Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Westgate family.
Y' all ready to continue celebrating our risen Savior?
Christmas season isn't just a season. It goes on and on and on. And we celebrate our Jesus. Would you stand with us?
Joy to the world the Lord is come Let ear receive her king Let every heart prepare him and heaven and nature sing and heaven and nature sing and heaven and heaven and nature.
Joy to the earth the Savior raise Let all their songs employ Wild fields and floods Rocks, hills and pl.
Repeat the sounding joy Repeat the sounding joy Reap me Repeat the sounding joy of the Lord the joy of the Lord is my strength the joy of the Lord the joy of the Lord is my strength Sing, O my soul O my soul Bless his name all that is within me Sing the joy of the Lord the joy of the Lord is my strength yes, it is.
Let it rise up like a river Overflowing Holy Spirit and let it pour out with no lament Overflowing Holy Spirit Let it rise up like a river Overflowing Holy Spirit Let it pour out with no limit Overflowing Holy Spirit he rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love and wonders of his love and wonders wonders of his love Come on, Church, let's celebrate the joy of the Lord.
The joy of the Lord the joy of the Lord is my strength the joy of the Lord the joy of the Lord is my strength and O my soul Bless his name all that is within me say, O my soul Bless his name all that is within me say, O my soul Bless his name is within me say the joy of the Lord the joy of the Lord is my strength.
I believe we still have a living Savior today. Amen.
And we celebrate him.
I believe there is one salvation, one doorway that leads to life, one redemption, one confession. I believe in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I believe in the crucifixion. By his blood I have been set free.
I believe in the resurrection. Hallelujah. His life is death's defeat. Yes, it is.
All praise to God the Father.
All praise to Christ the Son.
All praise to the Holy Spirit.
How God has overcome the King who was and is evermore will be in Jesus, mighty name.
I believe, I believe in the hope of heaven. He's preparing a place for me Far beyond what hearts imagine ears have heard or eyes have seen.
I believe that a day is coming he's returning to claim his right Light the altar, Keep it burning See the Lamb who rose O roaring light all praise to God the Father all praise to Christ the Son all praise to the Holy Spirit.
How God has overcome the king who was and is ever more will be In Jesus mighty name I believe.
You know I'll never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ how could I ever walk away from the one who saved my life?
Oh no, I'll never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ how could I ever walk away from the one who saved my life?
Oh no, I'll never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ how could I ever walk away from the one who saved my life?
All praise to God our Father.
All praise to Christ the Son.
All praise to the Holy Spirit.
How God has overcome the king who was and is evermore will be in Jesus mighty name I believe.
And all praise to God our Father.
All praise to Christ the Son all praise to the Holy Spirit.
How God has overcome the King who was and is and ever more will be in Jesus mighty name I believe.
In Jesus mighty name I believe.
Well, you know I believe.
Amen.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:10:08] Speaker C: Good morning everyone. You may be seated.
Want to thank you for coming and worshiping with us today if we haven't had the opportunity to meet. My name is Rob Zimmerman. I'm lead pastor here at Westgate and thankful that you've chosen to worship with us on this crazy weather Sunday.
62 degrees, 28 tomorrow.
What a swing. What a swing. I know, it's horrible. Well, welcome. If you've never been to Northwest Ohio, we're glad you're here anyway. Hey, we are so glad that you have chosen to worship with us today. And if you are a guest new with us, whether this morning or over the past few weeks again, I especially want to welcome you as you want to take a step of getting connected here at Westgate Chapel. The best way to do that is to begin by filling out a connection card. Our connection cards can be found in the pew in front of you and I'd encourage you to take a moment, you can fill that out and at the close of our service you can actually take it to our guest center that is out in the main entrance there. One of our hosts will take that. They also have a small gift they would love to give to you just to say thank you for being here. But also they would love to answer any questions you have about how to get connected in any of our various ministries here at the church. And so please be sure to check that out at the close of our service today as well. It's hard to believe that 2025 is already drawing a close, jumping into 26 here in just a few days. And with that, there are just three quick things that we wanted to make sure you are aware of for us as a church as we move into 2026. The first thing is that at the end of the month of January, on the 25th, Sunday the 25th, we're gonna have our annual meeting Sunday.
That is a day where we spend time celebrating some of the things that God has been doing in our church over this past year, but also looking forward to what he's calling us to in the year.
And so we're excited about that. Hope you will plan to be a part of that day with us. But then immediately following our morning services, we have a huge luncheon that takes place in our gymnasium. Want to invite you to that. If you're going to go to that, we would encourage you just to drop us a note on a connection card. You can get. Put it in the giving boxes in the back. But that'll give us an idea of how many people are coming. I think you might also be able to register for that online.
But it is a great time of fellowship together as a church family. And then we take care of a few business items like electing our elders and deacons for the coming year. And this year we're going to be making a couple of bylaw changes. And that's kind of the second thing I wanted to make sure you're aware of, especially if you are a member here at Westgate. One of the things that we're going to be doing this year is making a few changes to our statement of faith. Now, before you freak out and go.
[00:12:51] Speaker B: What are they doing?
[00:12:53] Speaker C: Just to give you a little bit of background, the Christian Missionary alliance this past year in the summertime at their national conference, made some changes to the statement of faith that really did not affect theology, but it was a cleanup of language and also punctuation and using more modern language, getting rid of maybe some of the King James, thee, thou. Those kind of changes. And so because they made those changes and ratified them as a part of the denomination, we also have to change our statement of faith, which is included in our bylaws, which means our congregation and members have to vote on those changes.
All of that information to tell you if you would be interested in coming to a couple of meetings and I would encourage you to do so to learn about those changes. We have two opportunities to do so. The first one is gonna be on Sunday, January 4th. That's next Sunday from 6:30 to 8:00pm here in this room. And then the following Wednesday, January 7th, from 6:30 to 8 here in this room. Also, I'll be giving a presentation, walking through each of the changes that they have made made and taking any questions that you may have. And so I would encourage you to come out and join us for those. And again, we'll be voting on those changes at the annual meeting at the end of the month. So we would love for you to come and join us for one of those meetings on the 4th or on the 7th. Lastly, at each of the tables that are at our entrances around the building where you pick up your sermon notes each week, you'll see one of these cards that says you're invited on Sunday at 9 and 10:45. But on the backside you'll see that we're going to be launching into a new series beginning next Sunday entitled Forged for God's A Study on the Life of Joseph. And we're going to be taking some time to talk about how God forges our character as followers of Jesus in the hard seasons. And we're excited to dig into God's word and to go through this series together. And so I would just encourage you, if you want to read ahead, you can jump into the book of Genesis. Genesis, begin reading about the life of Joseph, but also be thinking about who is it maybe in your own life that you think they would benefit from being a part of this series and walking through it with us? Invite them to come and join us. That'll be running through the month of January and through half of February. So that is what we've got coming up.
With that being said, we want to take just a moment to welcome each other to our service before we continue in musical worship. So I want to invite you to stand up, up, turn, find somebody you haven't said hello to yet this morning and welcome them to our service.
[00:15:33] Speaker A: Y' all can remain standing and join.
[00:15:35] Speaker B: Us as we continue in our worship.
[00:15:53] Speaker D: We worship the God who was we worship the God who is we worship the God who ever more will be he opened the prison doors he parted the raging sea My God, he holds the victory there's joy in the heart House of the Lord there's joy in the house of the Lord today and we won't be quiet we shout out.
[00:16:26] Speaker A: Your praise there's joy in the house.
[00:16:28] Speaker D: Of the Lord Our God is surely in this place and we won't be quiet we shout out your praise oh, oh we shout out your praise.
We sing to the God who heals We Sing to the God who saves. We sing to the God who always makes a way.
Cause he hung up on that cross and he rose up from that grave.
My God still rolled the stones away.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: There's joy in the house of the.
[00:17:13] Speaker D: Lord there's joy in the house of the Lord today and we won't be quiet we shout out your praise.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: There's joy in the house of the.
[00:17:24] Speaker D: Lord Our God is surely in this place and we won't be quiet we shout out your praise.
We were the beggars, now we're royalty.
We were the prisoners, now we're running free.
We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by his grace.
Let the house of the Lord sing praise.
We were the beggars, now we're royalty.
We were the prisoners, now we're running free.
We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by his grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise.
[00:18:24] Speaker A: There's joy in the house There is.
[00:18:26] Speaker D: Joy in this house.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: There's joy in the house of the.
[00:18:29] Speaker D: Lord today and we won't be quiet yeah, we shout out your praise.
[00:18:35] Speaker A: There's joy in the house There is joy.
[00:18:38] Speaker D: Our God is surely in this place and we won't be quiet we're going.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: To shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the.
[00:18:48] Speaker D: Lord there's joy in the house of the Lord today Won't be quiet we.
[00:18:56] Speaker A: Shout out your praise. There's joy in the house There is joy. There is joy to surely in this.
[00:19:03] Speaker D: Place we won't be quiet we shout out your praise.
We shout out your praise.
There is joy in this house.
Joy in this house today we shout out your praise.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: Praise.
[00:19:29] Speaker D: We shout out your praise.
[00:19:33] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:19:53] Speaker D: Come all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant.
O come ye. O come ye to Bethlehem.
[00:20:18] Speaker A: Come and.
[00:20:20] Speaker D: Be Behold him for the King of angels.
O come let us adore him.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: O come let us adore him.
[00:20:42] Speaker D: O come let us adore him for him.
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Christ the Lord.
[00:21:05] Speaker D: And sing choirs of angels singing and exaltation Sing all ye say the sins of heaven above.
Glory to God all glory in the highest O come come let us adore him oh come let us adore him. O come let us adore him.
[00:22:02] Speaker A: Christ the Lord Lord we greet the.
[00:22:37] Speaker D: Born this happy morning Jesus to thee be all glory.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: Give word of the Father.
[00:23:02] Speaker D: Now in flesh appearing.
[00:23:10] Speaker A: O come.
[00:23:12] Speaker D: Let us adore him.
[00:23:17] Speaker A: O come let us adore him.
[00:23:23] Speaker D: O come let us adore him.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: Christ the lord.
[00:23:45] Speaker D: His name shall be wonderful counselor his name shall be Everlasting Father his name shall be Prince of Peace Mighty God his name shall be Emmanuel Will praise your name forever we'll praise your name.
[00:24:20] Speaker A: Forever.
[00:24:23] Speaker D: We'Ll praise your name forever Forever.
[00:24:30] Speaker A: Christ the Lord.
[00:25:11] Speaker D: And his name shall be Wonderful Counselor. His name shall be Everlasting Everlasting Father.
His name shall be Prince of be mighty God his name shall be Emmanuel.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: I'm gonna pray for them.
If you're in this middle aisle, there are buckets that you can take, and then we'll just pass them all the way down. And our ushers will gather them around. Let's pray together.
First service, I went a little long, so I'm gonna talk like an auctioneer today during the second service. So, Father, thank you for the grace and the mercy that we. We have all been experiencing this last Christmas season. It happened so fast. Here we are on the other side of it. We get a chance to come alongside you right now in offering giving our monies that we've worked for to give to you freely to do the work of the missions.
The ministry here uses fundings to do all kinds of things. And we're asking God that you would bless these in every form or fashion. How people give.
We're asking God that your Holy Spirit would put on people's hearts to really look at what they can do in 2025. What did they do in 2026? What does that look like? That's between them and you. And I just lift them up to you, Lord, that your will would be accomplished. We want to do all that we do as unto the Lord. Today we pray in his name, Jesus. Amen.
Awesome. Thank you. Thank you, ushers.
Welcome to Westgate Chapel. My name is Randy Fall, and I serve here at Westgate Chapel as both care pastor and facilities supervisor.
My primary focus is caring for people. Not only do I care for the facility, but I care for the people more, especially our seniors ages 55 and older. But really anyone who's walking through a season of need, I get to be a part of that atmosphere, if you will.
I oversee our care ministry, which includes prayer. You'll see at the end of services, the pastor or whoever's speaking will invite you to come up for prayer. There are prayer warriors that are up here. I'm inviting you if you want to take part in that ministry. I sent an email out with Pastor Adam. Just email. And I added a comment inviting you to contact me if you would like to be a part of that.
Always looking for prayer warriors.
Many Hands light work. We do that with our campus care Day. Many hands light work. We get a lot of work done around here on our campus Care day where we take care of the outside of the facility in three hours. It's amazing. We offer grief share multiple times per year along with our practical needs ministry. And if you're one of those handymen that you really don't want it to get out there, you can look for me and say, hey, I know how to do plumbing, I know how to do electric. I would love for you to email me your information because there's times when some of our seniors, they just need a helping hand. And if you're able to bless them with that, that would be greatly appreciated. It's just another way we can serve our community here. Now remember though, it comes with a warning. Just because they're there to fix one little thing, you don't add to it. Oh, by the way, can you do this? Can you install a new siding on my whole house and windows and. No, that's not what we're talking about.
But there are people that do that. Oh, since you're here, it's like, no, don't do that, please.
So email me if you would like to help me with projects sometime.
I often get asked whether I know someone who can help with a small project.
If you're hurting, you need prayer, feel called to serve, or simply don't know where to start, will you contact me and I'll get you plugged in somewhere?
Here at Westgate Chapel, my email's real simple. It's just randyfestgatechapel.org I'm gonna pray for us before we get going.
Father, I just ask in Jesus name that you would just guide my words. I ask Holy Spirit, you would open the hearts of those who are in receiving for the online people, Lord, open their hearts as well. You are certainly able to work through technology.
And I'm asking God to all of us right now, as we're bowing our heads, we are just in agreement that Jesus is Lord.
He's our Savior. We worship him. And we ask God that we would learn about him in these stories that were not written by accident. They were on purpose. And that's our story today.
So thank you God for the opportunity to be able to do this. As we pray in Jesus name, amen.
2025 is coming to a close.
Just like that, the decorations start coming down, our schedules start to fill back up.
Life is slowly returning to whatever normal is it's supposed to be. And if you're like me, somewhere between Christmas Day and New Year's, you're starting to take stock. You look back over the year and go, wow, that went fast.
It's not just the older thing, is it? I think even kids today, it's like, wow, the year went fast.
Most of us are already thinking about what we want to do differently this year ahead. Some of you, you go getters. I don't know about you, but I've noticed something about myself this past year.
I'm not really looking for more stuff.
I don't need another gadget. I don't need another project or something to manage at this stage of my life. I think what I really want isn't something I can buy, isn't something that I need to wrap or put on a shelf. What I need and what I suspect many of you in this room need is something more profound. Something that lasts longer than a season.
Something that doesn't wear out or break down or get forgotten by February.
And that's why I'm grateful that Christmas doesn't end with gifts under the tree.
It ends with a gift meant to change us and then move through us.
Because the greatest gift God ever gave wasn't meant to be admired once a year.
That gift was meant to be received and then given away. And that's what I want to talk about with us today. The gift of God's love not just received, but lived out.
Over the past few weeks, we've been going over the unwrapping the perfect gift together. You may recall, for those here that experienced the services here or online, that hope was promised, peace and joy were proclaimed and the message of salvation, it was clearly laid before us. And today we come to the heart of it all.
My portion is to talk about love revealed.
Some of you may remember my friend Randall from earlier this year.
This is just illustration that's going to be staring at you, you know, staring at you.
It's dressed just like me. Got the shirt, got the carpenter jeans that I love to wear, that I use most every day. I wear these kind of pants. But there's nothing going on on the inside there.
That's the tension that we're wrestling with today.
And in Christ, we're new creations, yet many of us still live like the old version.
God's love has the power to make us completely brand new. We've talked about it many times here from this stage, this platform.
God's love has the power to make us completely brand new. But we are living like.
But are we really living like it?
Well, keep Rando in mind.
Somebody said he looked like an Amish guy, so I'm calling him Amish. Rando, keep him in mind. He'll be back at the end of this service.
The main idea on screen the gift of God. God's love isn't just to be received, but it's to be given away.
The gift of God's love is not just to be received, but to be given away.
I'm going to look at the passage together. I want to read it out loud and have you follow along. It's on your sermon notes page on purpose. Keep this portion handy. We'll be circling key words and phrases that the Holy Spirit leads us.
We will absorb the information and then unpack what I believe is a right now word from the Lord. So if you would going to go to chapter two of Luke and I'm going to read verses eight through 2013 verses.
But man, such a powerful message.
Verse eight.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be the sign to you.
You'll find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.
So it was when the angels had gone away for them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us.
Verse 16 and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen and that was told them.
Now before I move any further in this familiar story, we need to notice what God notice who God chose to show and reveal Jesus to on screen. Truth number one, God's love comes to ordinary people.
Verses 8 through 12.
I'm going to read it again so you can Pick up on some key words here.
Now, there was in the same country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Verse 9 says, and behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them. And glory, the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings and joy, which will be to all people. Verse 11. Here's where you'll do some circles.
For there is born to you should be circled this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ. Savior. And Christ should be circled as well as the Lord.
And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
The first thing that we see will be on screen. Here we learn is God's love reaches the overloaded, overlooked, the ordinary and the undeserving.
These shepherds were outcasts.
There's a lot of information, so you gotta write faster.
These men weren't admired.
They weren't respected. They were working the night shift. They were possibly working in the cold, definitely working in the dark and doing a job nobody else wanted. And into that darkness, an angel appears with the greatest anom announcement heaven ever gave.
Notice, this announcement wasn't presented to Caesar, nor was it presented to Herod. You think that this announcement would go to the high priest?
Nope. This announcement was taken on purpose, directly to the shepherds. The to you, I submit, makes it personal. Let's look at verse 11 again. For there is born to you this day a savior.
Those two little words to you are the heart of Christmas. Not to the privileged, not to the perfect, nor to the polished, but to you.
Now, you may be thinking, a baby in the manger. What's so special about that? Well, in verse 11, we see the titles that were given to these shepherds that I had you circle. And the author inspired by the Holy Spirit. He highlights these key terms.
Savior means rescuer from sin and death.
Christ, the promised Messiah.
Lord, the one with absolute authority. These aren't random names.
Each one is loaded with meaning. The angel is saying, the one you've been waiting for, he's here. And he's here for you.
Take note. God meets us where we are on the screen.
God didn't wait for the shepherds to clean up.
He met them where they were. He met them in the field, in the midnight, in the mess. I submit to you, that's what God's love does. It reaches down before we reach up.
Some of you may even be feeling like shepherds today. On the outside looking in, you're thinking, God couldn't love someone like me.
God couldn't use someone with my past.
God couldn't work through someone with my problems.
But God's word says to you, this message is for you.
Let me make this real for some of us that are in our different seasons of life.
Let's say I'm a teenager. You know what the shepherds would be today?
They would be kids who don't get involved in the party.
The one scrolling through Instagram, watching everyone else's highlighted Rio and feeling invisible themselves. The student working the closing shift at a fast food restaurant. Perhaps while everyone else is at the game for some of our aging family, some of you have been faithful for decades. You've served in the nursery, taught Sunday school and served on committees. But lately you've been thinking, my best years of usefulness are behind me. What can God do with me now?
May I remind you, God chose shepherds in their midnight shift. Tired, ordinary, doing the same thing they've done for years, potentially. It wasn't their energy that made them usable.
It wasn't the energy that they had being younger or whatever, however old those shepherds were that made them usable. I submit to you. It was their availability.
God didn't just announce Jesus to the influencers or the powerful of his day. He announced him to the overlooked. He announced Jesus to the ordinary and the undeserving. God through the Holy Spirit continues to do that today.
Some of you may feel invisible, visible at school, maybe even at work or in this season of life.
God sees you. You have to hear that today.
God sees you. This is the Christmas season where Jesus was born.
For you. To you this day, peace is available. This message is for you. So let me ask this question based on that. Have you let God's love meet you right where you are?
Are you still trying to qualify?
The shepherds teach us this. You don't have to be somebody to meet Jesus.
Remember, the shepherds didn't go searching for God. Right?
Scripture says that God came searching for them.
So this week, will you tell God about one area where you've been trying to qualify yourself instead of simply just receiving his love and the message that he has for you.
Remember our first truth, God's love is not just to be received, but given away and our second truth on the screen. God's love came in the humblest way.
And this will be a sign to you. Verse 12. You will find a babe wrapped in Swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
If you think about it, this is not the sign everyone was expecting. The Messiah is coming. The angel didn't say, you will find a mighty king seated in glory.
You will find a warrior dressed for battle.
You will find a ruler surrounded by servants.
No, you'll find a babe lying in a manger. A manger. A feeding trough.
Luke is careful to note that Jesus was wrapped in cloths at his birth.
Think about this.
When else was Jesus wrapped in cloths?
Jesus was wrapped in cloths, as the Gospels later report at his burial.
I submit to you that from the very beginning, the shadow of the cross lay over the manger.
So we have to ask the question, why would the King of the universe come that low?
God's love came in a humblest way because humility removes every barrier.
No one is intimidated by a baby.
No one feels unworthy of approaching a manger.
If he had come as a warrior, only the brave would approach him.
If he had come as a philosopher, only the educated would seek him.
If he had come as a king, only the powerful would have stood before him.
But the manger, that's an invitation anyone can respond to. The shepherds didn't have to measure up.
They just had to come.
Jesus came down so that no one would ever be too low for his love to reach.
And God's plan are never random.
In my research, I found that Bethlehem was known for raising sheep, many of which were used in temple sacrifices.
While Luke doesn't tell us precisely what these shepherds were raising, let the setting reminds us of something powerful.
God announced the birth of His Son to men who knew how to care for lambs. They were familiar. They were very familiar with sacrifice and the shedding of blood.
Whether these shepherds were tending ordinary sheep or lambs destined for sacrifice, they understood something deeply ingrained in Jewish life.
That sin requires atonement and life requires blood.
And that night, the Lamb of God entered the world. God's love came in the humblest way because God chose to come down to us.
This is the heart of the incarnation.
God, who sits enthroned above the universe, stepped down into human flesh and then stepped down even further.
And here's why this matters. The incarnation means God didn't save us from a distance, he came close enough to bleed.
The Eternal Son did not cease to be God, but he willingly took on real human flesh.
Why this matters? It matters because without flesh, there is no blood.
Without blood, there is no forgiveness. And without forgiveness, there is no salvation.
Jesus didn't just visit humanity, he entered it. He felt hunger, he felt fatigue, he felt sorrow and pain.
He came close enough to carry our sin, suffer our death and redeem us fully. This is why Christmas matters.
God came in the flesh so he could give his life for us.
He took the lowest place so he could lift us to the highest place, if you will. I get that from Philippians, chapter two. You may remember he made himself of no reputation taking the form of a servant.
The manger wasn't an accident.
I believe it was a messenger on the screen. Jesus came low so no one would ever be too low for his love to reach us.
I have the next one available too.
God's love doesn't wait for us to climb up.
It comes down to us.
This wasn't accidental. I believe this was intentional.
God's love came in the humblest way because it fulfilled prophecy and pointed to his purpose.
Some of you Bible study leaders, Bible study groups, you may remember Micah 5:2 foretold his birth in Bethlehem. And Micah 4:8 refers to the tower of the Flock, a place where many scholars associate with shepherding and sacrificial images.
Jesus came into the world the same way he would leave it as the Lamb of God. The manger held a newborn Savior, but it also held the Lamb who would be slain. That is humility and that's love.
Think about it this way.
If Jesus had come as a CEO in a corner office, only business people would feel comfortable approaching him.
If he'd come as a celebrity, only the connected would be able to get access.
If Jesus had come as some high level scholar, only the really smart people would have thought that they could approach him. But a baby in a feeding trough, someone's four year old granddaughter can approach that. A teenager or a young person who thinks church is boring can approach that. We all know someone who with church hurt someone who's been burned by religion. They can approach a manger, your co worker who says they're spiritual but not religious, they can approach that.
The manger, I submit to you, removes every barrier.
Some of you are working really hard right now. You're working on your careers, you're raising kids, trying to keep your marriage strong, managing aging parents. That's a real thing.
And if you feel like you're barely holding it together, I have some news. You look around at the other Christians, they seem to have it all figured out and you think I need to get my act together before I can really serve God. But I'm here to remind you to look at the Manger.
Jesus didn't come to the people who had it all together, did he? He came into the mess. He came in the middle of the night.
He came to the ordinary Tuesday of your life.
You don't need to wait until the kids are older or your career stabilizes or you finally feel spiritual enough.
He meets you in the carpool line. He meets you in the budget stress.
He meets you in the 3am worry session.
He meets you right there.
Truth number two reminds us that God's love doesn't come wrapped in status or perfection.
It comes in humility, weakness, and simplicity.
This may preach to some of you. Some of you think you need to get your life together before you can approach Jesus. No, he came to a manger so you could come as you are.
Remember that there's an enemy that would just love to get you so distracted that you will miss your opportunity to connect with Jesus.
Listen, you don't need to be perfect to come to him.
You need an open heart that says, lord, I'm willing this week. I challenge you. Who in your life needs to know that they can come to Jesus exactly where they are?
Will you tell them?
Let's remember together. Truth number two, God's love came in the humblest way. And in truth number three, God's love brings real peace.
Suddenly, Luke tells us there was an angel and a multitude of the heavenly host.
Boom goes the lights.
What a moment that must have been.
One second it's quiet, dark, it's an ordinary night, and the next the sky is split open by the armies of heaven. Could you imagine seeing that mirror?
I mean, we get all excited when you see the northern lights kind of come down towards northwest Ohio. You guys are getting some really cool pictures that you post on social media, but could you imagine seeing an angel or a whole heavenly army of angels?
It wasn't a children's choir, not a soft glow, but God's own heavenly warriors willing.
To announce peace.
This is heaven's declaration that God is no longer moving towards us in judgment, but now in grace.
And their message was simple and powerful.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth. Peace, goodwill toward men.
You guys, this isn't worldly peace, I submit to you. This is real, true, authentic peace.
This is the peace that's not absent of conflict, but the presence of God. Let's say that again because we need to hear it. It's not the absence of conflict that this peace I'm talking about is, but the presence of God. He's in the house. If you will.
Let's say that again.
Not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God on the screen. Real peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God. That's a point that you need to write that down so you remember.
Because we forget, especially in this political climate that we're in right now, our culture all across from coast to coast is going cuckoo. Not political peace that shifts with elections. Not emotional peace that rises and falls with circumstances, but peace with God that holds firm no matter what's happening around us.
We can't forget.
The shepherds lived in occupied territory under Roman rule, Right? Yet they experienced peace that night. Not because Rome changed, but because Christ had come.
Some of you have lived long enough to see everything change.
You see your culture that you grew up in, the values, the stability, the basic agreement on what's true. It feels like that's all shifting under your feet, right?
You watch the news and you think, what in the world are we leaving our grandkids?
Here's what the shepherds teach us. They lived under Roman occupation.
That wasn't the best place to be. Their nation was controlled by pagans. Their political situation was a disaster.
Their religious leaders were corrupt. Does that sound familiar?
Yet that night they experienced peace. Not because Rome changed, but because they met the Prince of Peace.
They met Jesus.
This is critical. Before there can be peace in a nation, there must be peace with God. Wouldn't you agree?
And that peace is still available today. Not wishful thinking, real peace.
The kind of peace that holds when everything else is shaking around you.
Here's what that peace does. It forgives what we can't undo.
It heals what we can't fix.
It steadies us. When everything around us is shaking, it doesn't mean that life suddenly gets easier.
It means we are no longer facing it alone.
The truth that we need, our world desperately needs this peace.
That's the truth. We're living in days where truth is being distorted, right?
[00:54:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:54:21] Speaker B: Love is being redefined.
Anxiety is an epidemic.
But the remedy has not changed. And it never will. You may remember Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever on a screen. Before you can be. Before there can be peace in a nation, there must be peace with God. Think about that.
Before there can be peace in a nation, there must be peace with God.
And that peace is only found in the one the angels announced that night. So whatever tensions that you're carrying in your home, your heart, or even your view of the world, this peace is available to you today.
Not because you've earned it. Not because everything is fixed, but family, because Jesus came.
You know, this season, it's tough. I see a lot of wheelchairs, people are hurt, there's a lot of sickness going around. Would you mind I just take just 30 seconds to pray?
Holy Spirit, we are just asking that your presence would touch everyone that's going through some stuff that's not normal.
We got financial, we got physical issues, we got the health issues, Lord, that will soon heal. But man, we just need you to put your arm of touch on each body here that is hurting. And for those that have their heads being messed with by the enemy, I ask God, you would give them clarity of thought. Now.
Jesus be their peace. I pray in Jesus name.
Don't forget that God's love brings real peace.
Truth number four. God's love. It calls for a response.
I'm going to read verses 15 through 18 if you want to follow along on your notes.
So it was when the angel had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
Now, when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told to them concerning this child.
And all those who heard it marveled at these things which were told to them by the shepherds. What we see here is simple, right? But it's powerful. The love of God never leaves people standing still.
When the shepherds heard the message, they didn't debate it, they didn't delay it, nor did they just sit there and analyze it. They moved.
Verse 15 shows their heart. Let us now go. In other words, God has spoken. If he's spoken, we're going.
That's the response Love calls for. Not hesitation, not negotiation or anything else like that. But he desires obedience.
Watch how this faith unfolds step by step on a screen.
The shepherds, they heard, let us now go and see. Faith begins with hearing the word of God, the second one they sought.
They came with haste. Love doesn't drag its feet. When God reveals himself. Faith doesn't wait for a better time or a more convenient moment. Faith moves.
The shepherds didn't just listen to the angel. They ran to see Jesus for themselves.
Real transformation happens when we respond.
And how did these shepherds respond?
Number three. They shared.
They made widely known what was told them. They took the message and passed it on.
Once they encountered him, they didn't hold it in. They didn't keep it private. They didn't say, well that was nice experience and then go back to everyday life unchanged. No, I submit to you. Love compelled them to speak.
Because real encounters with Jesus never stay private.
The pattern for every believer is called to hear, seek and share.
So on screen, faith moves from hearing about Jesus to seeking Jesus.
That's a response.
The moment the shepherds met the Creator wrapped in swaddling cloths, everything changed. When you encounter the love of God like that, truly encounter him, it becomes impossible to keep it to yourself.
I remember early on in my walk, I'm one of those guys that had a near death experience where I was on my back for quite a while wondering if I was going to die or have eternal questions not answered. I had no idea. So I started chasing after Jesus to find out where I could spend eternity.
And I moved.
It changed our household.
I moved. I gotta find out who this is. I wanna make him known. I wanna make sure that I know him.
It was impossible for me through that circumstance of a near death experience and feeling the peace of God saying, I got you, Randy, I got you.
It's impossible for me to hold that in. And that's partly why, you know, a lot of people say I'm crazy for saying this, but I would do that tower accident where it collapsed 30ft, I would do that again because that's how I found Jesus. I wasn't even looking for Jesus before, then he got my attention.
I'm here to say don't wait for the nasty long accident recovery time or that near death experience.
Do it now.
Make him known first to yourself and then pass it on.
It's impossible to keep it yourself. So for some of you teens, maybe you're smaller youngins, for some of you, a gospel conversation might look like this.
Your friends post something on social media showing that they're hurting.
Instead just dropping a praying for you comment.
You DM them. Hey, I know things are rough right now. Can I tell you what's helped me when I've been in dark places, that's a gospel conversation. It's not weird and it's not even preachy, was it? Does that sound preachy?
It's just being honest.
For some of you college and singles, maybe you're in a college and you've got that one roommate or a classmate who's asking the big questions. What's the point of all this? Why does anything matter? They're not being hostile to faith, they're generally searching.
And that's your field. You don't need all the answers. You just need. You need to say, hey, I've been asking those questions too. Can I tell you what I've discovered? It's that simple.
Can I tell you what I've just discovered? Or maybe last month, you professionals, you were working at your kid. You went to your kid's soccer game, talking with another dad. He mentioned, hey, his mom just was diagnosed with cancer.
You could have just said, man, that's tough, and then moved on.
[01:01:22] Speaker A: Right?
[01:01:23] Speaker B: No, instead, maybe you can say something like this.
Can I tell you what's helped me and my family? When we went through something very similar?
The only thing that got me through this was knowing that God was with me in it.
That's it. 30 seconds. Maybe that's a gospel conversation.
The shepherds weren't theologians. They were just guys who met Jesus and couldn't stop talking about him.
So here's my question.
Have you moved from hearing about Jesus to truly seeking him?
And if you found him, who are you telling?
Ask God to bring one person to mind who needs to hear the story of what Jesus has done into your life and then step forward in obedience.
Remember, God's love calls for a response which brings us to our last truth. Truth number five.
God's love is meant to be shared.
The shepherds return to the same field.
The same sheep were there or whatever animals they were looking at. They had the same responsibilities, right? But they were no longer the same men.
Verse 20 says they returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen. What a difference.
Meeting the creator of your universe on the screen changes everything.
These guys became the first evangelists.
That's kind of how I approached it when I finally accepted Jesus as Lord, man, I went to all my families. I was a little bit. Probably too rough. Sorry about that, Dad. I know he's watching right now.
[01:02:54] Speaker A: But.
[01:02:56] Speaker B: I just didn't know how to yield the word of God properly. And that takes time and processing, doesn't it? It just takes a minute. But, man, one thing I do know is you can share your story. I knew my story, how I met Jesus.
Luke tells us they made it widely known in verse 17. Not because they were trained, not because they had all the answers. I submit to you. It was because they were transformed by meeting Jesus. They couldn't keep quiet about what they had seen and heard and what the shepherds did instinctively. I believe we're called to do intentionally.
Church, family. That's why we're leaning into this. 4000s conversations and stories Initiative.
We're challenging ourselves as a family to have 4,000 gospel conversations in 2025. We're almost done with that. And in 2026, it's going to continue on.
We're not having arguments, we're not having sales pitches or debates, but simple, honest conversations where we share what God has done in our lives.
Right now, there was 335 and I talked to someone. They had five incidents. I said, put those five tacks on that wall, that wall over by the W Cafe. And they did it. So now we're up to 340 thus far.
We have an achievable goal to accomplish this coming year. And I think we can do it if we get excited about the manger and who was there and our interactions with the one that came.
Now, I know what you're thinking, Randy. I don't know how to do that. What do I even say? Let me make it simple. For whatever stage of life that you're in, here's some potentials for students. Hey, you want to hear about something that's actually changed my life? It could be that simple.
Or for some of the young parents, we've been bringing our kids to church and honestly, it's made our family stronger. Want to come check it out sometime? A simple invite.
You mentioned you're feeling burnt out at work.
I've been there. Can I share what's helped me find purpose again and for us retirees?
I include myself there because I get to lead the seniors here, and I am one of them. As I get older and older, it's like, wow.
We were working on the electronics and I fat fingered it on my thing during the Christmas program. And I said, man, it really happens Here I thought I was all this and a bag of chips with working electronics, but man, that fat finger got in there and it screwed up the thing.
And I hear that from seniors a lot. You know, they they get frustrated at electronics, but it happens legit.
I've seen a lot of thing a lot of. I've lived long enough to see a lot of things fail. Let me tell you who hasn't failed me. What a great line that could start a conversation no matter where you're at or how you're feeling.
It's that simple.
It's the same message, different conversations, different seasons, one gospel.
You don't need special training. You just need to share your story of what Jesus has done in your life. Why?
Because God still uses ordinary people on the screen. It's the same life. But now there's a different heart. Right? The shepherds went back to the same routine, the same hills, the same work, same ordinary life. But they went back transformed.
And that's the call for every one of us. Not to escape our lives, but to live them differently. Because we've met Jesus.
So let me ask you this. Next day, week, or 20, 26, will you commit to having just one conversation, just one, where you share what Jesus means to you? Because remember, same life, different heart.
On the screen you'll see that.
Something to help hold you accountable.
I will commit to having you fill in there. The Holy Spirit will give you a no.
The goal is to exceed that. But you gotta start somewhere.
Now back to Randall.
You can walk out of here today, go back to your same old routine, the same old everything that you do, remain unchanged.
You can keep breathing life into this old version of yourself. Comfortable, quiet, respected.
But it's lifeless. It's just lifeless.
There's nothing in there. Or you can let the love of God meet you right where you are.
Break every barrier to purify your heart and to send you out as a witness.
Remember, it's the same fields, the same sheep. It's the same life, but it's different men. That's the choice before you today.
For there is born to you this day a savior. Luke 2:11.
To you right now, right here. Christmas is not just the story of a baby in a manger. It's the story of a savior who came, shed his blood for the forgiveness of sin. The Bible tells us that we are sinners, separated from a holy God, unable to fix what is broken.
But God in his love, sent his son, Jesus. Jesus. He lived a life we could not live. He went to the cross and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Romans 5, 8. While we are still sinners, Christ died for us. That sings to my heart. Because while Randy was still a sinner, Christ died for me. I made it personal.
Three days later, he rose. Just as it was talked about in the scriptures, proving that sin and death were defeated.
The gift God offers today is forgiveness, new life and peace with him. But it does require response.
The Bible calls that response repentance and faith. Repentance means turning away from sin and self rule. I'm in charge. You're not telling me what to do. I'm gonna do what I wanna do. We've probably all said that at least within the last four days, haven't we? We're guilty. We're gonna do what we're gonna do.
That's that sin Nature. That's Adam's sin inside you still. But it's not supposed to control us. Faith means truly trusting in what Jesus did through his death and resurrection.
Jesus once asked his disciples, who do men say that I am? And I'm asking you guys here. I'll invite the worship team to come on up.
I'm asking each of you here today, who do you say that Jesus is?
If you never answered that, if you've never personally turned to Christ, today can be that day. Jesus, I turn from my sin. I believe your blood was shed for me. I trust you are who you say you are. I trust you alone to save me. And I surrender my life to you. Surrender is simply. This is what surrender looks like. You see people worshiping with their hands up, right? You've seen this a lot of times. When I first became saved, I didn't know what that meant.
I always thought that when you walked into a bank and you see somebody doing that, you want to walk right back out.
But in the church community, it's different. It means you've let this life go and you are now worshiping our God. Wouldn't you agree?
Thank you, God, for that.
Your field is already waiting. If you already belong to him, someone in your life needs to hear the same good news. The shepherds share that forgiveness is available because Jesus came, died and rose again.
Our final takeaway on the screen.
Loved received becomes loved revealed.
Write that down.
The gift of God's love is not just to be received, but to be given away.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the perfect gift of your love.
Thank you for leaving heaven and stepping into our darkness.
Thank you for meeting us right where we are.
Thank you for calling us out of sin into the new life that only you can give.
Let your truth anchor us. Let your peace guard our hearts. Let your love flow through us into a world that desperately needs you.
And Lord, as we step into this coming year, strengthen us as a church family to live on mission one conversation at a time. Use us in this 4000 gospel conversations and stories to point people to the hope, forgiveness and new life found only in you.
Make us faithful witnesses in these fields we return to this week.
Living changed life that bring you glory. We pray in Jesus name.
Amen. Thank you.
[01:11:42] Speaker A: What kind of king would give up his throne for a manger?
What kind of God would step down from heaven to save us?
O Jesus, from a cradle in the dark came the Savior of the world.
We cry, holy, holy.
You are the one and only Emmanuel, son of God, Jesus, here with us.
Humbly you came into the world you created.
Oh, what a child the heavens proclaim what his name is.
It's Jesus.
From a cradle in D came the same Savior of the world.
And we cry, holy, holy, you are the one and only Emmanuel, Son of God, Jesus, you are worthy, you're worthy.
We give you all the glory.
Emmanuel, Son of God, Jesus, here with us.
Jesus here with us.
You are holy, yes, you are holy.
Go tailing on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain Jesus Christ is far and go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell him on the mountain Jesus Christ is born.
We cry holy, holy, you are the one and only Emmanuel, Son of God and Jesus, you are worthy, worthy, you're worthy.
We give you all the glory.
Emmanuel, Son of God.
Go tell it on the mountain over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it, go on the mountain Jesus Christ is born.
Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain. Jesus Christ is bo Cry holy, holy, you are the one and only Emmanuel, Son of God, Jesus here with us.
[01:15:34] Speaker B: Amen. Yeah, give him. Give God the glory.
We have people up here that will pray for you. There's a lot of points that I gave you guys, a lot of information, and if you get confused, just email me. I'll walk with you through any of the questions that you might have. But we also have prayer people up here for those who want to pray. We have prayer in the fire, the old fireside room, the prayer room as well. So take advantage of prayer. I'm telling you, the reason I'm up here without shaking off my tree is because there's so many people praying for me.
I'm not known for doing this a lot, but, you know, thank you guys for listening. May God bless you richly.
Not for your own desires, but so you can share your love with somebody as you go on this week, starting today. And don't do it during the drive home. Be nice, be kind. Right, God bless you guys. We'll see you next week.
[01:16:34] Speaker A: Sa.
