.000 in the person of Jesus 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:39.500 and as you promised 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:41.140 eternal life in him, 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:43.839 we might come to you now 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:45.400 because you've come to us. 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:47.200 Lord, 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:48.599 I pray that you would help us all 00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:51.059 to bow before Jesus, 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:52.859 to adore Jesus now, 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:54.880 but above all, 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:56.079 to know that he is 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:57.000 the way home. 00:20:58.680 --> 00:20:59.160 Lord, 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:00.480 I pray that you would be fulfilling 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:01.319 all the longings 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:02.599 of our hearts this Christmas 00:21:02.599 --> 00:21:03.880 as we look to him 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:05.760 and nowhere else 00:21:05.760 --> 00:21:07.500 for those to be fulfilled. 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:09.740 In Jesus' name, 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:10.460 Amen.