WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.519 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:32.840 Today's scripture texts are taken from the prophet Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 20, 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:40.159 the prophet Zechariah, chapter 2, verse 13, the gospel of Matthew, chapter 1, verses 18 to 25, 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:45.640 and from the second epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 9, as printed in the liturgy. 00:00:46.620 --> 00:00:49.420 A reading from the prophets Habakkuk and Zechariah. 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:53.740 Zechariah, Habakkuk, the Lord is in his holy temple. 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:57.120 Let all the earth be silent before him. 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:05.099 Zechariah, be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling. 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:11.280 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:15.280 Gospel reading, a reading from the gospel according to Matthew. 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:20.560 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:28.640 His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:36.200 Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:38.819 he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 00:01:39.780 --> 00:01:44.740 But after he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 00:01:44.739 --> 00:01:53.099 Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 00:01:54.039 --> 00:02:00.439 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. 00:02:01.199 --> 00:02:04.340 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet. 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:12.180 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. 00:02:13.219 --> 00:02:18.780 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:25.539 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son, and he gave him the name Jesus. 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:28.580 This is the gospel of the Lord. 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:30.439 Praise to you, O Christ. 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:33.980 New Testament reading from the second epistle to the Corinthians. 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:38.000 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:38.619 --> 00:02:46.239 Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. 00:02:46.799 --> 00:02:48.120 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:49.719 Thanks be to God. 00:03:03.979 --> 00:03:06.119 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:17.039 This past week, I went to the dentist's office, and I sat down in the chair, and what did I hear playing on the radio? 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:18.039 But these words, 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:20.060 Oh, come let us adore him. 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:21.839 Oh, come let us adore him. 00:03:21.899 --> 00:03:25.399 Oh, come let us adore him, Christ the Lord. 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:33.040 And I'm sitting there thinking, is anyone else, like cleaning teeth or having their teeth cleaned, hearing what I'm hearing right now? 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:40.640 And it's hard to adore Christ when you have pickaxes and drills, you know, in your mouth. 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:47.059 But then the next song comes on, and it's, Oh, come, oh, come Emmanuel. 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:51.519 And I'm like, is anyone hearing the words of this song right now? 00:03:51.579 --> 00:03:59.779 And I was waiting for Hark the Herald Angels Sing, followed by Joy to the World, just kind of tracking through our entire sermon series this month. 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:06.420 And I never really heard it, but it's probably because I had a dissociative experience there at the dentist. 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:07.960 I don't love going to the dentist's office. 00:04:08.819 --> 00:04:16.720 I was a little concerned about keeping my mouth opened and, you know, the gum sensitivity and tooth sensitivity and all that. 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:24.360 But I was thinking to myself, this is why we're preaching this sermon series, because these carols of Christmas are everywhere, right? 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:25.480 They're at the dentist's office. 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:27.560 They're at the shopping mall. 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:28.699 They're at the grocery store. 00:04:28.699 --> 00:04:35.319 They are on 96.5 KOIT since, I think, about September is when they began. 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:42.500 Of course, not everyone's listening to these songs, and even those who are listening, not everyone knows what they mean. 00:04:43.219 --> 00:04:48.339 And so we're looking at these carols that we know the best but perhaps understand the least, 00:04:48.919 --> 00:04:54.459 because every year at this time we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with these beautiful carols. 00:04:54.459 --> 00:05:03.239 But how many of us really see the depth of the gospel in these songs that have become perhaps overly familiar to us? 00:05:03.859 --> 00:05:07.759 And what are the truths that we're singing that make these carols so timeless? 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:21.360 So for me, one of the great traditions that has developed over the past 200 years is the singing of the carol Silent Night at Christmas Eve in a candlelight service. 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:27.099 Now, if there were to be an 11th commandment, I'm pretty confident it would be about this, 00:05:27.100 --> 00:05:32.020 that thou shalt sing Silent Night to candlelight on Christmas Eve. 00:05:33.820 --> 00:05:43.100 In 2011, the United Nations made a declaration that this carol, Silent Night, is an item of intangible cultural heritage. 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:52.280 It's been recorded by artists from every conceivable genre, including pop, punk, and yes, heavy metal. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:58.439 It's been sung by Bing Crosby, Boyz II Men, Annie Lennox, Sinead O'Connor. 00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:04.360 Basically, everyone has tried their hand at this simple three-chord melody that we're going to talk about today. 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:12.720 And Time Magazine concluded, on the basis of their copyright records, that this is the most popular Christmas song ever. 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:24.939 It's been translated into more than 300 languages, and God, in His wisdom, has used this carol in a way that transcends time and unites people across cultures. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:31.600 And I want to, because, you know, like half of our church is gone on Christmas Eve, I wanted to talk about this carol today. 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:34.740 Because most of you are, like, in other cities. 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:39.980 And I thought, well, let's talk about it today so that we can actually sing it before some of you hit the road. 00:06:40.379 --> 00:06:43.360 And we can have a little rehearsal for next Sunday night. 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:44.960 Does that sound good to you all? 00:06:45.400 --> 00:06:48.920 I'm going to read these familiar words of this poem, Silent Night. 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:51.660 And it's printed there for you and your liturgy. 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:53.079 We're going to sing it after this sermon. 00:06:53.079 --> 00:07:23.060 Silent Night. 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:23.740 Silent Night. 00:07:23.859 --> 00:07:24.439 Holy Night. 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:25.339 Son of God. 00:07:25.740 --> 00:07:26.979 Love's pure light. 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:32.459 Radiant beams from Thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace. 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:34.539 Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:36.659 Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. 00:07:37.639 --> 00:07:38.339 Silent Night. 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:39.000 Holy Night. 00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:39.939 Wondrous star. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:41.120 Lend Thy light. 00:07:41.539 --> 00:07:45.120 With the angels let us sing Alleluia to our King. 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:47.419 Christ the Savior is born. 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:50.099 Christ the Savior is born. 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:57.400 Now, I want to talk for a few minutes about the Holy Infant, the Heavenly Savior, and the Gracious Redeemer. 00:07:58.320 --> 00:08:02.140 The Holy Infant, the Heavenly Savior, and the Gracious Redeemer. 00:08:02.260 --> 00:08:03.800 First of all, the Holy Infant. 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:12.600 And to talk about the Holy Infant, I want to provide a little bit of historical background to this carol and put the text of this poem into context for you. 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:23.500 I want you to imagine the majesty of the snow-capped Austrian Alps near the city of Salzburg in the year 1816. 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:33.539 And I want you to imagine the working class people in and around Salzburg living by the sweat of their brow in the salt mines of that region. 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:35.620 This was the main occupation of these people. 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:44.779 And I want you to remember that the Napoleonic Wars from 1803 to 1815 had devastated this area. 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:55.939 So if you're planning on going to see Ridley Scott's new film, Over the Holiday, you can just imagine these cannonballs of this military commander played by Joaquin Phoenix. 00:08:56.740 --> 00:09:01.339 You can imagine his cannonballs just ripping through the homes of these working class people. 00:09:02.339 --> 00:09:05.879 And causing the one bridge of their town to collapse. 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:11.360 And many, many people dying as these foreign soldiers invaded that place. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:21.480 And as is typical during wartime, an economic depression followed and crowds of children, we're told, were going from house to house as beggars. 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:27.580 So you've got a picture of a not-so-silent night forming in your minds. 00:09:28.800 --> 00:09:31.680 These Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815. 00:09:31.680 --> 00:09:40.460 That same year, Mount Timbura in Indonesia erupted, pumping enough ash in the air to mask the sun, 00:09:40.460 --> 00:09:44.860 which caused global temperatures to drop one to two degrees Fahrenheit. 00:09:45.180 --> 00:09:49.320 So that the year 1816 was called the year without a summer. 00:09:50.160 --> 00:09:52.160 It was called the dark year. 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:57.480 And this resulted in crop failures and widespread famine and hunger. 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:02.639 Add to that, the river that flowed through this area, the River Salzak, 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:07.460 regularly overflowed its banks and destroyed people's homes with its floodwaters. 00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:13.240 In fact, the original church where this carol was first sung is no longer there because of flooding. 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.660 And so, as you can imagine, all these events piling up on top of one another, 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:22.100 it was causing the spark of hope to die out among the people. 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:25.320 People were absolutely demoralized. 00:10:26.400 --> 00:10:30.740 There's nothing calm and bright about this moment. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:33.800 There's nothing tender and mild about their lives. 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:36.639 There's no one is sleeping in heavenly peace. 00:10:38.459 --> 00:10:43.519 So, the reason I bring this up is to ask the question, how do we deal with that? 00:10:44.539 --> 00:10:49.759 How do we deal with these kind of bleak circumstances as Christians? 00:10:51.359 --> 00:10:55.899 Well, I kind of thought, you know, the last four or five years have been hard as a pastor. 00:10:55.899 --> 00:11:03.379 But, man, I'm sorry for ever complaining because can you imagine trying to shepherd a people, 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:10.419 a congregation through this level of disruption and insecurity and uncertainty and suffering? 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:18.139 In the midst of this terrible, traumatic time, there's this 24-year-old guy named Joseph Moore. 00:11:18.139 --> 00:11:24.080 And the way he dealt with the pain was he pinned the words to this carol. 00:11:25.059 --> 00:11:32.000 And the secret for him was that he meditated not on his situation, but he meditated on something else. 00:11:32.059 --> 00:11:33.819 He meditated on the Scriptures. 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:36.960 He meditated not on his situation. 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:39.399 He meditated on the Scriptures. 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:48.319 Corrie ten Boom, some of you know, was a Christian woman who hid Jews from the Nazis in Amsterdam. 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:50.299 She famously said this. 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:53.039 She said, if you look at the world, you'll be distressed. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:55.759 If you look within, you'll be depressed. 00:11:56.579 --> 00:11:58.939 If you look at God, you'll be at rest. 00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:01.980 You might want to learn that this Christmas. 00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:04.919 If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:08.019 If you look within, you'll be depressed. 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:12.379 If you look at God, you'll be at rest. 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:18.779 Joseph Moore, the pastor who wrote this carol, he was the son of a poor, unwed mother. 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:20.340 He never knew his father. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:27.139 They were so destitute that the town executioner was the only person who would agree to be his godfather. 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:30.220 He's kind of had a rough life. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:37.460 He's looking around at all the salt mines and the war and recession and cold and famine and floods. 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:41.580 And how does he respond to all of this trouble and all of this pain? 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:43.759 Well, he opens his Bible. 00:12:44.820 --> 00:12:50.139 And he sets his mind not on earthly things that are temporary, but on heavenly things that are eternal. 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:54.680 He sets his mind not on what's passing, but on what is permanent. 00:12:54.679 --> 00:13:06.579 And I say all this to just urge you to learn this skill of Christian meditation, to learn this skill of meditating on Scripture and on the God whose Scripture reveals. 00:13:07.699 --> 00:13:11.439 Because what does Joseph Moore focus his mind and his attention on? 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:16.679 Well, he locks himself in to this holy knight and this holy infant. 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:24.699 Now, of course, he knew like all of us that there were aspects of the Messiah's coming that were not silent at all. 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:28.500 He's not saying that this night was completely silent. 00:13:28.699 --> 00:13:36.759 Of course, you know, if any of you have ever gone through childbirth or been with someone when they've been going through childbirth, it's not silent. 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:40.579 That's not what was going on at Jesus' birth. 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:53.759 But at some point, that first Christmas night, this hungry, tired, fussy infant nursed in the arms of his mother and fell asleep in heavenly peace. 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:56.940 And at some point, everything was silent. 00:13:58.540 --> 00:14:07.140 And I'm not sure what was on Joseph Moore's mind, but two prophetic texts occurred to me this week, and we read them just a moment ago. 00:14:07.139 --> 00:14:09.799 Habakkuk 2, the prophet Habakkuk says, 00:14:09.939 --> 00:14:11.500 The Lord is in his holy temple. 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:14.580 Let all the earth keep silence before him. 00:14:15.939 --> 00:14:17.840 The prophet Zechariah says, 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:22.100 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he roused himself. 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:25.480 He has roused himself from his holy dwelling. 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:35.360 These two prophets of ancient Israel are summoning all the people of the world to a hushed and awed and reverent silence 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:43.060 before the Lord who's in his holy temple and before the Lord who's rousing himself to deliver his people. 00:14:44.419 --> 00:14:50.139 And I think Joseph Moore seems to be meditating on the fact that on this night, 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:55.480 this holy Lord has come down to us from his holy temple. 00:14:55.480 --> 00:15:02.300 He's rousing himself from his holy dwelling on this holy night in the person of this holy infant. 00:15:02.299 --> 00:15:04.500 And I want us to think about that. 00:15:04.579 --> 00:15:06.339 What does it mean to be holy? 00:15:07.719 --> 00:15:09.679 To be holy means to be set apart. 00:15:10.719 --> 00:15:13.819 To be holy means to be utterly unique and different. 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:17.459 To be holy means to be spiritually and morally whole. 00:15:18.439 --> 00:15:20.919 Now this is going to come as a surprise to some of you, 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:24.539 but when I was born, no one called me a holy infant. 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:28.299 We have a baby boom. 00:15:29.199 --> 00:15:30.259 It's so wonderful. 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:30.879 It's happening. 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:33.599 Like every week at this church, there's a new baby born. 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:39.439 And as adorable as they are, no one could call these infants holy infants. 00:15:40.719 --> 00:15:45.779 When I came into the world, my birth did not solve any major historical or cosmic problem. 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:51.819 In fact, my arrival on planet earth only increased and complicated the problem. 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:56.660 But here on this holy night is a holy infant. 00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:01.440 The Gospel of Matthew says that Mary is pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:05.980 And what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 00:16:06.920 --> 00:16:15.379 This Holy Spirit-conceived holy infant is what the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 calls the last Adam. 00:16:15.940 --> 00:16:17.360 The final Adam. 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:18.820 The ultimate Adam. 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:26.180 And as we know, in Genesis 3, Adam became spiritually and morally corrupted. 00:16:26.300 --> 00:16:33.180 He defiled himself and became unholy because he thought that he knew better than God. 00:16:33.280 --> 00:16:38.720 He thought that he could live without God at the center and with himself at the center. 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:45.160 In our first Adam, he fell spiritually and morally from a very great height 00:16:45.159 --> 00:16:51.199 so that all the sons of Adam and all the daughters of Eve have been living ever since then 00:16:51.199 --> 00:16:57.360 in a fallen condition far below God's design and intention for us. 00:16:58.500 --> 00:16:59.799 But we're not focused on that. 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:07.539 What we're focused on in this carol is that here in this holy infant is the ultimate Adam. 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:13.460 Here is this one who is set apart as spiritually and morally whole. 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:19.319 And he is the new beginning of the human race. 00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:29.779 His birth, his coming into the world, his presence is God's solution to the fundamental problem of this world. 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:36.759 His being here means that all that's wrong with our world, all that was wrong in Austria in the 19th century, 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:41.500 all that's wrong in America in the 21st century, all that was wrong in Joseph Moore's life 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:44.500 and in the congregation of St. Nicholas Church in his little village, 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:48.859 all that's wrong in my life and in our little congregation here at Christ Church, 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:54.899 all that is wrong is going to be put right by this holy infant. 00:17:54.900 --> 00:18:00.840 And so when we sing, all is calm, all is bright, 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:05.759 we're not just describing what's happening in that particular room on that particular night 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:10.620 as this holy infant sleeps in the arms of his beloved mother. 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:17.680 Rather, we are proclaiming what God intends to do through this holy infant 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:21.360 on both a personal and a cosmic level. 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:27.439 That this holy infant has come to reclaim his whole creation 00:18:27.439 --> 00:18:31.439 and to make it calm and bright and tender and mild. 00:18:32.479 --> 00:18:38.139 This holy infant has come to take all that is conflicted in your relationship with God 00:18:38.139 --> 00:18:39.919 and turn it into calm. 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:45.539 He's come to take all that is dark in your heart and make it bright. 00:18:45.539 --> 00:18:53.099 This holy infant has come to take all that's tough in my character and to make it tender like him. 00:18:53.879 --> 00:19:00.559 He's come to take all that's harsh in me and in my attitudes and make it mild like him. 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:07.339 It's not just that this holy infant sleeps in heavenly peace on that first Christmas night 00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:10.500 as cute and cuddly as that might sound. 00:19:11.459 --> 00:19:21.339 It's that this holy infant came to reclaim his whole creation as a place of heavenly peace and heavenly rest. 00:19:22.619 --> 00:19:26.579 And so like these prophets Habakkuk and Zechariah, 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:30.259 silent night is an invitation to us. 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:37.400 It's an invitation to a hushed and an awed and a reverent silence before this holy infant 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:44.759 who's come to put the world to rights and come to put you and me back in a right relationship with God. 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:49.200 It's what we most needed was a holy infant. 00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:54.059 That's my longest point, okay? 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:55.140 So you can relax. 00:19:55.140 --> 00:19:58.160 I want to talk not only about this holy infant, 00:19:58.320 --> 00:20:00.700 but I also want to say a word about the heavenly Savior. 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:02.420 The heavenly Savior. 00:20:02.520 --> 00:20:03.440 This is stanza two. 00:20:03.540 --> 00:20:05.660 I want to focus on the last line where it says, 00:20:06.360 --> 00:20:07.500 Christ the Savior is born. 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:09.700 Christ the Savior is born. 00:20:09.780 --> 00:20:11.920 That comes from the Gospel of Luke chapter 2 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:13.400 where it says, 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:17.060 Today in the town of David a Savior is born to you. 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:19.180 He is the Messiah, the Lord. 00:20:20.320 --> 00:20:21.200 Now what does that mean? 00:20:22.100 --> 00:20:25.779 What does it mean that of all the gifts that God could have sent the human race, 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:29.360 the one thing He decided to send us was a Savior? 00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:32.620 What does that say about us? 00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:38.220 What does God think that we need to be saved from? 00:20:39.360 --> 00:20:42.539 And I want to turn your attention to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:45.860 because God there comes to Joseph in a dream 00:20:45.860 --> 00:20:48.380 and He reveals some truth to Joseph 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:51.080 and He says to Joseph in chapter 1 verse 20, 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:51.360 He says, 00:20:51.540 --> 00:20:55.300 Don't be afraid to take Mary home as your wife 00:20:55.300 --> 00:20:58.180 because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.660 She will give birth to a son 00:21:00.660 --> 00:21:03.100 and you are to give him the name Jesus. 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:09.020 Now that Greek name Jesus in Hebrew is Joshua 00:21:09.020 --> 00:21:10.340 or Yahshua, 00:21:10.600 --> 00:21:12.860 which means Yahweh saves. 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:14.959 And if you're a Jew, 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:15.939 you're thinking, 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:16.740 Well yes, 00:21:16.959 --> 00:21:18.459 this is what Yahweh has done. 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:21.259 Yahweh saved us from the Egyptians under Moses 00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:24.819 and Yahweh saved us from the Canaanites under Joshua 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:28.159 and Yahweh saved us from the Philistines under David. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:32.799 He's always saved us through a military warrior and hero. 00:21:32.939 --> 00:21:37.740 He's always come to us through a political leader and ruler to save us. 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:41.839 So if you're a first century Jew like Joseph and Mary, 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:47.180 what's the most obvious plight and problem that you need to be saved from? 00:21:47.740 --> 00:21:49.120 Well, it's the Romans. 00:21:50.620 --> 00:21:50.859 Right? 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:54.420 It's Caesar and his generals and his armies. 00:21:54.620 --> 00:21:58.380 So word about a new Joshua coming into the world 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:02.680 that finally Yahweh is going to send someone to save us from Rome. 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:06.200 He's going to send a freedom fighter to whip up on all of our enemies 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:09.460 and kick them out of the Holy Land and give us peace. 00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:13.799 He's going to overthrow this oppressive empire 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:17.299 just like he overthrew the Egyptians and the Canaanites and the Philistines. 00:22:17.600 --> 00:22:20.660 He's going to save us again from other people. 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:23.200 He's going to save us from the sins of others. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.920 But friends, the radical message of Christmas 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:31.779 is that God did send someone to save us from the plight 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:35.519 of an oppressive, imperial, occupying power. 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:39.080 But the painful message of Christmas 00:22:39.080 --> 00:22:41.779 is that that power that he came to save us from, 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:43.539 it's not outside of us. 00:22:44.740 --> 00:22:46.200 It's inside of us. 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:49.420 It's in our hearts and it's in our bones. 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:53.360 It's what the Gospel of Matthew and what Jesus himself calls sin. 00:22:54.820 --> 00:22:57.660 And I just want to read verse 21 again to you. 00:22:57.660 --> 00:22:57.920 It says, 00:22:58.100 --> 00:22:59.320 She will give birth to a son 00:22:59.320 --> 00:23:01.220 and you are to give him the name Jesus 00:23:01.220 --> 00:23:04.600 because he will save his people from their sins. 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:08.420 That's an old Greek word, hamartia. 00:23:09.480 --> 00:23:12.600 And when it's used by Homer and the Iliad and the Odyssey, 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:16.360 he's talking about throwing a spear but missing the mark, 00:23:17.040 --> 00:23:19.240 failing to hit the bullseye, 00:23:19.360 --> 00:23:20.820 falling short of your target. 00:23:21.800 --> 00:23:23.920 And in all those old Greek dramas, 00:23:24.080 --> 00:23:26.040 all the characters were written about, 00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:29.039 that all of them had some sort of hamartia. 00:23:29.139 --> 00:23:31.559 They had some sort of tragic error, 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:35.759 some fatal flaw where they were missing the mark of their humanity. 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:38.279 And what is that for us? 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:40.539 What is hamartia for us? 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:42.639 Well, to get at it, 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:45.500 I want to quote one of the great theologians of our time, 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:47.159 Taylor Swift. 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:51.900 You've heard me maybe quote her before, 00:23:52.340 --> 00:23:55.900 and she's got incredible insight in this song, Antihero. 00:23:56.100 --> 00:23:56.540 She says, 00:23:57.400 --> 00:23:59.620 I should not be left to my own devices. 00:24:00.600 --> 00:24:02.640 They come with prices and vices. 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:04.019 I end up in crisis. 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:06.940 I wake up screaming from dreaming. 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:09.100 One day I'll watch as you're leaving 00:24:09.100 --> 00:24:10.940 because you got tired of my scheming. 00:24:10.940 --> 00:24:12.580 And then here's the line. 00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:14.500 It's me. 00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:15.740 Hi. 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:17.480 I'm the problem. 00:24:18.140 --> 00:24:18.640 It's me. 00:24:19.620 --> 00:24:24.660 Now, I have no idea if she realizes 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:30.039 how close she has gotten to the Christian doctrine of sin. 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:33.779 But she's pretty much nailed it. 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:39.180 We were all of us made to hit the bullseye 00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:41.660 of loving God with all of our being. 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:45.639 We were made to have God at the very center of our lives. 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:48.139 We were made to find our deepest identity 00:24:48.139 --> 00:24:50.240 and our deepest value in our relationship 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:51.559 and our service to God. 00:24:52.399 --> 00:24:54.299 But we missed the mark. 00:24:54.460 --> 00:24:56.119 We failed to hit that target. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:59.819 We fall short of the glory of God. 00:24:59.819 --> 00:25:04.019 Sin is a word we need to kind of dust off 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:05.559 and redefine, isn't it? 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:08.859 Because sin is seeking to become yourself 00:25:08.859 --> 00:25:11.720 and getting your identity apart from God. 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:15.139 The ancient theologians used to say 00:25:15.139 --> 00:25:17.639 that we are homo incurvatus in se. 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:21.359 We are human beings curved in upon ourselves. 00:25:21.439 --> 00:25:22.740 That is to say we are people 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:25.539 who become desperately self-oriented 00:25:25.539 --> 00:25:27.019 and self-centered. 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:29.839 Or as Taylor has said so well, 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:32.519 it's me, hi, I'm the problem. 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:33.539 It's me. 00:25:34.099 --> 00:25:35.319 It's not out there. 00:25:35.500 --> 00:25:36.879 It's right here. 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:39.019 That's the miserable plight 00:25:39.019 --> 00:25:42.000 that Jesus came to save us from. 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:45.660 To be under the judgment of God. 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:48.200 To be cut off from the light 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:50.240 and the life and the love of God. 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:51.400 To die in your sins 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:53.160 without being forgiven by God. 00:25:53.259 --> 00:25:54.359 Without knowing God. 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:56.059 Without having hope in God. 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:57.500 That is the worst tragedy 00:25:57.500 --> 00:26:00.460 that could happen to a human being. 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:01.980 But in this carol we sing 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:04.619 Christ the Savior is born. 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:07.419 Christ the Savior is born. 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:09.720 And when we say that, 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:11.500 what we mean is that our creator 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:14.119 and our judge came to save us 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:15.579 from our sins. 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:17.119 Not the sins of other people. 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:20.599 And he came not conceived in a union 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:21.879 between a man and a woman 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:23.920 with his own inherited sins 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:25.080 to be atoned for. 00:26:26.080 --> 00:26:27.820 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit 00:26:27.820 --> 00:26:30.100 without the sins of fallen humanity. 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:32.580 Born to die as a pure, 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:34.440 unblemished sacrifice 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:36.520 for my sins 00:26:36.520 --> 00:26:38.300 and for your sins. 00:26:40.260 --> 00:26:42.820 As we say in the most famous verse 00:26:42.820 --> 00:26:43.520 in all the Bible, 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:44.960 for God so loved the world 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:46.680 that he gave his one and only Son, 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:49.100 that whoever believes in him 00:26:49.100 --> 00:26:50.039 shall not perish 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:51.840 but have eternal life. 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:53.620 He came to save us from perishing 00:26:53.620 --> 00:26:56.779 and to save us to eternal life. 00:26:58.360 --> 00:26:59.860 So, you with me so far? 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:02.060 We're singing about a holy infant. 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:05.640 We're singing about a heavenly Savior 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:06.960 who's come to save us, 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:08.620 not from other people, 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:10.360 but save us from us, right? 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:11.720 To save us from our sins. 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:13.420 And then lastly, 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:14.319 I want to talk about 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:15.799 the gracious Redeemer. 00:27:16.980 --> 00:27:17.759 Last few minutes, 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:18.600 I just want to talk about 00:27:18.600 --> 00:27:19.600 the gracious Redeemer. 00:27:19.700 --> 00:27:20.559 In stanza three, 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:24.059 I want to focus on that phrase, 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:25.880 the dawn of redeeming grace. 00:27:26.539 --> 00:27:28.759 With the dawn of redeeming grace, 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:30.180 what in the world does that mean? 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:31.160 We sing it. 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:32.680 What does it mean? 00:27:33.900 --> 00:27:35.600 Well, what happens at dawn? 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:38.680 What happened this morning at dawn? 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:42.259 After a long night of deep darkness, 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:44.680 the sun rises in the morning 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:45.680 with its radiant beams 00:27:46.360 --> 00:27:48.100 of pure light 00:27:48.100 --> 00:27:50.380 and it gives life to the world. 00:27:51.500 --> 00:27:52.720 And what this song is saying 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.320 is that the coming of the Son of God 00:27:54.320 --> 00:27:56.180 into the world is like that. 00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:57.039 He's the dawn. 00:27:57.960 --> 00:28:00.480 He's the sunrise of God's redeeming grace. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:02.920 Theologians talk about 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:05.840 God's eternal covenant of redemption 00:28:05.840 --> 00:28:08.160 or God's covenant of redeeming grace. 00:28:09.380 --> 00:28:10.200 And what that is 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:12.480 is that the three persons of the Trinity, 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:14.160 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:16.480 in eternity past, 00:28:16.560 --> 00:28:17.940 before the foundation of the world, 00:28:18.060 --> 00:28:20.039 they made a sworn commitment 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:21.259 each to the other 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:23.160 about what they were going to do 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:23.680 in the future. 00:28:24.860 --> 00:28:26.140 And I want us just to imagine, 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:27.420 before we sing this song, 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:28.240 I want you to imagine 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:29.460 how that commitment 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:31.820 between the three persons of the Trinity 00:28:31.820 --> 00:28:33.880 was made and agreed upon. 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:35.140 And here's how I imagine it 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:37.380 to have sounded. 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:40.620 The Father says to His Son, 00:28:40.660 --> 00:28:40.900 He says, 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:41.200 Son, 00:28:41.600 --> 00:28:43.980 I want to save 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:46.560 a great company of men and women. 00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:47.340 I want to save 00:28:47.340 --> 00:28:49.420 a great company of boys and girls 00:28:49.420 --> 00:28:50.340 from their sins 00:28:50.340 --> 00:28:52.740 and from the fallen race of humanity. 00:28:52.840 --> 00:28:54.440 I want to save 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:55.680 a great number of people. 00:28:55.779 --> 00:28:57.019 And it's going to require 00:28:57.019 --> 00:28:59.240 that someone goes down 00:28:59.240 --> 00:28:59.920 into the world, 00:29:00.060 --> 00:29:01.900 that someone perforates 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:03.380 into time and space, 00:29:03.380 --> 00:29:05.860 that someone becomes like Adam, 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:09.620 to do what Adam failed to do 00:29:09.620 --> 00:29:11.160 and to undo all the consequences 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:12.600 of what Adam did. 00:29:12.660 --> 00:29:13.160 My son, 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:14.660 will you, 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:16.800 will you do that? 00:29:17.940 --> 00:29:18.880 And Jesus says, 00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:19.680 I will, 00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:20.160 Father, 00:29:20.260 --> 00:29:21.300 I will. 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:23.640 And the Father says to Him, 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:23.860 well, 00:29:24.100 --> 00:29:24.760 you understand, 00:29:24.860 --> 00:29:25.240 my son, 00:29:25.300 --> 00:29:26.600 what that will mean. 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:28.559 You understand that 00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:29.379 you're going to become 00:29:29.379 --> 00:29:31.879 the target of satanic attack 00:29:31.879 --> 00:29:33.079 in a way that has never 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:33.859 been the case 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:36.259 with any man or woman before. 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:38.659 I understand, 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:39.599 Jesus says, 00:29:39.679 --> 00:29:41.079 I understand. 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:43.519 Will you understand that 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:45.240 you're going to have to obey 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:46.259 every facet 00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:47.199 and every detail 00:29:47.199 --> 00:29:48.500 of my word, 00:29:48.639 --> 00:29:50.339 every jot and tittle? 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:52.639 I understand, 00:29:52.939 --> 00:29:53.519 Jesus says. 00:29:54.679 --> 00:29:55.720 You understand that 00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:57.119 if you become 00:29:57.119 --> 00:29:58.720 the substitute for sinners, 00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:00.220 they're going to take you 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:02.019 and abuse you. 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:03.639 And they're going to 00:30:03.639 --> 00:30:04.959 nail you to a cross. 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:06.619 Do you understand that? 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:08.859 I understand, 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:09.919 Jesus says. 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:11.619 And do you understand, 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:12.039 my son, 00:30:12.059 --> 00:30:13.299 that I will have to be 00:30:13.299 --> 00:30:15.399 just in that moment, 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:16.539 that I will have to 00:30:16.539 --> 00:30:17.399 pour out my 00:30:17.399 --> 00:30:19.059 unmitigated wrath 00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:20.700 upon that sin 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:21.960 which you're going to 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:23.539 assume to yourself. 00:30:23.720 --> 00:30:25.220 You're going to cry out 00:30:25.220 --> 00:30:26.000 from your cross, 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:26.579 my God, 00:30:26.659 --> 00:30:27.139 my God, 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:29.579 why have you forsaken me? 00:30:29.659 --> 00:30:31.039 Do you understand that, 00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:32.019 my son? 00:30:33.159 --> 00:30:33.659 And he says, 00:30:33.779 --> 00:30:34.079 Father, 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:36.480 I understand that. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.679 And will you still become 00:30:39.679 --> 00:30:41.639 the savior of sinners? 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:42.779 Will you still become 00:30:42.779 --> 00:30:43.980 the gracious redeemer 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:45.220 of my people? 00:30:46.639 --> 00:30:47.119 Yes, 00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:48.059 Jesus says, 00:30:48.159 --> 00:30:48.500 yes, 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:50.159 I will. 00:30:51.899 --> 00:30:52.519 Why? 00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:54.220 The father asks. 00:30:55.500 --> 00:30:57.319 Because I love them, 00:30:59.159 --> 00:30:59.839 Jesus says. 00:31:00.639 --> 00:31:03.799 Because you love them. 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:05.139 That's why. 00:31:06.659 --> 00:31:09.700 That's the eternal covenant 00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:13.220 of God's redeeming grace. 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:13.319 grace. 00:31:14.319 --> 00:31:16.460 And here in the birth 00:31:16.460 --> 00:31:18.059 of Jesus Christ, 00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:19.140 God the father, 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:21.579 who is love itself, 00:31:22.480 --> 00:31:25.059 he's shining his radiant beams 00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:26.980 of pure light 00:31:26.980 --> 00:31:28.799 through his son, 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:29.200 Jesus. 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:30.740 Jesus is the incarnation 00:31:30.740 --> 00:31:31.920 and the embodiment 00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:33.779 of love's pure light. 00:31:34.660 --> 00:31:36.579 And his coming into the world 00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:37.440 is the dawn, 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:38.700 it's the sunrise 00:31:38.700 --> 00:31:40.640 of that eternal covenant 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:42.800 of God's redeeming grace. 00:31:42.800 --> 00:31:44.400 It's finally happening 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:46.360 here and now. 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.160 Jesus is the gracious redeemer. 00:31:51.280 --> 00:31:52.580 And this gracious redeemer, 00:31:53.060 --> 00:31:54.740 he is the true gift 00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:55.600 of Christmas. 00:31:55.820 --> 00:31:56.960 That's why we give gifts 00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:57.480 to one another 00:31:57.480 --> 00:31:59.500 because he's the gift. 00:31:59.500 --> 00:32:01.839 And there's nothing 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:02.640 more foolish 00:32:02.640 --> 00:32:04.579 than to turn away 00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:05.619 from this gift 00:32:05.619 --> 00:32:06.420 that God has given. 00:32:07.980 --> 00:32:08.759 But there's also 00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:10.380 nothing more liberating 00:32:10.380 --> 00:32:11.559 than to receive it, 00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:12.759 to live and to die 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:14.900 as one who's no longer 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:16.279 merely a sinner, 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:17.960 but one who's been saved 00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:18.660 from their sins 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:20.759 by God's redeeming grace. 00:32:20.859 --> 00:32:22.460 That's the priceless gift 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:23.640 of Christmas. 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:24.579 And I hope if you haven't 00:32:24.579 --> 00:32:25.720 received that gift, 00:32:26.619 --> 00:32:28.039 you receive it even today. 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:29.980 And that if you have 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:30.700 received that gift, 00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:33.099 that you would be so bold 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:34.339 as to share that gift 00:32:34.339 --> 00:32:35.700 with the people 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:36.819 that you love the most 00:32:36.819 --> 00:32:37.519 this Christmas. 00:32:40.059 --> 00:32:41.579 That's what Joseph Moore did 00:32:41.579 --> 00:32:42.639 on Christmas Eve, 00:32:43.859 --> 00:32:44.039 1818. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:47.440 He penned these words 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:49.619 a few years back 00:32:49.619 --> 00:32:50.539 and then he had his friend 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:51.519 Franz Gruber 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:53.039 set this poem 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:55.579 to a memorable tune 00:32:55.579 --> 00:32:56.720 and then on that night, 00:32:56.839 --> 00:32:57.460 Christmas Eve, 00:32:57.579 --> 00:32:58.199 1818, 00:32:58.419 --> 00:32:59.119 these two men 00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:01.699 gave these suffering villagers 00:33:01.699 --> 00:33:02.439 in Austria 00:33:02.439 --> 00:33:03.179 a Christmas gift 00:33:03.179 --> 00:33:04.460 they'd never forget. 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:06.379 They walked to 00:33:06.379 --> 00:33:07.579 Midnight Mass 00:33:07.579 --> 00:33:08.819 at St. Nicholas Church. 00:33:09.919 --> 00:33:10.559 After service, 00:33:10.619 --> 00:33:11.679 they pulled out a guitar, 00:33:11.939 --> 00:33:12.599 which nobody did 00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:13.119 in those days. 00:33:13.259 --> 00:33:14.279 The organ was broken. 00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:16.159 Pulled out their guitar 00:33:16.159 --> 00:33:17.220 and this tenor and bass 00:33:17.220 --> 00:33:18.659 sang this carol 00:33:18.659 --> 00:33:19.439 for the first time 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:20.960 and those notes 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:22.039 rang out that night 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:23.620 are still echoing 00:33:23.620 --> 00:33:25.320 across the world today 00:33:25.320 --> 00:33:25.960 all the way here 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:27.080 in Berkeley, California. 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:28.779 So, 00:33:28.940 --> 00:33:30.460 now that we understand 00:33:30.460 --> 00:33:31.000 a little more 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:33.259 about this holy infant 00:33:33.259 --> 00:33:34.759 and this heavenly Savior 00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:35.980 and this gracious Redeemer, 00:33:36.940 --> 00:33:37.660 you ready to sing 00:33:37.660 --> 00:33:38.660 to Him? 00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:40.720 Let's sing together 00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:41.480 and we'll just take 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:42.180 a moment of quiet 00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:46.100 and then when we're ready 00:33:46.100 --> 00:33:47.279 we'll offer this song 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:50.240 to the praise of God 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:50.940 in the name of the Father, 00:33:51.059 --> 00:33:51.839 Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:33:52.420 --> 00:33:52.700 Amen.