Well, good morning and uh Merry Christmas. You guys excited? As some of you have already found, there are party hats under every single one of your seats. So now would be a good time if you want to to join me in celebrating Jesus' birthday. And we have a tradition, yeah, we can celebrate. Yeah. But we have a uh a time-honored tradition. Uh it's probably a song that you know very well that you sing at your birthday or your son's birthday or your daughter's birthday. And so I think it's uh fitting to honor him in that just that very way. So let's sing together.

Happy birthday to you. Sing with me. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Jesus. Happy birthday to you. Woo.

That was way less awkward than I thought it was gonna be. That was I was like so nervous, but thank you guys for celebrating. Some of you might be wondering, like, hey, it's not even the 25th yet, so what gives? What's with the party hats? What's with the singing? And nobody knows exactly when Jesus was born, and people debate all the time as to why we landed very specifically on December 25th. But I'm here to say that Christmas is so much more than just a single moment. It's so much more than just a single moment. Um I'm not saying that Jesus being born isn't the most important moment in history because it is. I'm just saying that our nativity scenes and our uh Christmas plays and our children's book don't paint an entirely accurate picture. Jesus being born, and the Christmas story that we have in the Bible wasn't a party where somebody set a time close to dinner time, maybe after dinner, and everybody showed up within 15 or 30 minutes, maybe 45 if they were super late. No, this biblical Christmas story that we have in Scripture spans over the course of several years. It encompasses uh the entire early part of Jesus' life. And so for our purposes today, we are going to talk about Jesus' very first birthday party, but we're gonna kind of expand the definition of what we'd call a party. Instead of that uh after dinner time, it's gonna be the early moments of Jesus' life. Because if this is the most important party in history, I know that you'd probably want to be there and I'd want to be there as well. And my hope is that when we look at the people at the party, when we see who's included at this very first Christmas party, we don't only understand who's there way back then, but we understand who's included today. Who is the kingdom of God for? Who is this celebration that's going on even to today? Who's included? And if we understand the people at the party, we understand the heart of the host. And so you don't have to wear the birthday party hat the entire time. I'm gonna take mine off. I understand it can be difficult to wear it with the mask, and so I'm gonna take mine off as we look at the very first person that's included at this party. The very first person to be included at this party is the teenager. The teenager. Young people, listen up because I'm gonna mainly be talking to you. The first person included in this important moment in history is a young teenager named Mary. We believe she was a young teenager because in her culture, it was very, very normal to be engaged at an age as young as 13. And so for those of us in the room that are married, and those of us that are engaged or planning on being married soon, we know the turmoil, the hope, the anticipation, the nerves that come with merging your life with another person. Now imagine all of that on top of having just stepped out of childhood. And that's where Mary finds herself as her life takes a very drastic turn. And so let's see what happens. This is in Luke chapter one. God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, Greetings, favored woman, the Lord is with you. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think of what the angel could mean. Don't be afraid, Mary, the angel told her, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will reign over Israel forever, his kingdom will never end. Mary asked the angel, But how can this happen? I'm a virgin. The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age. People used to say that she was barren, but she conceived a son and is now in her sixth month, for the Lord or the word of the God will never fail. Mary responded, I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true. The very first person included at this party is a teenager, and it this inclusion comes with a huge responsibility. It's a responsibility that won't only just change her life, but it'll change the life of her entire community, the Jewish people. This is the chosen one that the Jews have been waiting for since as long as anybody can remember, and God trusts a teenager with this huge responsibility. Not only will it change her community, but this will change the entire world. It's why we're here today. And Mary has some options. It says she's confused and disturbed. She could embrace that fear or she can accept the responsibility instead of running away from it. And that's what she does. Young people, teenagers, do not count yourself out because you're young. Do not think that you don't have an important role to play in the kingdom of God. Because if Mary can or if God can trust Mary with his huge responsibility, what can he trust you with? We have to be willing to set aside our fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear that we're not good enough. We have to set aside our fear and step up in faith because that's what Mary had. Young people, do not let anybody look down on you because you're young. And teenagers, I do want to take a moment. If you're in high school, uh in January, we're back. Every single Sunday after service, I want to invite you to the after party and we'll hang out, we'll live life together, we'll eat lunch together in the student center, we'll pray for each other. But as you walk down that hallway, you'll notice that there will be a new uh verse on the wall. It says this, 1 Timothy 4 12. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. Don't count yourself out. Set an example. You see, Mary had her plans for her life, and they were still in great plans, but God had something so much greater. Are you willing to set aside your fear and to step up in faith? Because if you are, God can do absolutely amazing things. And before we move on, you might be like, yeah, Mary, but she's Mary. She's like, you know, the best or something. No. She didn't have expertise, she didn't have training, she didn't have an uh status, she didn't have Google to even understand what pregnancy was going to be about. She just had faith. And this isn't the only time that God trusts teenagers with his plan. He's chosen them to play huge parts in the Old Testament, and that's gone good and bad as it goes with teenagers. And it really has. Just read through the Old Testament. Uh he chose Mary for this task. Uh some of Jesus' very first disciples, we believe, were young teenagers. See, if we understand the people at the party, we'll understand the heart of the host, and it's very obvious that God has a heart for young people. So don't count yourself out. But Mary wasn't alone in this journey. She was engaged to be married to Joseph. And that brings us to the next person at the party, and I'm gonna call him the average Joe. The average Joe. And I don't call him average because he's not a great guy. I just call him average because he's a normal person. I call him Joe because his name is Joseph, but average Joe. Joseph is a normal person. He's a carpenter, he works hard, he tries to do what's right for his family. And I don't know about normal people in the room, uh, what you would feel like if you found out that your fiance was pregnant and not by you, I would be shocked and frustrated. But let's see how Joseph reacts. Matthew chapter one. This is how Jesus, the Messiah, was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to shame her publicly. So he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David, the angel said, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she will have a son, and you're to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet. Look, the virgin will conceive a child, she will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God is with us. When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. Joseph is average, yes. He's a normal guy. But when the challenge faces him, he does the right thing. He doesn't want to disgrace her publicly, and he's obedient to the Lord. Joseph is just going about his business when all of this starts happening to him, but he also steps up in faith. If you feel like a normal person, you're like, my life doesn't look particularly extravagant. I don't really have a special status, or I don't know. I just I'm normal, I'm here. Know that normal doesn't mean overlooked. God sees you, He loves you, and He has a role for you to play at the party. You're included at this party, no matter what your life looks like, but know that if you're normal, the invitation stands with you. If you feel like an average Joe or Josefina, the invitation stands and you're included. But if we direct our attention to the corner of the room, not to anybody over there, I'm not saying this about any of you, but if we take our metaphorical attention and took it, put it to the metaphorical corner of the room, we'll see that another crowd is at this party. And it's crowd you might not feel super comfortable being around. You might not necessarily feel the safest because it's the rough crowd. The rough crowd is here at the party, and you're kind of like, ugh, they're here. And I call them the rough crowd because they are rough around the edges. This is the shepherds. Shepherding is a rough job. You spend your life outdoors with animals, often spending late nights protecting your flock and your livelihood against violent attacks from beasts. I'm sure these shepherds have at least a few stories to tell. But their life is rough, and on top of all of that, it would be nearly impossible to live under the Jewish cleanliness laws as a shepherd. You come into contact with animal waste, with blood, uh, with all sorts of things on your outdoor wilderness adventures. And so the Jewish insiders would have often seen this group of people as unclean, untrustworthy, and on the outside. But it's these rough people, this rough crowd, that God decides to include at the party. Luke chapter 2. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They are terrified. But the angel reassured them: Don't be afraid, he said. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior. Yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you will recognize him by this sign. You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast host of others, the armies of heaven, praising God and saying, Glory to God in highest heaven and peace on earth with those whom God is pleased. And we could pause there and just spend the rest of the day talking about angels, but let's stay focused on the shepherds. When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, Let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about. They returned to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby lying in a manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherd's story were astonished. But Mary kept all of these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them. That's awesome. But these are not the people you want at your party. Like, let's just say, for example, you're throwing a really important party, like the most important party in human history. You wouldn't tell your friends, don't worry, guys, it's gonna be awesome. I invited the shepherds. It's like, no, I'm gonna decline that invitation. It seems like the party that I should avoid. But they're here all the same. God has a heart for the rough crowd. If you're a little rough around the edges, God sees you, he understands you, he loves you, and he wants to include you. You see, you may have a story to tell, but your story will never be the same after you meet Jesus. These shepherds saw Jesus. They met baby Jesus, not even adult Jesus. They met baby Jesus, and their lives were never the same. Sure, they went back to being shepherds. Their life was still rough after that encounter with God, but it was never the same. They went about praising and glorifying and living with joy and wonder at the power of God and what he's doing in this world. If you are rough around the edges, if you have a story to tell, know that you are just one encounter with God. You are included, you're one encounter away from your life being changed forever. His hands has always been a place for people that are rough around the edges. I remember way back in the day, like right here, there was like this giant group of bikers. And if you were here back then, you remember. And I was I was sitting there like, I yeah, this is church. Where else would they be? Why am I surprised? God includes you just as much as He includes the average Joe. Know that you're included at this party. But if the shepherds are the, you know, kind of the outsiders, they're rough around the edges, this next group is the obvious outsiders. These are the obvious outsiders. Let's put it this way: if if this was a party in a movie, this would be the moment where they open the door, the record scratch happens, everybody goes silent to look at them, and they are just shocked as to why they're here. This next group is the magi. You might know them as the kings, you might know them as visitors from the east, you might know them as royal astrologers. There are tons of names for this group of people, and I think that's because if we truly understood when we opened up our Bible, who the magi were, we would be offended. We would be shocked. These guys? No, not at my baby Jesus' birthday party. No, get out. That's how we'd feel if we truly understood who these people were. But let's see how they got there to start with. Matthew chapter 2. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod. About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, where's the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him. King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. And if you know the story, it continues, and Herod tries to use them to kill baby Jesus. It's this whole thing. But these guys are so obviously outsiders that when they step into the holy city of Jerusalem, a report goes straight to the king. It's that record scratch moment. They're confused. Hey, these guys are here. You know those guys. And they're so obviously outsiders because the last time we encountered them in Scripture, we were in the opposite of Jerusalem. We were in pagan Babylon, which is like the exact antithesis of the city of God. We were in King Nebuchadnezzar's court, and these court magicians are trying to comfort the king and interpret a dream that's been troubling him. And they're not able to do it. And they're not able to do it because they're trying to conjure from their own strength and their own intellect and their own power something that can only be managed by God. And even when these court magicians do end up doing something great, it's by really dark and evil powers. But luckily, a man of God is living in exile in Babylon. Daniel is able to comfort the king because he's got God on his side. These court magicians, this obvious outside group, are the magi. Same group of people from the same line, same country, it's a different country, culture, and religion. It's these guys that God includes at the party. And it gives me pause. It gives me major pause because so often I am really quick to identify an outsider. I'm quick to point fingers in my mind because they look differently than me, because they think differently than me, because they believe differently than me. But these wise men, these obvious outsiders, are included. What if instead of being threatened by their outsideness, I was bold and brave in approaching them and including them at the party? Because even though they're obvious outsiders, the way they respond to Jesus should seem very familiar. This is uh Matthew chapter two again. The star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That's why we usually think of them being as three people, but this would have been a large traveling troop. They show up, they bow down, and they bless the king. Even though they're from a different language, different culture, different religion entirely, they show up and respond just like any of us would. But did you notice how they got there? These guys, they were looking for God. They were seeking him. Now they were seeking him in a way that we would see as foolish. They're looking to the stars for some spiritual significance. And our understanding of the universe now just kind of okay, no. But God spoke to them in a language that they understood, and he gave them a sign so that he could include these obvious outsiders at the party. All of us are looking for God. All of us. Some of us we find the answers in the wrong place. We find the answers in ourselves, we find the answers in a political party, we find the answers in a false religion, but all of us are seeking him. The person that you would count out first is seeking him. You might be watching online or you might be here because a friend invited you, because you're curious, because you're seeking God. I have to wonder, what if I'm the sign that God's going to use to reach that obvious outsider who maybe has walked away from the Christianity of their youth and has gone down an entirely different path that seems very far from God? What if I'm the person that's going to speak to them in a language that they understand? If you feel like an obvious outsider, know that you are included. You don't have to look or dress or act a certain way, because this party is for you. But what if, those of us that are here, what if we took some time to set aside our fear to find those outsiders and to invite them. To include them on this party. It might be that coworker that you work with that really annoys you. It's that one that you don't want here. It might be that person that's in your family that has walked away. It might be, I don't know, your FedEx driver. Someone that looks, thinks, and acts completely differently than you. Seek them, find them, invite them, include them because this party is for them. And this last group we're gonna talk about, if the magi are the obvious outsiders, then this last group is the obvious insiders. It's the church people. The church people. These are the guys that get left out of the Jesus story every single year. This is the one the Nativity plays. Never have Anna or Simeon, but I'm gonna give them a highlight here because they're church people, and I'm a church person too. And honestly, well, we'll we'll just go through. Let's see. Anna and Simeon. At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a righteous and devout man and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he wouldn't die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people, Israel. Jesus' parents were amazed at what was being said about him. And that wasn't the only church person there. Anna, a prophet, was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Faniuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been only married seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. You see, these people are usually left out, but they would have definitely had this encounter way before the Magi show up. But look where they are when they encounter God. Look where they are when they're included at this party. They're at the temple. They're doing what God has asked them to do. They're fasting, they're praying, they're worshiping, they're expectantly waiting for this party to start. They're the people that got the email and RSVP'd immediately and have been waiting every single day until that party comes. And so when it does show up, they're able to recognize it. If you're a church person, know that you're included. I'm a church person. And oddly enough, I'm like a this church person. I've been here since the fifth grade. And when I look at that, sometimes I get super bummed because I'm like, I don't have a story. I don't have like this amazing testimony to share. I wasn't this rough crowd or obvious outside. What do I have? And then I'm reminded that God has protected me from so much because of my upbringing. And that's a good thing. And then when suffering has come, I've known who to turn to. When things got crazy. And that's because I'm a church person, and there are plenty of you that are church people too. I mean, if you're here, you're probably to some extent a church person. Just because God is included in your story doesn't mean you're overlooked in His. You have an important part to play. You might have seen it coming from a long way off. Like I said, you might have been waiting for this party to start. But you have an important role to play at the party. Now, if we reflect on this guest list, it's a very strange guest list. It's not the party that you necessarily would show up to and be like, oh, all these weird people are here. I'm gonna try to leave. And it's it's a strange guest list because this is an open invitation. And there are several ways that we can respond to an open invitation. And the first is simply show up. Show up. Whether you're a teenager or an average Joe, whether you're a church person or the obvious outsider, if you're the rough crowd, this party is for you. And showing up can look like a variety of different things. First off, it could mean turning on your TV and showing up online. Thank you for showing up online. It could mean showing up in person. But for a lot of us, you're like, I'm here preaching to the choir. For some of us, showing up could look like accepting the invitation for the very first time. And if you're recognizing that there's a celebration going on, whether it's because it's Christmas or whether because something has been happening in your heart or whatever it is, if you're recognizing that there's a celebration going on that you want to be part of, all you have to do is show up. And if you do, if you do respond to that invitation, my encouragement is to sign up and get baptized. That's just a way to show this community that you're part of the party, that you've made that commitment to following and being with Jesus. So show up, and then the second thing we can do is to mingle. Mingle. Talk to that person that sits next to you every single Sunday that you have never spoken to and otherwise probably wouldn't speak to. That person that looks completely different than you, mingle. Get to know them. And listen, I understand mingling can be awkward, especially with masks. It's like, I don't want to talk to anyone. I'm coming, I'm sitting, and I'm leaving. That's okay. But here's the thing: someone sitting in this room could be the specific answer to a prayer that you've been praying for a very long time. You might be the answer to a prayer that they've been praying for a very long time. And you cannot know that unless you know them. So mingle. Step into the awkwardness. And I'm gonna lay a blanket statement out, and I didn't ask permission if I could say this, but I'm gonna say it. You have the freedom here to flub somebody's name. You have the freedom. I have called you all by the wrong name for years. I have, I'm sorry, so forgive me, please. There's forgiveness if we forget. And if you ask that person their name, if you overcome the awkwardness, you're like, I remembered. And then the next week goes by, and it's been six days since you've seen that person and you forget. It's not this moment where you go, guess I can't talk to that person ever again in my entire life. No. Get to know them. Ask again. Say, hey, I totally forgot your name. You have the freedom to do that here because the kingdom of God is a group effort. It's no fun to party alone. And we can do that together every single week. And honestly, that's a huge part of why we're gonna stay at one service church for as long as we feasibly can make it happen. Because that gives us the opportunity to stick around, to mingle. When the the last song is over and we all go to our cars, we can stick around and get to know that person that we've seen. And that person might have a lot of tattoos. Like a lot of tattoos. But they're included at the party, and you might need them, they might need you. And so mingle. What else can you do with an open invitation? Open invitations are cool because they introduce a little bit of chaos. Because you can invite others. You can invite whoever you want to a party with an open invitation. You can bring your boyfriend or girlfriend, and it won't be awkward. You can bring your FedEx driver or the cash register person. You can bring whoever here. And it's actually our job to keep this party going. Jesus, in his last conversation here on earth as a man, said this. He says, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this. I am with you even to the end of the age. How do these new disciples get here? They're invited, they're included. Like I said earlier, we might be the sign that somebody needs. We might be able to speak in the language that they can understand because of our past, because of our experience. So invite others. And the last thing you do, it's really simple. You celebrate. You celebrate. And I'll put my party hat back on because it is time to celebrate. And if you would, join me. Put your party hats back on. You don't have to, but it's time to celebrate. And here's what we're celebrating: we are celebrating Emmanuel, God with us. We are celebrating the fact that we are not alone, that we don't have to live life alone. We're celebrating the fact that our past doesn't define our future. We're celebrating the fact that uh no fear can overcome the power of our God. It is time to celebrate. This is a party that keeps going as long as Jesus is with us. Christmas is so much more than just a moment. And so let's celebrate. And we have a tradition around here on how we celebrate. And you guys know what it is, it's hands in the pile. So if you would stand with me, throw your hand into a pile or into a socially distanced pile, and we're gonna celebrate one last time this year, Jesus on three, but let's make it loud because we have something to celebrate.

Stir it up! Oh Merry Christmas, y'all!