Sermon Transcript:I want to add my Merry Christmas to you guys as well, thank you so much for being here and spending Christmas Eve with us with each other. And we have spent the last several weeks lighting what's called the Advent candles. And through that we've had, we've had a theme for each candle lighting and for each message that we've had throughout the four weeks of Advent, and so we started off with hope. And again, that's what this kind of whole series kicked off as you've seen the videos and the screens, then love, and then joy. And then this week, we'll be looking at Pease, as we sort of, finally at the end of our service tonight, get to like what's called the Christ candle. Well think about that word though Advent, I don't know if you, you know, we hear these words, every once in a while we know they have to do with church and calendar. But what does it literally mean? It means arrival. It signifies the start of an event or specifically for us on arrival of a person. And of course, we're celebrating the arrival of Jesus. But one of the things we need to think about is that the mood of the day in which Christ came may not be different, much different than the mood that you feel in our given day. You think about the fact that there was hopelessness, there was questions of where is the love? Where is the joy, and it seemed like there was no peace in the first century. And think about this, because they had not heard from the prophets. They hadn't heard a new word from God for 400 years or so it looked like when they looked around with their eyes that Rome was in charge, because they had conquered the known world at that time. And you may be familiar with that in terms of what's going on there in Jerusalem in the first century. But they are to be reminded of the prophets of old and so are we, as we think about what we've read already what we've been reading these last four weeks, and what we're going to read this evening, this Christmas Eve as well. So let's start out with maybe what might be a familiar passage in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah is writing about 740 BCE, and he says these words, for a child is born to us a son is given to us right maybe familiar language but but written and prophesied some 740 years before Christ saying this, the government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, in what Prince of Peace. That's what we're going to focus on this evening. His government and it's peace will never end he will roll with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor, David, which we talked about, it's so important that we understand that Christ comes from that lineage, that family, but not just temporarily, he is going to be on the throne of his ancestor, David for all eternity, the passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's armies will make this happen, exclamation point. So we can rest assured, tonight, as we think about what we're even gathered to celebrate, in this Advent, this arrival season, that piece has arrived. And it's arrived in a person, right? Now think about that. Because we often think of peace. Right? We think of an event, we think about kind of what peace is, this is post battle, we've had some sort of great conflict, and now we're at peace, or we think about peace in terms of post hustle. Again, I want to say that first point you want to put up there a piece has arrived in a person. And we often think about this in terms of to just the classic sort of dictionary definition of peace, which is freedom from disturbance or tranquility, a state are a period in which there is no war war has ended. So So you might have in your head, okay, I know what peace is. And it may be what you see on some of these commercials where there's, you know, a laying out at the beach and a and a reclining chair and a cool drink with a great view or, you know, you think about this around Christmas time is I know what peace is. It's when, you know, the cooking just got just right. And everyone sort of arrived from all their different places, and they're all around the table together. And there's no, you know, bickering or fighting or no burnt suppers or anything like that, that everything has sort of worked out just so I've got all the right presents, and they all came in on time. We often to think of I think peace in terms of sort of sort of me time, right sort of time that I can sort of have all these sorts of distractions or things that sort of irked me to be put aside, but that's not what's going on here. When we're saying that the Prince of Peace has come and that he will set up a kingdom of peace that will have no end. We know that that begins in the incarnation. That is the first coming that big word incarnation just means that God Himself took onflesh and dwelt among us. And that is the start of something, even if we don't feel it right, even if we don't feel very tranquil or peaceful, even if we know that we're going to step into, you know, Christmas meals and dinners and times, that we go back to work, and there's still going to be conflict or misunderstandings, or all those things that know it's real, because a person has come. And if it's not fully realized, in this age, which we know it won't be, it will in the age and the time to come. And he goes on, we're gonna see also the New Testament passage if you were paying attention to the reading, and um, I didn't plan on Gabriel reading from Gabriel, but I thought that was kind of cool. But one of the things that you notice there is that we're talking about Elizabeth, and if you know anything about sort of that story, which is before what we think of the traditional Christmas Story, Elizabeth is the cousin of Mary. So you have cousins of Jesus and John the Baptist, and that they're going to have a significant child, and that this child is going to prepare the way for Jesus and that that in and of itself was a miraculous birth where she had a child in her old age and Zechariah had a child in his own age. So let's see this from the New Testament, the book of Luke, chapter one beginning in verse 67. Then his father, this is not my John the Baptist, his father, Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy. Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as He promised right? Through the Holy Prophets long ago, we will just read about some of those. Now we will be saved from our enemies, and from all who hate us, he has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant, which is what promise, the Covenant or the promise that he swore with an oath to our ancestor, Abraham, we have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and in righteousness as long as we live, and you my little son will be called the Prophet of the most high because you will want prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins, because of God's tender mercy, knows the language here. The morning light from Heaven is about to break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. And you might know that from Psalm 23, a famous passage, and to do what to guide us in the path of peace, there's that word again. John grew up and became strong and spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. So what do we see here? Second point this morning, or this evening? Sorry, is that God will guide us in the path of peace, He will guide us in the path of peace. And we often don't think about this around Christmas time you think well, okay, that's I understand the proclamation of peace on earth and goodwill to men. But But what do you mean, pastor, he says that he will guide us in the path of peace. Will you notice here that oftentimes when you read the scriptures, and you read it slowly, and you try to figure out what's going on here, you'll see the work of the Trinity, you'll see prayer to the Father, you'll see that Jesus the Son, enabling things, by what, by the Holy Spirit, and so maybe that in that passage, so it's just this Trinitarian effort. It's the Trinity, that we often think about, okay, I understand Jesus came as a baby in the manger. But what's that to do with me here now, what it means is, is that you, those of us, who received the mercy of God, and who are believers, who are Christians, now have the very spirit of God living inside of us, that we often say, Jesus lives on our border, we mean by that we really mean the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and that spirit, right by the power of God will guide us in the path of peace. He might say, that doesn't mean everything's gonna be hunky dory on this side of heaven. It just means that we're gonna know how to walk in wisdom, we're gonna know how to walk in the Spirit, because He will show us but we have to lean in. That's how we talked about prayer and Bible study and asking God for wisdom and asking God for peace and joy and love and all the things that we've been talking about this Advent this season, which leads to that idea that we can celebrate that Christ has come. We're gonna look at one final passage here and it's gonna be Psalm 98. And this is the psalm in which the famous hymn Christmas hymn Joy to the world is based off of and again, that's one of those songs or hymns that anybody might know of just from turning on the television or being in Western culture. Western society was inspired by this text. Isaac Watts in the 1700s.I was reading this and he wrote that famous Joy to the world and you're gonna see in a minute how he was inspired by such a passage and then some 20 years later, Handel's Messiah, which if you've ever heard of that it's often played around Christmas time again, was inspired by Isaac Watts in this text. What does it say? Psalm 98 says this, sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory, his holy arm has shown his saving power. The Lord has announced his victory and has revealed His righteousness to every nation. He has remembered his promise to love and to be faithful to Israel, the ends of the earth, have seen the victory of Our Lord of our God. Shout to the Lord all the earth, break out and praise and sing for joy. sing your praise to the Lord with the heart, with the heart and the melody, a song with trumpets in the sound of the ram's horn, make a joyful Symphony before the lord the king, let the sea and everything in it Shout His praise, Let the earth and all living things join in, Let the rivers clap their hands and Glee, let the hills sing their songs of joy before the Lord for He is coming to judge the earth. And He will judge the world with justice and the nations with fairness, you can see that you can see the the signs and the symbols where we understand that even though we may have troubles in this life, but that someone has come, that someone has come to give us peace, someone has come to guide us. And that is worth celebrating third and final point I want to see this evening is this is worth celebrating. That's why we've gathered. That's why you've decided to come on Christmas Eve and you wanted to yes, you're gonna go and you're gonna leave, you're gonna open some presents, and you're going tohave some of your favorite things to eat. But you've decided to set apart some time and set apart some energy and set apart and some worship of the true King of what he's done. And that this idea of all that he's done, and what he has brought, is worth celebrating. And so that's what we're gonna do this evening is we're gonna, we're going to finish up here celebrating in worship, understanding that we are the bearers and the Bringers of the light, already mentioned that if you are a believer, if you're a Christ follower, that the very spirit of God lives inside of you, we pray to the Father, by the blood by the power of Jesus, but it is the Holy Spirit that enables any of us to move into work and to do God's will. And so we understand that this light that we're about tolight here, first, the Christ's candle in celebration of the birth, and this light that we carry is true. It is true. And it is true that as we go and as we have this light in us that we are to take it to the world that we are the light we are the carriers. Somebody told you somebody told me about Christ, somebody celebrated Christ before me. So we're Christ before you and you and I believe this is where suffering so I want to call back up the Saudis, our family, and as you guys come up to help us in celebrating they are going to have a scripture reading and light the Christ candle. And then afterwards, we'll come back and lead all of us in the lighting of our individual candles.

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