WEBVTT

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 Are we here? Are we here? Are we awake? Are we Christmasing?

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 Are we excited about Christmas? Are we sure?

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 Are you sure? I only see like four Christmas jumpers, so I don't believe you.

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 My last week of college, I've had a week of a preaching module,

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 and there's two really important things I've learned this week.

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 One was never tell personal stories, and the other was always have three points.

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 So I'm going to start today with a personal story, and I've only got one point to tell you.

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 Is that all right? Sound good?

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 However, it might take me a while to tell you this story and the one point.

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 When I was a kid, Christmas was awesome.

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 I'd wait for Christmas Day from the start of Advent like I now wait for payday.

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 The anticipation, the things I'm going to get.

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 The food, the things I'm going to get.

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 The family gatherings, the things I'm going to get.

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 As you can imagine, I fully understood what Christmas was really about.

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 There was also the pinnacle, the climax of Christmas.

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 That's right, the most precious bit that we must never forget about Christmas.

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 The after-dinner present.

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 The present.

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 Did anyone have this in your family?

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 Did any of your parents ever talk to you like this?

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 You'd open all your presents in the morning, and then you'd realize one is missing.

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 And you'd wait for the rest of the day.

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 When is this present coming?

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 My family did that to me all the time.

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 There's no novelty socks.

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 It wasn't the boxes or the link set that, you know, if you go to a charity shop in January,

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 if you want to stock up on soaps for the rest of your year, that's where you'll find them.

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 It was the after-dinner gift, the big one.

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 The one that made your year the year of the Lord's favor.

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 You know?

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 That present.

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 One Christmas, I had a dream.

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 God slash Santa interchangeable when I was a kid was bringing me a Sega Mega Drive.

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 Yeah?

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 Anybody?

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 Who knows what a Sega Mega Drive is?

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 Yeah, the rest of you, I'm so sorry.

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 Those people who put their hands up, they know.

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 For the 90s, that was the thing to have.

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 The dream.

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 Anyway, the day was in full swing.

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 Christmas dinner was on the table.

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 I'd had all those other presents, you know, loving gifts and stuff.

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 Pre-recorded movies.

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 Once I got given a tape recording of a Take That album.

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 It's like, yeah, thanks.

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 Thanks, Uncle Derek.

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 I won't be talking to you again.

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 But, you know, the dinner was on the table.

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 The main presents coming, right?

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 This is what always happens.

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 Dessert came.

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 It's like, nothing is sweeter than Sonic the Hedgehog.

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 This is when it's going to happen.

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 This is when it's going to happen.

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 Dessert was finished.

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 I looked at my mum.

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 My dreams were getting shattered.

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 I said, Mother, where is the present?

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 She looked at me all innocent, playing the game.

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 Mother, show me you love me.

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 She, yeah.

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 Yeah.

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 I was a cheeky git at 29.

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 I mean, seven.

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 Seven.

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 Seven.

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 I didn't deserve it, but they brought out the gits.

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 My parents gave me the Sega Mega Drive.

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 Christmas was saved.

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 Jesus was alive.

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 You know, all that kind of stuff.

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 No hell, no hell.

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 You know, it was great.

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 A ridiculous story, I know.

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 But isn't it funny how hope is so important to life, right?

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 I want us to think about the passage today, Isaiah 61.

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 And that's my one point today, is hope, okay?

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 I want us to think about hope.

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 For Israel, when this passage was written,

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 it was in a time where they needed a gift,

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 and a significant one.

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 They had every reason to be hopeless.

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 They were a people in exile.

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 Their glory faded.

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 Their promised land conquered.

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 Their God, their hope giver,

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 seemed had left them due to their disobedience.

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 Yet the prophet Isaiah had good news for them.

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 The year of the Lord's favor is coming.

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 God hasn't forgotten his promises.

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 The Messiah, the Savior, your Savior is coming.

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 You can imagine stirring up that little bit of hope

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 in an exiled people.

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 Shame they had to wait 700 years.

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 Do you ever notice that?

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 We often skip a bit of the Bible.

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 We read some of the prophecy,

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 and then we forget that there's quite a big gap

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 between some of these prophecies

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 and when they're fully fulfilled.

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 700 years Israel had to wait for Jesus.

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 Well, for us we know,

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 because we're good Christmas people,

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 670 years later,

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 a baby is born in a stable,

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 and he's called Jesus.

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 The Lord saves.

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 The greatest gift Israel could ever hope for.

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 But they would have to wait 30 more years,

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 and they would continue to wait,

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 as Jesus would truly embrace humanity,

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 being like us,

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 living, loving,

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 being humanity at its best.

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 We forget that bit as well.

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 But then imagine the scene.

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 Israel gathers to hear another sermon titled,

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 What did the Romans ever do for us?

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 And this unknown rabbi,

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 this manger baby,

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 now a man,

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 starts reading Isaiah 61,

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 in the midst of this very oppressed,

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 foreign-occupied,

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 broken Israel.

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 In Luke 16 we see this.

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 Jesus uses the passage to declare,

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 God is still with them.

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 He's finally activated this rescue plan.

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 The Messiah,

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 as he declares,

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 comes to bring good news,

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 to bind up the brokenhearted,

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 proclaim liberty and freedom.

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 The year of the Lord's favour,

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 it's actually come.

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 The wait is over.

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 Your hopes of God's salvation has come.

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 Good news, right?

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 Good news for them.

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 Great news for us.

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 Israel, though they didn't deserve it,

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 were given first refusal,

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 on God's master plan of salvation.

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 This oppressed, broken people,

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 would receive comfort,

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 the oil of gladness,

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 instead of mourning.

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 Beauty,

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 where for 700 years,

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 they have only known ashes and defeat.

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 And this seed of Abraham,

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 through the shoot of Jesse,

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 would become oaks of righteousness,

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 showing the world,

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 God is here.

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 But this salvation would come,

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 in a way that they could never have predicted.

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 Even though the very same prophet,

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 declared that this Messiah,

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 would be the suffering servant,

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 they expected a warrior king.

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 Redemption wouldn't come,

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 in conquering the Romans,

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 and establishing a little empire.

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 No, it would come with God being human.

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 Becoming human himself.

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 Restoring humanity,

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 from within it.

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 And saving the whole world.

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 Israel was right to put their place,

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 Israel was right to put their hope,

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 in this God.

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 God.

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 Because this God,

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 is a big God.

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 Who not only,

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 planned to redeem Israel,

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 but always planned to redeem,

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 humanity.

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 All of it.

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 But to do that,

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 he needed to deal with the cause,

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 of their need for saving.

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 So Jesus came,

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 to be conquered,

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 to be defeated,

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 and experienced death.

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 The consequence of our sin,

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 placed on him,

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 on that cross.

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 So that in his being broken,

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 the broken could be healed.

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 In his losing freedom,

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 we would find it.

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 And in his death and resurrection,

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 we would receive,

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 the greatest gift.

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 Salvation,

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 and right relationship,

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 with our creator.

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 What more could we hope for?

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 Definitely better,

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 than a Sega Mega Drive.

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 This is the thing,

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 about Christmas.

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 We can so easily forget,

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 when the Coca-Cola adverts,

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 start kicking in.

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 And the shops,

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 fill with Easter eggs,

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 because we've had Christmas stuff,

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 since Halloween.

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 That little baby,

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 Jesus,

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 in our nativity scenes,

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 and Christmas cards,

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 is the Messiah.

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 God's rescue plan,

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 who,

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 whilst we get caught up,

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 singing Michael,

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 Michael Blue Bay songs,

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 I can't even speak that name.

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 Bublé.

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 Bublé.

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 I care if I say that one.

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 Has given the world,

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 salvation.

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 He's given the world,

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 salvation.

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 This little baby,

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 in a stable,

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 little baby in a manger,

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 becomes a man.

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 He's lived humanity.

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 He's redeeming humanity.

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 And he's offering it to us.

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 So this Christmas,

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 in the midst of the madness,

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 whilst all the presents,

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 are being open,

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 and the excitement levels are high,

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 find time to remember,

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 and give thanks,

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 that baby Jesus,

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 became man Jesus,

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 through whom you and I,

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 can have what he declared.

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 Freedom,

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 from the power of fear,

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 and oppression,

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 from sin,

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 and death.

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 Healing,

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 of our relationships,

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 the ultimate one,

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 between us and God,

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 but also between each other.

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 And peace,

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 to live in the now,

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 knowing,

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 that the present,

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 and the future,

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 is in God's hands.

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 That he is with you,

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 Emmanuel,

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 in his spirit.

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 And when you hope,

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 and when you put your hope,

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 in him,

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 that hope,

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 will never be misplaced.

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 So I challenge you this Christmas,

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 don't stick to the baby.

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 Remember,

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 the baby was always,

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 to become the man.

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 And it's through that man,

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 that human,

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 God,

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 perfection,

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 that we're alive,

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 and will be alive,

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 with God forever.

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 Amen?