Robert T. Young - "Just a Simple Story" (December 21, 1980)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
("For Us a Child is Born") | 0:06 | |
("Laud We Thy Name") | 2:26 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 4:07 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 4:13 | |
♪ O praised be God ♪ | 4:21 | |
♪ All raise your voices ♪ | 4:27 | |
♪ Sing with thankful voices ♪ | 4:31 | |
♪ Thou, God, today ♪ | 4:42 | |
♪ Hast given us joy ♪ | 4:50 | |
♪ Hold fast to Him ♪ | 4:56 | |
♪ And praise His name eternal ♪ | 5:00 | |
(German Christmas hymn) | 5:53 | |
♪ O holy night ♪ | 7:50 | |
♪ The stars are brightly shining ♪ | 7:53 | |
♪ It is the night of the dear Savior's birth ♪ | 7:58 | |
♪ Long lay the world ♪ | 8:07 | |
♪ In sin and error pining ♪ | 8:11 | |
♪ Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth ♪ | 8:15 | |
♪ A thrill of hope ♪ | 8:22 | |
♪ A weary world rejoices ♪ | 8:25 | |
♪ For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn ♪ | 8:29 | |
♪ Fall on your knees ♪ | 8:35 | |
♪ O hear the angel voices ♪ | 8:42 | |
♪ O night, divine ♪ | 8:49 | |
♪ O night, when Christ was born ♪ | 8:54 | |
♪ O night, divine ♪ | 9:02 | |
♪ O night, O night divine ♪ | 9:08 | |
♪ Silent night, holy night ♪ | 9:31 | |
♪ Wondrous star from afar ♪ | 9:40 | |
♪ Guide the wise men as they bring ♪ | 9:48 | |
♪ Gifts of homage to our king ♪ | 9:56 | |
♪ Jesus Christ, our Lord ♪ | 10:03 | |
♪ Jesus Christ, our Lord ♪ | 10:11 | |
♪ Silent night, holy night ♪ | 10:23 | |
♪ Though we wake ♪ | 10:31 | |
♪ With the angels voice we sing ♪ | 10:38 | |
♪ Alleluias for our king ♪ | 10:45 | |
♪ Christ our Savior is born ♪ | 10:52 | |
♪ Jesus our Savior is born ♪ | 11:02 | |
♪ O come all ye faithful ♪ | 11:29 | |
♪ Joyful and triumphant ♪ | 11:33 | |
♪ O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem ♪ | 11:37 | |
♪ Come and behold Him ♪ | 11:46 | |
♪ Born the King of angels ♪ | 11:51 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 11:55 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 11:59 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 12:03 | |
♪ Christ the Lord ♪ | 12:08 | |
♪ Sing, choirs of angels ♪ | 12:13 | |
♪ Sing in exultation ♪ | 12:18 | |
♪ Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above ♪ | 12:22 | |
♪ Glory to God ♪ | 12:30 | |
♪ Glory in the highest ♪ | 12:34 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 12:38 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 12:43 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 12:47 | |
♪ Christ the Lord ♪ | 12:51 | |
♪ Yea, Lord, we greet Thee ♪ | 12:57 | |
♪ Born this happy morning ♪ | 13:01 | |
♪ Jesu, to Thee be glory given ♪ | 13:05 | |
♪ Word of the Father ♪ | 13:14 | |
♪ Now in flesh appearing ♪ | 13:17 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 13:21 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 13:26 | |
♪ O come let us adore Him ♪ | 13:30 | |
♪ Christ the Lord ♪ | 13:34 | |
♪ The heavens are declaring ♪ | 13:51 | |
♪ The Lord's endless glory ♪ | 13:54 | |
♪ Through all the earth ♪ | 14:00 | |
♪ His praise is found ♪ | 14:04 | |
♪ The seas re-echo the marvelous story ♪ | 14:09 | |
♪ O man, repeat that glorious sound ♪ | 14:16 | |
♪ The starry host He orders and measures ♪ | 14:23 | |
♪ He fills the morning's golden springs ♪ | 14:34 | |
♪ He wakes the sun ♪ | 14:40 | |
♪ From his night-cortain'd slumbers ♪ | 14:43 | |
♪ O man, adore the King of Kings ♪ | 14:49 | |
♪ O man, adore the King of Kings ♪ | 14:55 | |
♪ Hodie Christus natus est ♪ | 17:26 | |
♪ Hodie salvator apparuit ♪ | 17:37 | |
♪ Hodie in terra canunt angeli ♪ | 17:44 | |
♪ Laetentur archangeli ♪ | 17:55 | |
♪ Hodie exultent iusti ♪ | 18:01 | |
♪ Dicentes gloria in excelsis Deo ♪ | 18:11 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 18:17 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 18:22 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 18:27 | |
("O Come, O Come Emmanuel") | 18:40 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 22:28 | |
- | For it is the God who said, | 23:02 |
"Let light shine out of darkness," | 23:04 | |
who has shown in our hearts | 23:06 | |
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God | 23:08 | |
in the face of Christ. | 23:11 | |
To this God, who shines in our hearts today, | 23:13 | |
let us confess our sins and evil ways | 23:17 | |
to the end that we may obtain forgiveness | 23:20 | |
by the Lord's infinite goodness and mercy. | 23:22 | |
With great joy, we lift our hearts in praise, O God, | 23:28 | |
for the gift of your Son. | 23:33 | |
We join the throngs who hail your Son | 23:36 | |
as the Savior of the world. | 23:38 | |
But our praise is too hollow and too brief. | 23:40 | |
Soon we will be weary | 23:44 | |
and our joy will fall like the needles | 23:47 | |
of a pine tree cut from its roots | 23:49 | |
forgive us for whatever is superficial in our celebration | 23:53 | |
of your Son's birth. | 23:57 | |
Remove the disguises we wear this time of year | 23:59 | |
and let your good news of salvation | 24:03 | |
get through to our hearts. | 24:06 | |
We pray in the name of Christ, amen. | 24:08 | |
Hear these words of comfort and hope. | 24:24 | |
This is the message we have heard from Him, | 24:27 | |
and proclaim to you, | 24:30 | |
that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. | 24:32 | |
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, | 24:37 | |
we have fellowship with one another, | 24:41 | |
and the blood of Jesus, His Son, | 24:43 | |
cleanses us from all our sin. | 24:46 | |
Let me welcome each of you to this service of worship. | 24:53 | |
We are pleased that you are able to be with us this morning | 24:57 | |
and we pray that this service | 24:59 | |
will be a special blessing to you in this advent season. | 25:01 | |
I would like to thank the Durham Boys Choir, | 25:09 | |
who is with us this morning, | 25:12 | |
and who will be leading us in our music of today. | 25:13 | |
There is one announcement | 25:19 | |
which perhaps you should be aware of | 25:20 | |
and this is the annual Christmas Eve service | 25:22 | |
that will be taking place this week. | 25:24 | |
The service begins at 11 o'clock. | 25:27 | |
But since we are usually filled somewhat before then, | 25:29 | |
you may want to plan to arrive a bit early to find a seat. | 25:32 | |
If you are unable to be with us that evening at that time, | 25:37 | |
the service will be broadcast over the radio | 25:40 | |
and also on channel 11 on television. | 25:42 | |
Let us pray. | 25:49 | |
O Lord and lover of us all, | 25:53 | |
cause the pure light of your divine knowledge | 25:56 | |
to shine forth in our hearts | 25:58 | |
and open the eyes of our understanding, | 26:01 | |
that we may comprehend the ways of your gospel, | 26:04 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 26:07 | |
The Old Testament lesson | 26:13 | |
is taken from Isaiah, chapter seven, verses 10 through 17. | 26:14 | |
"Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz. | 26:22 | |
"Ask a sign of the Lord your God. | 26:25 | |
"Let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. | 26:28 | |
"But Ahaz said | 26:32 | |
"I will not ask and I will not put the Lord to the test. | 26:34 | |
"And he said, hear then, O House of David, | 26:40 | |
"is it too little for you to weary men | 26:44 | |
"that you weary my God also. | 26:47 | |
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. | 26:50 | |
"Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son | 26:54 | |
"And shall call his name Emmanuel. | 26:58 | |
"He shall eat curds and honey | 27:01 | |
"when he knows how to refuse the evil | 27:04 | |
"and to choose the good. | 27:06 | |
"For before the child knows | 27:09 | |
"how to refuse the evil and choose the good | 27:10 | |
"The land, before whose two kings you are in dread | 27:13 | |
"will be deserted. | 27:17 | |
"The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people | 27:19 | |
"and upon your father's house | 27:22 | |
"such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim | 27:24 | |
"departed from Judah, the king of Assyria." | 27:28 | |
Here ends the reading from the Old Testament, amen. | 27:33 | |
The epistle lesson is taken | 27:40 | |
from Romans, chapter one, verses one through seven. | 27:41 | |
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, | 27:48 | |
"set apart for the gospel of God | 27:53 | |
"which He promised beforehand through His prophets | 27:55 | |
"in the holy scriptures, | 27:58 | |
"the gospel concerning His Son, | 28:00 | |
"who was descended from David, according to the flesh | 28:03 | |
"and designated Son of God in power, | 28:07 | |
"according to the spirit of holiness | 28:09 | |
"by His resurrection from the dead. | 28:11 | |
"Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom | 28:14 | |
"we have received grace and apostleship | 28:17 | |
"to bring about the obedience of faith, | 28:20 | |
"for the sake of His name among all the nations, | 28:22 | |
"including yourselves who are called | 28:26 | |
"to belong to Jesus Christ. | 28:28 | |
"To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints, | 28:32 | |
"grace to you and peace from God our Father | 28:38 | |
"and the Lord Jesus Christ." | 28:41 | |
Here ends the reading from the epistle lesson. | 28:45 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:12 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:16 | |
♪ Unto the Lord ♪ | 29:20 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:24 | |
♪ Unto the Lord ♪ | 29:27 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:30 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:32 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:36 | |
♪ I will always give thanks ♪ | 29:39 | |
♪ Unto the Lord ♪ | 29:42 | |
♪ His praise shall be ever in my mouth ♪ | 29:45 | |
♪ His praise shall be ever ♪ | 29:51 | |
♪ His praise shall be ever ♪ | 29:55 | |
♪ In my mouth ♪ | 30:02 | |
♪ His praise shall be ever ♪ | 30:04 | |
♪ His praise shall be ever ♪ | 30:08 | |
♪ In my mouth ♪ | 30:14 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:31 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:34 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:37 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:39 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:42 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:46 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:51 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:55 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 30:59 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 31:06 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 31:10 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 31:16 | |
- | Will the congregation please stand | 31:31 |
for the reading of the Gospel lesson? | 31:33 | |
The Gospel lesson is from Matthew, | 31:41 | |
chapter one, verses 18 through 25. | 31:43 | |
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. | 31:49 | |
"When His mother had been betrothed to Joseph, | 31:54 | |
"before they came together, she was found to be with child | 31:57 | |
"of the Holy Spirit, and her husband Joseph, | 32:02 | |
"being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame | 32:05 | |
"resolved to divorce her quietly. | 32:08 | |
"But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord | 32:12 | |
"appeared to him in a dream saying, | 32:15 | |
"Joseph, son of David, do not fear | 32:18 | |
"to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her | 32:22 | |
"is conceived of the Holy Spirit. | 32:26 | |
"She will bear a son and you shall call His name Jesus, | 32:29 | |
"for He will save His people from their sins. | 32:34 | |
"All this took place to fulfill | 32:38 | |
"what the Lord has spoken by the prophet. | 32:40 | |
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son | 32:43 | |
"and his name shall be called Emmanuel, | 32:47 | |
"which means God with us. | 32:50 | |
"When Joseph woke from sleep, | 32:54 | |
"he did as ten Angel of the Lord commanded him. | 32:55 | |
"He took his wife, but knew her not | 32:58 | |
"until she had borne a son. | 33:01 | |
"And he called his name Jesus." | 33:04 | |
Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson, amen. | 33:09 | |
(organ music, congregation singing) | 33:17 | |
- | To all God's beloved in this place | 34:14 |
who are called to be saints, grace to you and peace | 34:17 | |
from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. | 34:23 | |
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. | 34:31 | |
"And when Joseph woke from sleep, | 34:42 | |
"he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him. | 34:46 | |
"He took his wife, but knew her not | 34:52 | |
"until she had borne a son | 34:57 | |
"and he called his name Jesus." | 35:02 | |
A beautiful story, | 35:09 | |
an unforgettable story, | 35:13 | |
the story most oft told in all of literature, | 35:18 | |
indeed in all of time. | 35:26 | |
A memorable story, just a simple story. | 35:31 | |
A story of few words, a story of a few characters. | 35:38 | |
A story of few lines. | 35:44 | |
But a story full of images, full of messages, | 35:49 | |
full of symbols, full of promises, full of hope. | 35:53 | |
Indeed, the hopes and fears of all the years | 36:00 | |
are, O Jesus, | 36:06 | |
met in Thee tonight. | 36:09 | |
Surely it is as Hugh Prather puts it: | 36:15 | |
"It is many, many long moments before dawn. | 36:19 | |
"But a soft light | 36:25 | |
"is even now spreading over the earth." | 36:29 | |
Just a simple story. | 36:35 | |
As Christopher Fry reminds us in his "Christmas Faith," | 36:39 | |
"The darkest time of the year, | 36:46 | |
"the poorest place in town, | 36:51 | |
"cold and a taste of fear, | 36:56 | |
"man and woman alone. | 36:59 | |
"What can we hope for here? | 37:03 | |
"More light than we can learn. | 37:08 | |
"More wealth than we can treasure. | 37:12 | |
"More love than we can earn. | 37:15 | |
"More peace than we can measure | 37:19 | |
"because one child was born." | 37:23 | |
Just a simple story. | 37:28 | |
A simple story when, as W.H. Auden puts it, | 37:32 | |
"Everything became a you and nothing was an it." | 37:36 | |
John Milton reminds us in his beautiful lines, | 37:48 | |
"On the morning of Christ's nativity, | 37:52 | |
"this is the month and this is the happy morn | 37:58 | |
"wherein the Son of heaven's eternal King, | 38:05 | |
"of wedded maid and virgin mother born | 38:09 | |
"our great redemption from above did bring | 38:14 | |
"no war or battle sound was heard the world around. | 38:20 | |
"But peaceful was the night where in the Prince of Light, | 38:26 | |
"His reign of peace upon the earth began. | 38:31 | |
"The stars with deep amaze stand fixed | 38:35 | |
"in steadfast gaze, | 38:39 | |
"such music as 'tis said before was never made." | 38:41 | |
Well, such are the dramatic poetic interpretations | 38:51 | |
of that day, the day when Jesus Christ was born. | 38:54 | |
But on that day, | 38:59 | |
at that hour, at that moment, I cannot help but believe | 39:04 | |
that it was such a simple moment. | 39:09 | |
Just a simple time, a very simple experience. | 39:13 | |
A mother, | 39:21 | |
her husband, | 39:25 | |
a warm place to rest | 39:29 | |
and to be comfortable, or at least to be as comfortable | 39:31 | |
as nature would allow a mother-to-be to be. | 39:34 | |
And a birth, a simple birth | 39:41 | |
filled with ultimate eternal meanings. | 39:45 | |
Matthew writes about it. | 39:52 | |
But Matthew, we must remember, | 39:53 | |
writes about it in retrospect. | 39:55 | |
He could write not just about Jesus the babe, | 40:00 | |
but about Jesus the Christ. | 40:05 | |
And he could write, "You shall call His name Jesus, | 40:08 | |
"for He will save His people from their sins," | 40:11 | |
because he knew that this man, | 40:15 | |
who was born on this night, did indeed save his people | 40:18 | |
from their sins. | 40:23 | |
He had known. He had heard. He had been there. | 40:24 | |
He had experienced himself. | 40:26 | |
He knew that Jesus would indeed | 40:29 | |
save His people from their sin. | 40:32 | |
What a moment. | 40:39 | |
T.S. Eliot, in "Choruses from the Rock," | 40:45 | |
writes about that moment. | 40:49 | |
He says, "Then came, at a predetermined moment, | 40:52 | |
"a moment in time and of time, | 40:57 | |
"a moment not of time, but in time | 41:00 | |
"in what we call history, | 41:03 | |
"transcending, bisecting the world of time | 41:05 | |
"a moment in time, but not like a moment of time. | 41:09 | |
"A moment in time, | 41:14 | |
"but time was made through that moment. | 41:17 | |
"For without the meaning, there is no time. | 41:22 | |
"And that moment, that moment, that moment of time | 41:25 | |
"was the meaning." | 41:30 | |
And life surely has not been the same since that moment. | 41:44 | |
This world has not been the same since that moment. | 41:47 | |
You and I have not been the same since that moment. | 41:50 | |
God Himself has not been the same since that moment. | 41:53 | |
Christmas is just a simple story. | 42:05 | |
To let us know that this Jesus Christ, | 42:15 | |
this Emmanuel, this God with us is with us even now. | 42:18 | |
I believe that most of us | 42:29 | |
lead fairly simple lives most of the time. | 42:30 | |
All of us lead simple times some of the time. | 42:34 | |
Most of us probably lead simple lives | 42:39 | |
more of the time than we think we do. | 42:42 | |
All of us have simple needs all of the time. | 42:46 | |
Therefore a simple story of simple folk | 42:52 | |
to speak to simple people like you and me. | 42:54 | |
I think this story is somewhat like | 43:02 | |
the playwright Ugo Betti says, | 43:03 | |
"To believe in God | 43:07 | |
"is to know that all of the rules will be fair | 43:09 | |
"and that there will be wonderful surprises." | 43:14 | |
Christmas is about a God who is fair | 43:22 | |
and a God who fills life with wonderful surprises. | 43:24 | |
So as I've reflected on this passage and on Christmas | 43:31 | |
this Christmas, may I share with you four simple things | 43:36 | |
that I believe Christmas and this message mean to us? | 43:40 | |
First of all, this story means | 43:46 | |
that God knows how to get through to us. | 43:48 | |
Second, I believe it tells us that God knows our situation. | 43:52 | |
Third, I believe that it tells us | 43:58 | |
that God knows how much I need His presence. | 44:00 | |
And fourth, I believe it says God loves. | 44:04 | |
God knows how to get through to us. | 44:09 | |
God had been trying to get through to His children | 44:13 | |
for a long, long time. | 44:16 | |
It had been centuries since God's dramatic | 44:18 | |
and unforgettable encounter with His children | 44:21 | |
through Moses at Mount Sinai. | 44:25 | |
I remember hearing Dr. Bernard Boyd at Chapel Hill | 44:29 | |
say to one of our classes over there years ago, | 44:32 | |
"If you can believe that God was present | 44:37 | |
"with Moses at Mount Sinai and if you can believe | 44:41 | |
"that the tomb was empty on Easter morn, | 44:46 | |
"then you can believe the ultimates about | 44:49 | |
"the Judeo-Christian tradition." | 44:51 | |
One of those ultimates was when God spoke | 44:57 | |
with His people at Mount Sinai. | 44:59 | |
But that had been a long time ago. | 45:01 | |
And God had been trying ever since | 45:04 | |
to get through to His people | 45:06 | |
in beautiful and meaningful ways. | 45:07 | |
As someone said God's great desire has been | 45:12 | |
and is to be with people. | 45:15 | |
God is the lover of persons, always eager to dwell | 45:17 | |
in the dwelling places of His people; | 45:21 | |
that is, always eager to dwell in our hearts. | 45:23 | |
God is the lover of people, persons, you, me. | 45:30 | |
So then how could a personal God | 45:33 | |
get through to persons like you and me? | 45:35 | |
I believe God tried all kinds of ways, | 45:40 | |
through the law, through the prophets, | 45:44 | |
through any way that He possibly could. | 45:47 | |
But the blindness, the toughness, | 45:51 | |
the callousness, the coldness, | 45:54 | |
the rebellious of God's people, | 45:56 | |
people like you and me, continued. | 45:59 | |
At the same time, the hurts and the needs | 46:03 | |
and the longings and the yearnings | 46:05 | |
and the cries and the desires of God's people | 46:06 | |
continued also, just like they do for you and me. | 46:08 | |
So how was God to get through? | 46:13 | |
Let me share with you Louis Cassel's "Parable of the Birds." | 46:19 | |
Many of you know it. | 46:23 | |
He writes, "Once upon a time, there was a man | 46:25 | |
"who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. | 46:28 | |
"He wasn't a scrooge. | 46:32 | |
"He was a very kind and decent person. | 46:35 | |
"But he didn't believe all that stuff | 46:38 | |
"about an incarnation | 46:40 | |
"which churches proclaim at Christmastime. | 46:42 | |
"And he was too honest to pretend that he did. | 46:45 | |
"He simply could not understand the claim | 46:47 | |
"that God became a human being. | 46:49 | |
"It just didn't make any sense to him at all. | 46:51 | |
"On Christmas Eve, his wife and his children | 46:58 | |
"went to church for the midnight service there. | 47:02 | |
"But he stayed at home. | 47:07 | |
"It began to snow, and it snowed | 47:11 | |
"and it snowed and it snowed. | 47:13 | |
"He said, if we must have Christmas, | 47:17 | |
"it's nice at least | 47:21 | |
"that we have a white Christmas. | 47:23 | |
"So he sat down by the fire to read the evening newspaper. | 47:26 | |
"A few minutes later, he heard a thudding sound | 47:31 | |
"followed by another thud and another thud and another thud, | 47:33 | |
"birds that had been caught in the storm | 47:37 | |
"and in a desperate search for some shelter from the storm | 47:39 | |
"had tried to fly through his window, | 47:43 | |
"his big bay window at his house. | 47:45 | |
"And now, birds, many of them, | 47:50 | |
"lay huddled miserably in the snow. | 47:52 | |
"I can't let the poor creatures lie there in the snow | 47:56 | |
"and freeze, he thought. | 48:00 | |
"But how can I help them? | 48:02 | |
"How can I help the birds? | 48:06 | |
"So he thought of his barn. | 48:09 | |
"In the barn was a warm shelter. | 48:12 | |
"So he put on his coat and his overshoes | 48:14 | |
"and he tramped out through the deepening snow to the barn. | 48:16 | |
"He opened the doors of the barn wide | 48:22 | |
"and he put on all the lights that there were in the barn. | 48:24 | |
"But the birds didn't come in. | 48:30 | |
"And then, he thought, food will bring the birds in. | 48:34 | |
"So he sprinkled a trail of breadcrumbs | 48:39 | |
"from the birds to the shelter of the barn. | 48:42 | |
"But then, to his dismay, the birds ignored the crumbs | 48:48 | |
"and they continued to flop around helplessly | 48:52 | |
"and hopelessly in the snow. | 48:55 | |
"He tried shooing them into the barn. | 48:57 | |
"And as he shooed, the more he shooed, | 49:00 | |
"the more they scattered. | 49:02 | |
"And they scattered in every direction possible | 49:03 | |
"except into the safety and the shelter of the barn. | 49:05 | |
"They find me a strange and terrifying creature, | 49:13 | |
"he said to himself, and I can't seem to think of any way | 49:17 | |
"to let them know that they really can trust me. | 49:21 | |
"If only I could be a bird myself for just a few minutes, | 49:25 | |
"then perhaps I could lead them safely into the barn. | 49:30 | |
"Just at that moment, the church bells rang. | 49:39 | |
"Old scrooge stood silently for a moment, | 49:45 | |
"listening to the bells, | 49:52 | |
"telling the glad tidings that God has come in Christ. | 49:55 | |
"And he fell to his knees and said, | 50:03 | |
"Now, I understand. | 50:07 | |
"You had to do it this way." | 50:12 | |
God knows how to get through to us, folks. | 50:20 | |
It is to become one of us, | 50:24 | |
to become one in us, | 50:28 | |
to become one with us, | 50:31 | |
as God did in Jesus. | 50:34 | |
But then, God also knows our situation. | 50:39 | |
Because Christ was born, | 50:45 | |
because He lived and loved and served among us. | 50:47 | |
Because He and the Father were one, | 50:51 | |
God knows our situation. | 50:54 | |
Let me ask just two or three questions about life for you | 50:57 | |
and see if I can help you and me this morning | 51:01 | |
to understand how, as we live our lives, | 51:03 | |
God also knows what those lives are like. | 51:06 | |
Do you ever feel understood, misunderstood? | 51:08 | |
Do you ever particularly feel that those closest to you, | 51:16 | |
your family and your friends and your neighbors | 51:20 | |
are the ones who most misunderstand you? | 51:22 | |
Then let us be reminded again that it was Jesus who said, | 51:27 | |
"A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." | 51:29 | |
When His own family came to greet Him, | 51:34 | |
when His mother came asking for Him, | 51:35 | |
He said, "Who are my family? | 51:37 | |
"Who is my mother? | 51:39 | |
"Who are my brothers and my sisters?" | 51:40 | |
Those closest and nearest and dearest to our Lord | 51:44 | |
did not understand Him. | 51:49 | |
So when you and I feel misunderstood, | 51:52 | |
God knows in Christ what it is to be misunderstood. | 51:56 | |
Have you ever felt lonely? | 52:04 | |
That's almost a redundant question, isn't it? | 52:10 | |
Because all of us have felt lonely. | 52:13 | |
You have, I have, all of us have. | 52:18 | |
There have been many long moments | 52:23 | |
that have stretched into long hours and days and nights | 52:25 | |
when we have felt all alone. | 52:29 | |
But my friends, God in Christ has been there. | 52:35 | |
Jesus knows. | 52:39 | |
The babe born in Bethlehem | 52:41 | |
has walked many lonesome roads and valleys. | 52:42 | |
When Jesus asked, "Who do men say that I am," | 52:48 | |
do you think He really was just wanting to know | 52:50 | |
what other people thought about Him? | 52:52 | |
I think He was really wanting to know | 52:54 | |
if there was anybody who understood, | 52:56 | |
anybody who would identify, | 52:57 | |
anybody who would stand with Him. | 52:59 | |
When He went to pray in the garden | 53:03 | |
and He asked three of His disciples to stay awake, | 53:05 | |
while He went just a little ways yonder to pray, | 53:11 | |
was it just so that He would have somebody listen | 53:14 | |
to His prayer, know that He was praying, | 53:17 | |
be aware that He was praying? | 53:19 | |
No, was it not that He too | 53:21 | |
wanted not to be alone? | 53:25 | |
Was Jesus not alone when He stood before Pilate, | 53:28 | |
when He carried His cross, | 53:32 | |
when He died? | 53:35 | |
When you and I feel alone, | 53:38 | |
God in Christ knows what that loneliness really is. | 53:41 | |
Have you ever felt that life was a struggle? | 53:49 | |
Ever wondered if you really were doing God's will? | 53:55 | |
Ever tried to pray and felt like | 53:58 | |
you really weren't getting through? | 54:00 | |
Ever tried to be faithful | 54:01 | |
and felt like the more you tried to be faithful, | 54:03 | |
the more that was demanded of you? | 54:05 | |
I guess one of the experiences, | 54:14 | |
and perhaps the experience of Jesus | 54:17 | |
that is most reassuring to me in my own personal life | 54:20 | |
is Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, | 54:23 | |
for there He did struggle. | 54:27 | |
He struggled with whether or not | 54:29 | |
He was going to be obedient to God. | 54:30 | |
He struggled with whether or not | 54:32 | |
His prayers were getting through. | 54:33 | |
He struggled with whether or not | 54:35 | |
He would be faithful to God, | 54:36 | |
whether His will or God's will would be done. | 54:38 | |
And finally, He was able to say, "Not my will, O God, | 54:40 | |
"but Thine be done." | 54:44 | |
So when I struggle or when you struggle, | 54:46 | |
God in Christ knows also what it is to struggle, my friends. | 54:48 | |
I believe there is no condition in which you or I | 54:52 | |
may ever find ourselves, where we can ever believe | 54:56 | |
that we are there without God's presence | 55:02 | |
also having been there | 55:05 | |
and without God's presence also being there. | 55:07 | |
God in Christ knows, Jesus knows. | 55:16 | |
Then, my friends, God knows | 55:22 | |
how very much I need | 55:27 | |
that God alone can provide. | 55:33 | |
The grace, the strength, the support, the guidance, | 55:37 | |
the affirmation, the hope, the promise, | 55:41 | |
the assurance that God and God only can give to us. | 55:44 | |
All of us have happy moments. | 55:52 | |
All of us, if we live long enough, have tragic moments. | 55:53 | |
And it is in moments of celebration, | 56:03 | |
as well as in moments of desperation that we need God. | 56:05 | |
Ralph Sockman, who preached in this chapel many times, | 56:13 | |
who graced the pulpit of Christ Church in New York City | 56:18 | |
for many, many years, tells in one of his lines | 56:23 | |
about what it is to know God | 56:28 | |
in the peaks and in the valleys. | 56:31 | |
The Sockman's only son died | 56:34 | |
by falling off the roof | 56:39 | |
of their apartment in New York City. | 56:41 | |
No explanation was ever found | 56:51 | |
to determine why or how | 56:55 | |
the Sockman's son had died. | 56:58 | |
But a number of years after this shocking loss, | 57:04 | |
Dr. Sockman shared these words. | 57:07 | |
"Speaking personally," he said, "May I say | 57:14 | |
"that during the last decade of my life, | 57:18 | |
"things have happened to me which I cannot explain, | 57:22 | |
"nor can I say that they were all sent from God. | 57:26 | |
"When I read all things work together for good | 57:31 | |
"for them that love God, the only way I can understand | 57:34 | |
"these words in my own case | 57:38 | |
"is with the analogy of a ship. | 57:43 | |
"There are parts of a ship which, | 57:49 | |
"taken by themselves, would sink. | 57:52 | |
"The engine would sink. | 57:56 | |
"The propeller would sink. | 57:58 | |
"But when the parts of the ship are all built together, | 58:02 | |
"the whole ship floats. | 58:06 | |
"So it is with the moments of my life. | 58:10 | |
"Some have been tragic. | 58:14 | |
"Some have been happy. | 58:17 | |
"But when they are all built together, | 58:19 | |
"they form a craft that floats. | 58:21 | |
"I," he says, "more than that, I believe | 58:23 | |
"they form a craft that is going someplace. | 58:27 | |
And I am comforted." | 58:33 | |
In the tragic moments and in the happy moments, | 58:38 | |
God knits them all together into a craft | 58:42 | |
that not only floats, but is going someplace. | 58:46 | |
And, pray God, may we be comforted with that. | 58:51 | |
But then, this word, and that is simply | 59:00 | |
that Christmas tells me that God loves. | 59:04 | |
That is the story. | 59:10 | |
And it is just that simple. | 59:13 | |
That is the simple story. | 59:17 | |
God loves. | 59:20 | |
As I reflected on the meaning of Christmas | 59:23 | |
and as I tried to think about words | 59:25 | |
to put into words for this morning, | 59:27 | |
I thought about saying something like this, | 59:31 | |
that God loves all that He has made. | 59:33 | |
Then I said, no, that's not true. | 59:38 | |
Or at least, yes, maybe that is true, | 59:41 | |
but that's only part of the truth. | 59:44 | |
Surely God loves all that He has made. | 59:46 | |
And then, I said God loves the world, sure, yes. | 59:50 | |
And then I said, no, it isn't that God loves the world. | 59:54 | |
Well, yes it is. | 59:59 | |
God does love the world. | 1:00:00 | |
But to say that God loves the world may be true, | 1:00:02 | |
but it is only part of the truth. | 1:00:04 | |
And then, I said Christmas then means | 1:00:09 | |
that God loves everybody. | 1:00:11 | |
God loves all of His children. | 1:00:14 | |
God loves every child who has ever been, is or ever will be. | 1:00:16 | |
God loves every person, every being, every human being. | 1:00:20 | |
And then, I said no, that's not true. | 1:00:25 | |
Or yes, that is true. | 1:00:27 | |
But that's only part of the truth. | 1:00:29 | |
And then it occurred to me, my friends, | 1:00:30 | |
the real message of Christmas | 1:00:33 | |
is simply to say that God loves, | 1:00:35 | |
without any limits, without any barriers, | 1:00:39 | |
without any conditions, | 1:00:41 | |
without any qualifications whatsoever, | 1:00:42 | |
just simply to say God loves. | 1:00:45 | |
It's just that simple. | 1:00:51 | |
No boundaries, no barriers, | 1:00:56 | |
no qualifications, no conditions. | 1:00:58 | |
It isn't that God loves His world or all the people | 1:01:01 | |
or everybody. | 1:01:04 | |
Yes, it is that. | 1:01:06 | |
But it is even more beautiful than that. | 1:01:08 | |
That is that God loves. | 1:01:12 | |
Just a simple story. | 1:01:17 | |
But then one more word. | 1:01:20 | |
God doesn't love just to make us feel good. | 1:01:28 | |
Well, God wants us to feel good. | 1:01:33 | |
But that isn't the only reason. | 1:01:36 | |
God loves so that we, in turn, might love. | 1:01:39 | |
It occurred to me in reflecting on this passage of scripture | 1:01:50 | |
and this sermon, to say to myself and to say to you | 1:01:55 | |
God has already done all that God | 1:02:01 | |
can possibly do for you and me | 1:02:06 | |
in that He has come in His fullness in Jesus the Christ. | 1:02:13 | |
The rest now then is up to you and me. | 1:02:17 | |
God loves so that we, in turn, might love. | 1:02:25 | |
There's the story about the young boy | 1:02:32 | |
begging on the street corner. | 1:02:35 | |
And a cruel-hearted woman comes by and says to him, | 1:02:50 | |
"If God loved you, | 1:02:59 | |
wouldn't He send you some shoes | 1:03:04 | |
and some food?" | 1:03:08 | |
And the little boy looked up smilingly and replied, | 1:03:13 | |
"God told somebody, | 1:03:19 | |
but that somebody just forgot." | 1:03:25 | |
This Christmas, | 1:03:49 | |
let's not forget. | 1:03:56 | |
Amen. | 1:04:03 | |
♪ Born to evil free ♪ | 1:07:04 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:07:05 | |
- | Let us affirm what we believe. | 1:07:10 |
We believe in God, who has created and is creating, | 1:07:13 | |
who has come in the truly human Jesus | 1:07:18 | |
to reconcile and make new, | 1:07:22 | |
who works in us and others by the spirit. | 1:07:25 | |
We trust God who calls us to be the church, | 1:07:29 | |
to celebrate life and its fullness, | 1:07:33 | |
to love and serve others, | 1:07:36 | |
to seek justice and resist evil, | 1:07:39 | |
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, | 1:07:42 | |
our judge and our hope. | 1:07:46 | |
In life, in death, in life beyond death, | 1:07:49 | |
God is with us. | 1:07:53 | |
We are not alone. | 1:07:55 | |
Thanks be to God. | 1:07:57 | |
Be seated. | 1:08:00 | |
The Lord be with you. | 1:08:08 | |
- | And also with you. | 1:08:11 |
- | Let us pray. | 1:08:12 |
God of eternal and unending light, | 1:08:16 | |
we thank you for the many ways | 1:08:20 | |
in which your light shines upon us, | 1:08:21 | |
for the sun which warms us and makes the crops to grow, | 1:08:25 | |
for the moon and stars whose brilliance | 1:08:29 | |
pierce the deep darkness of the night, | 1:08:31 | |
for your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:08:34 | |
whose life is the lantern by which we guide our steps | 1:08:37 | |
and make our way to you. | 1:08:40 | |
For your Holy Spirit, whose unquenchable flame | 1:08:43 | |
descends upon us and surrounds us with power | 1:08:46 | |
beyond our imagination. | 1:08:49 | |
For this many-faceted light of yours, | 1:08:51 | |
which speaks to us of creation and redemption | 1:08:55 | |
and sanctification every moment of our lives, | 1:08:58 | |
we praise you and glorify your Name. | 1:09:01 | |
Lord, as we sit in this house of yours | 1:09:06 | |
and experience your majesty and your immense love, | 1:09:09 | |
we know in our hearts that our fire for you | 1:09:13 | |
has burned low at times this week. | 1:09:15 | |
We have scurried about, rushing from one thing to another, | 1:09:19 | |
and have failed to look with wandering eyes | 1:09:23 | |
upon this marvelous world. | 1:09:25 | |
We have strayed from the lighted path of Christ | 1:09:28 | |
and have become lost in the darkness | 1:09:31 | |
of our own egotism and jealousy and anger and prejudice. | 1:09:33 | |
We have sought to put out the flame of your spirit | 1:09:40 | |
in the sealed rooms of our lives, | 1:09:42 | |
not allowing it to reach out and warm the lives | 1:09:45 | |
of other persons. | 1:09:47 | |
Lord, forgive us when we abuse your light in these ways. | 1:09:49 | |
But help us to catch sight of the Star of Bethlehem | 1:09:54 | |
and be guided by its rays | 1:09:57 | |
in all that we do and say and think. | 1:09:59 | |
Father, we remember the persons | 1:10:05 | |
who especially need your light this morning, | 1:10:07 | |
those who are confined to their homes and to nursing homes. | 1:10:09 | |
Those who are ill and anxious about their illness, | 1:10:13 | |
those who are lonely and frightened by their aloneness. | 1:10:17 | |
Hear their names as we lift them up to you | 1:10:22 | |
in our hearts in this moment. | 1:10:24 | |
Grant then, O Lord, your unfolding comforting light | 1:10:29 | |
of mercy and love. | 1:10:32 | |
Help us to be your acolytes and torchbearers to them, | 1:10:35 | |
illuminating their lives | 1:10:39 | |
with our concern and compassion and physical presence. | 1:10:40 | |
We pray this morning, Father, for this nation of ours, | 1:10:46 | |
that it be a carrier of light to the hungry | 1:10:49 | |
and the oppressed of this world, | 1:10:51 | |
that it bear the torch of peace and human rights | 1:10:54 | |
to every land. | 1:10:57 | |
We pray for this congregation, | 1:11:00 | |
that it may be a radiant ray of active love | 1:11:02 | |
in the lives of those in this community, | 1:11:04 | |
that it may shine in acts of witness to Your presence | 1:11:07 | |
to those who do not know You, | 1:11:10 | |
and in acts of caring to those who will know no care | 1:11:12 | |
but that which we give. | 1:11:16 | |
Finally, we would pray for ourselves. | 1:11:19 | |
Take the sparks in our hearts which have been lighted by You | 1:11:23 | |
and make them fires which have no end, | 1:11:26 | |
but which produce new fires | 1:11:29 | |
in the lives of the people we go to school with | 1:11:31 | |
and work with and live with. | 1:11:34 | |
We ask these things in the name of your Son, | 1:11:37 | |
who by His life brought us to the true and only light, | 1:11:40 | |
and who taught us to pray saying, | 1:11:44 | |
"Our Father, who art in heaven, | 1:11:47 | |
"hallowed be Thy name. | 1:11:50 | |
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done | 1:11:53 | |
"on earth, as it is in heaven. | 1:11:56 | |
"Give us this day our daily bread | 1:11:59 | |
"and forgive us our trespasses, | 1:12:02 | |
"as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 1:12:04 | |
"And lead us not into temptation, | 1:12:09 | |
"but deliver us from evil. | 1:12:11 | |
"For Thine is the kingdom | 1:12:14 | |
"and the power and the glory forever, amen." | 1:12:15 | |
♪ Sanctus, sanctus ♪ | 1:12:40 | |
♪ Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth ♪ | 1:12:48 | |
♪ Pleni sunt caeli et terra ♪ | 1:12:55 | |
♪ Gloria tua ♪ | 1:13:01 | |
♪ Pleni sunt caeli et terra ♪ | 1:13:05 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:13 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:17 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:20 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:24 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:27 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:31 | |
♪ Hosanna, hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:35 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:42 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:45 | |
♪ Hosanna, hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:49 | |
♪ Hosanna in excelsis ♪ | 1:13:54 | |
♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪ | 1:14:16 | |
♪ Et in terra pax ♪ | 1:14:24 | |
♪ Homninibus bonae voluntatis ♪ | 1:14:27 | |
♪ Laudamus te ♪ | 1:14:34 | |
♪ Benedicimus te ♪ | 1:14:38 | |
♪ Adoramus te ♪ | 1:14:43 | |
♪ Glorificamus te ♪ | 1:14:45 | |
♪ Adoramus te ♪ | 1:14:50 | |
♪ Adoramus te ♪ | 1:14:52 | |
♪ Gratias agimus tibi ♪ | 1:14:55 | |
♪ Propter magnam gloriam tuam ♪ | 1:14:59 | |
♪ Domine Deus ♪ | 1:15:03 | |
♪ Rex caelestis ♪ | 1:15:06 | |
♪ Deus Pater omnipotens ♪ | 1:15:10 | |
♪ Domini Fili unigenite, Iesu Christe ♪ | 1:15:17 | |
♪ Domine Deus ♪ | 1:15:26 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:15:29 | |
♪ Domine Deus ♪ | 1:15:31 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:15:33 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:15:34 | |
♪ Domine Deus ♪ | 1:15:39 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:15:41 | |
♪ Domine Deus ♪ | 1:15:44 | |
♪ Miseree nobis ♪ | 1:15:46 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:15:48 | |
♪ Domine Deus ♪ | 1:15:51 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:15:54 | |
♪ Miserere nobis ♪ | 1:16:00 | |
♪ Quoniam tu solus Sanctus ♪ | 1:16:15 | |
♪ Quoniam tu solus Sanctus ♪ | 1:16:21 | |
♪ Quoniam tu solus Sanctus ♪ | 1:16:25 | |
♪ Tu solus Dominus ♪ | 1:16:29 | |
♪ To solus Dominus ♪ | 1:16:29 | |
♪ Tu solus Altimissi ♪ | 1:16:38 | |
♪ To solus Dominus ♪ | 1:16:41 | |
♪ Cum Sancto Spiritu ♪ | 1:16:46 | |
♪ In gloria Dei Patris ♪ | 1:16:48 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:16:51 | |
(organ music) | 1:17:01 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 1:20:54 | |
♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ | 1:20:59 | |
♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪ | 1:21:04 | |
♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 1:21:11 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost ♪ | 1:21:16 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:21:22 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:21:24 | |
♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪ | 1:21:27 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:21:32 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:21:40 | |
- | O God, most merciful and gracious, | 1:21:51 |
of whose bounty we have all received, | 1:21:53 | |
accept this offering of your people. | 1:21:56 | |
Remember in your love those who have brought it | 1:21:59 | |
and those for whom it is given. | 1:22:01 | |
And so, follow it with your blessing, | 1:22:04 | |
that it may promote peace and goodwill | 1:22:06 | |
among men and women, | 1:22:08 | |
and advance the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, | 1:22:10 | |
Jesus Christ, amen. | 1:22:12 | |
(organ music) | 1:22:19 | |
(choir and congregation singing) | 1:22:46 | |
- | Grant, O Lord, that the ears | 1:25:32 |
which have heard the voice of your songs | 1:25:34 | |
may be closed to the voice of clamor and dispute, | 1:25:36 | |
that the eyes which have seen your great love | 1:25:40 | |
may also behold your blessed hope, | 1:25:42 | |
that the tongues which have sung your praise | 1:25:45 | |
may speak the truth | 1:25:47 | |
and that the feet which have walked your courts this day | 1:25:48 | |
may walk forever in the light. | 1:25:52 | |
Glory be to you, for your unspeakable gift. | 1:25:54 | |
The peace of God which passes all understanding | 1:25:58 | |
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God | 1:26:01 | |
and of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, | 1:26:04 | |
and the blessing of God Almighty, | 1:26:07 | |
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit | 1:26:09 | |
be with you and remain with you always, amen. | 1:26:12 | |
♪ O holy Jesus ♪ | 1:26:29 | |
♪ Most merciful Redeemer ♪ | 1:26:37 | |
♪ Friend and Father ♪ | 1:26:44 | |
♪ May I know Thee more clearly ♪ | 1:26:49 | |
♪ Love Thee more dearly ♪ | 1:26:56 | |
♪ And follow Thee more nearly ♪ | 1:27:01 | |
♪ And follow Thee more nearly ♪ | 1:27:18 | |
♪ O holy Jesus ♪ | 1:27:28 | |
♪ O holy Jesus ♪ | 1:27:33 | |
♪ Most merciful Redeemer ♪ | 1:27:36 | |
♪ Friend and Father ♪ | 1:27:42 | |
♪ May I know Thee more clearly ♪ | 1:27:47 | |
♪ Love Thee more dearly ♪ | 1:27:54 | |
♪ Follow Thee more nearly ♪ | 1:27:58 | |
♪ And follow Thee more nearly ♪ | 1:28:15 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:28:30 | |
(organ music) | 1:28:49 |
Item Info
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